Positions: Mechanical, Structural & General Craft
Data Center Headhunters recruits critical facilities, data center operations, construction and delivery, commissioning, power and cooling, and executive talent for colocation, hyperscale and enterprise sites. We research the market, contact working people and qualify a shortlist for your opening. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
18 titles in Mechanical, Structural & General Craft, each with its own page.
This is what we do all day: recruit data center professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Data centers only, construction to operations
- Local and 100% travel candidates
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
Showing all 18 positions.
Mechanical, Structural & General Craft 18 titles
- Journeyman PipefitterYou need pipefitters who can run large chilled water and condenser piping that stays tight through flushing and testing, and speed alone will not tell you who can.
- Traveling Pipefitter (Per Diem)You need pipe in the ground and in the white space on a chilled water or liquid cooling job, and the local hall cannot cover it.
- Pipefitter ForemanA pipefitter foreman turns drawings and a crew into finished systems, and the wrong one costs you in rework, safety and quiet morale loss.
- Pipe WelderYou need welders whose pipe passes X-ray the first time, and a certificate on paper does not guarantee that.
- Plumber (construction)On a data center build the plumber handles domestic water, drainage, gas and the humble systems that keep a facility legal to occupy.
- Sheet Metal Worker / Duct InstallerYou need sheet metal workers who can hang large duct and set air handlers to the shop drawings, because rework in a finished hall is slow and costly.
- HVAC InstallerYou need installers who can set precision cooling units and braze refrigerant lines cleanly, because shortcuts here show up later as hot rooms and call-backs.
- Mechanical InsulatorInsulation on a data center looks like finishing work, but it decides whether chilled water lines sweat onto electrical gear.
- Sprinkler FitterYou need sprinkler fitters who understand pre-action systems, because a data hall cannot tolerate water released by a careless mistake.
- Millwright / Equipment SetterYou need millwrights who can set chillers, generators, and switchgear to the rigging plan without damaging machines that cost more than the room around them.
- Rigger / Signal PersonYou need riggers who can plan and direct heavy lifts safely, because one dropped load can end a project and hurt people.
- Crane OperatorA crane operator holds your schedule, your equipment and other people's safety on one hook.
- Ironworker (structural and reinforcing)You need ironworkers who erect steel and place rebar to the drawings, because a structural error is the hardest kind to fix once concrete is poured.
- Carpenter / FramerOn a data center the carpenter builds forms, framing, blocking and temporary protection, and the quality shows later in everyone else's work.
- Concrete FinisherThe finisher decides whether your slab is flat, level and ready for heavy equipment.
- Heavy Equipment Operator (sitework)Sitework sets the base for everything that follows, and an operator who misreads grade can cost weeks.
- Construction LaborerA laborer on a data center site is the person who keeps every other trade working, and the gap between a good one and a poor one shows up in other crews' schedules before it shows up in yours.
- Firestopping InstallerFirestopping sits in the gap between mechanical, electrical and architectural work, and a hiring manager who treats it as simple sealing will find out at inspection that every penetration is a documented fire-rated assembly.
Which mechanical or structural trade is short on your job?
Name the trade and the system. Pipefitters and pipe welders build chilled water and condenser piping. Sheet metal workers install duct. HVAC installers set units. Insulators protect pipe and duct. Sprinkler fitters install fire protection. Millwrights set rotating equipment. Riggers, signal persons and crane operators move heavy gear. Ironworkers build structure.
Large chilled water plants and dense mechanical rooms make pipefitters and welders the critical path on many builds. Weld certifications, pipe sizes and materials matter, so ask candidates which procedures they are certified to and which systems they have built.
Traveling pipefitters on per diem follow the work. Foreman roles usually come from strong journeymen who can read drawings, plan material and keep a crew safe.
How do site and general craft roles support the build?
They prepare the ground and close out the building. Heavy equipment operators and laborers handle sitework. Concrete finishers and carpenters form and finish slabs and structures. Firestopping installers seal penetrations so fire ratings hold. These roles set conditions for every trade that follows them.
Firestopping is a frequent inspection finding on data center jobs. An installer who documents each penetration and uses tested systems saves rework at closeout.
Construction laborers support every trade. Clear direction and good supervision turn a large labor crew into real productivity.
Which mechanical craft roles are direct hire and which are crew hiring?
Foremen, general foremen and specialists such as certified pipe welders or crane operators are often direct-hire decisions. Larger journeyman crews are usually filled through the contractor's normal labor channels. Decide which seats need a named individual chosen carefully and which need headcount, then recruit each in the right way.
Crane operators and riggers carry certification and safety obligations that vary by location. Confirm requirements before outreach.
Pipefitter foremen strongly influence quality on chilled water systems. A careful foreman prevents leaks that would surface during testing or, worse, after handover.
Millwrights and equipment setters handle chillers, pumps and generators worth a great deal before a single pipe is connected. Ask how they verified alignment and who checked their work before startup, because errors at setting show up as vibration and early wear.
Questions
Do I need a pipefitter or a pipe welder?
Pipefitters lay out and install piping systems. Pipe welders hold weld certifications for the joints. Many crews need both.
Is a rigger the same as a crane operator?
No. Riggers prepare and attach loads and often signal lifts. Crane operators run the crane.
What does a Mechanical, Structural and General Craft search cost?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The fee basis is written in the agreement before outreach starts.
How long does a Mechanical, Structural and General Craft search take?
It depends on the title, level, location and your interview process. We agree a realistic plan at calibration and do not promise a date.
How do you handle counteroffers for Mechanical, Structural and General Craft candidates?
We discuss motivation and likely counteroffers during live qualification and again before you make an offer.
What guarantee applies to Mechanical, Structural and General Craft hires?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do in a Mechanical, Structural and General Craft search?
We do not post your role on job boards, send unscreened resumes or approach candidates before the brief is agreed.
How long did your last search take? How much did the empty seat cost while you waited?
An open data center seat holds up commissioning dates, stretches the people covering it and adds cost every week it stays empty. Put your own numbers into the cost-of-vacancy calculator, then compare that figure with a contingency search where you pay only if you hire.
Work out your cost of vacancyHow a search runs
How does The Six-Step Search work?
Every search runs the same six steps. We agree the brief with you, map where the people work, find direct contact routes, reach out personally and repeatedly, then qualify each candidate live. You only see a short list of people who fit, with notes on each, and we stay with you through offer and start.
- 01
Search Calibration
You get: A written brief you sign off on: scope, must-haves, pay band and who not to approach.
- 02
Market Mapping
You get: A map of the companies and projects where your future hire is working today.
- 03
Professional Contact Intelligence
You get: Verified direct contact routes to the people on that map, not job board replies.
- 04
Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get: Repeated, role-specific outreach to people who are not looking, in your words.
- 05
Live Candidate Qualification
You get: Each candidate is screened live against your brief before you hear their name.
- 06
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get: A short list with candidate briefs, then support through interviews, offer and start.
Need this person?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.