Controls, BMS, EPMS & Automation recruiters who bring you a focused shortlist
Data Center Headhunters are Controls, BMS, EPMS & Automation recruiters for data center owners, operators and builders. Send us the open role and we find working Controls, BMS, EPMS & Automation candidates, qualify each one live and give you a short list to interview. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
The systems that watch the plant are only as good as the few people who built, tuned and secured them, and most sites have fewer of those people than they think.
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
- BMS Engineer
- Senior BMS Engineer
- Controls Engineer, Data Center
- EPMS Engineer
- SCADA Engineer, Power
- Controls / BAS Technician
- Controls Project Manager
- DCIM Engineer / Administrator
- Controls Programmer (Niagara / PLC)
- OT Security Engineer (BMS/EPMS)
- Master Systems Integrator (MSI) Engineer
- Controls Manager (Owner Side)
What does this hire really come down to?
Controls hiring starts with knowing what you own. Building management, power monitoring, supervisory systems and the data center information layer all have different owners at most sites, and sometimes none. Before writing a brief, list each system, who configured it, who can change it and who answers when it alarms at night.
The gaps in that list are your hiring plan. The tradeoff is programming depth against operational sense. A strong programmer can build logic that works on the bench and misbehaves on a live plant. An operations minded technician may keep the plant steady but cannot change the code. On a new build, favor engineers who can write and test logic. On a mature site with a working system, favor people who can maintain and troubleshoot it without breaking it.
Security has changed the mix. Control networks now sit next to corporate networks, and someone must own that boundary. A controls engineer who dismisses it as an IT matter is a risk. A security hire who has never seen a control network will ask for changes that stop the plant. Look for people who respect both sides. Ask yourself who maintains the system after the original builder leaves. A system only the builder understands is a risk that grows quietly. Ask who they trained before. A controls person who shared knowledge leaves a stronger site than one who guarded it.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Ask which controllers and protocols they have programmed and which they only maintained. Specific lists beat general claims. Ask how they test logic before it reaches a live plant, including what they do when a bench test passes and a site test does not.
- Ask which controllers and protocols they have programmed and which they only maintained. Specific lists beat general claims.
- Ask how they test logic before it reaches a live plant, including what they do when a bench test passes and a site test does not.
- Ask how they manage changes and who approves them on a running site.
- Ask how they back up configurations and how long a restore would take.
- Ask how they handle alarm floods and what they did to reduce nuisance alarms.
- Ask what they know about securing a control network and what they would refuse to connect.
- Ask how they document a point list so another person can find and fix a sensor without them present.
Where do we find these candidates?
Controls people come from building automation contractors, industrial automation firms, power utilities, system integrators and owner facility teams. They move when a contractor keeps them travelling, when an integrator reassigns them between jobs or when they want to own a single system.
- Controls people come from building automation contractors, industrial automation firms, power utilities, system integrators and owner facility teams. Building automation contractors know cooling logic. Industrial automation people are stronger on programmable controllers and discipline. Utility people know protection and power monitoring. Integrators have seen many sites but often have little time on one.
- They move when a contractor keeps them travelling, when an integrator reassigns them between jobs or when they want to own a single system. Some want to leave service work for a staff role. Others want to build instead of maintain. Clear authority over changes and a quiet on call rotation draw more of them than a pay bump.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Do not hire a programmer to fix a problem that is really missing documentation and backups. Assign control network security clearly between facilities and IT rather than leaving it in the gap. And never let an integrator hold the only copy of the logic, because that hands them control of your plant.
- Hiring a programmer to fix a problem that is really missing documentation and backups.
- Leaving control network security unassigned between facilities and IT.
- Letting an integrator hold the only copy of the logic.
Your search in 3 steps
- List the systems and owners
We ask which systems you run, who configured each and where the code and settings are stored.
- Pick build or maintain
We help you decide whether the next hire writes new logic or keeps a working system stable, since the backgrounds differ.
- Draw the security line
We ask who owns the boundary between control and corporate networks and screen candidates against it.
Every title we cover
Not ready to start a search?
We tell you where qualified Controls, BMS, EPMS & Automation are working in your area and what it takes to move them. No fee, no obligation.
Paste or upload your JD. We flag what will put strong candidates off. No fee, no obligation.
Open roles
Questions
Should we hire a programmer or a troubleshooter first?
If the system is new or changing, hire the programmer. If it is stable and failing in small ways, hire the troubleshooter.
Who should own the control network boundary?
Name one owner. Candidates from industrial backgrounds often expect clear ownership and become frustrated without it.
Is an integrator background a good sign?
It shows variety and speed. Ask what they stayed with long enough to improve, since integrators rarely see long term results.
Do we need someone for power monitoring separate from building controls?
At scale, yes. The skills overlap but power monitoring leans on electrical knowledge.
What should an owner side controls manager do differently from a contractor?
They hold the vendor to account and keep the records. A good one rarely programs and always knows who did.
How do we test a candidate's alarm management?
Ask for an example of an alarm they removed or reprioritized and what they checked first. A good answer includes who agreed and how they confirmed nothing important was lost.
Start your search
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.
What should you know before you send a role?
What does it cost to hire through Data Center Headhunters?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Fee terms are set out in the signed recruiting agreement.
How long until I see a short list?
It depends on the role, the location and the market. We agree a realistic timeline with you during Search Calibration and keep you updated as the search runs.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We talk through motivation, pay and counteroffer risk with each candidate during live qualification and again before an offer, so you hear about the risk before it surprises you.
Is there a guarantee?
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 don't you do?
We do not post your job on boards, send stacks of unscreened resumes or charge an upfront fee. We do not approach candidates for your search before the brief is agreed with you.
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.