Sheet Metal Worker / Duct Installer recruiters who bring you a focused shortlist
Data Center Headhunters are Sheet Metal Worker / Duct Installer recruiters for data center owners, operators and builders. Send us the open role and we find working Sheet Metal Worker / Duct Installer candidates, qualify each one live and give you a short list to interview. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
You 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.
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
- Sheet Metal Worker / Duct Installer
- Sheet Metal Journeyman
- HVAC Ductwork Installer
What does this hire really come down to?
Large duct on a data center looks simple until you try to fit it above cable tray, pipe, and conduit. A good sheet metal worker reads shop drawings, hangs duct to the right elevation, and seals joints so the air goes where it should. The best also tell the foreman about a conflict before they cut metal.
The best installers hold their own against pressure to hang first and coordinate later. Ask what they do when an elevation on the drawing leaves no room for the hanger, and who they tell. Air handler installs raise the stakes. These are big machines, and getting them level, vibration isolated, and connected without strain takes care. A worker who has set small rooftop units may not be ready for a large air handler in a plant room. Weight and rigging are the main hazards, and a crew that lifts a unit unevenly can damage the casing.
Pace and quality pull against each other. Crews are often asked to hang a lot of duct fast. Ask how a candidate checks work while moving, and what they do when a drawing and the field disagree. Ask how they check sealing and reinforcement while a lead is pushing for linear feet per day.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Ask what sizes and gauges they installed and whether it was rectangular, round, or both. Ask how they read a coordination drawing and how they resolved a conflict with another trade. Ask how they sealed joints and what the leak test showed.
- Duct size and type: ask what sizes and gauges they installed and whether it was rectangular, round, or both.
- Shop drawing skill: ask how they read a coordination drawing and how they resolved a conflict with another trade.
- Sealing and leak testing: ask how they sealed joints and what the leak test showed.
- Air handler experience: ask what units they set, how they rigged them, and how they handled isolation.
- Hanger and support work: ask how they set supports and avoided sag.
- Safety: ask about working at height, lifts, and sharp-edge handling.
- Insulation and liner: ask how they installed internal liner or external wrap and how they sealed seams.
- Safety with sharp edges and lifts: ask what gloves, lifts, and rigging they used and how they handled heavy sections.
Where do we find these candidates?
Sheet metal workers come from union apprenticeships, from mechanical contractors with commercial work, from industrial ventilation shops, and from fabrication shops that moved to field work. A few come from kitchen exhaust and industrial dust collection, which share the habit of tight joints.
- Sheet metal workers come from union apprenticeships, from mechanical contractors with commercial work, from industrial ventilation shops, and from fabrication shops that moved to field work. A few come from kitchen exhaust and industrial dust collection, which share the habit of tight joints. Many have also installed plenum and clean room systems and know the cost of dust.
- They move when a job ends and the next starts at a distance, when pay lags other trades, or when they want a steady project with overtime. Some want to move from fabrication to field for variety. Ask what they enjoy in their current work. Some leave a shop when production quotas feel unsafe and want field work.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Do not hire a residential duct installer for large commercial duct. Large duct punishes crews who never worked on commercial jobs. Do not skip a question about how they handle clashes. Do not push speed so hard that sealing is skipped.
- Hiring a residential duct installer for large commercial duct. Large duct punishes crews who never worked on commercial jobs.
- Skipping a question about how they handle clashes.
- Pushing speed so hard that sealing is skipped. Ask how they confirm the leak test after the work is closed.
Your search in 3 steps
- Describe the system
Tell us duct size, gauge, and the air handler count. That decides who has the right background. Include the duct material and any special coatings.
- Screen on drawings
We ask candidates to talk through a conflict they found and what they did.
- Plan the crew
We help you balance lead installers with newer hands. We also ask whether fabrication is on site or off.
Where do we fill this role?
What does BLS publish for this role?
The figure below comes from the national OEWS row for Sheet Metal Workers. Read the mapping badge before using it in a budget. A broader occupation can include jobs outside data centers. Compare your seat’s responsibilities and pay basis with the published occupation rather than treating the median as an offer quote.
Closest proxy. Sheet Metal Workers is the closest occupational proxy based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.
| Area | Median annual wage | BLS occupation |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $61,800 | Sheet Metal Workers (SOC 47-2211) |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 47-2211 Sheet Metal Workers, United States. View this release at BLS.
Not ready to start a search?
We tell you where qualified Sheet Metal Worker / Duct Installer 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
What do you verify before a sheet metal shortlist is sent?
Each person has hung and sealed duct and fittings to a drawing and can name the pressure class of the system. Anyone who only hung hangers or carried material is labeled a helper.
Our duct installer has a counter from another shop. What should we weigh?
Weigh the hours promised after the current job ends. Installers move toward whichever shop keeps them busy longest, and a long data hall schedule is a real pull.
Would a duct installer relocate for a long hall build?
Long hall work appeals because the runs repeat and the pace is steady. Give the number of halls and the linear feet of duct so the installer can judge the volume.
How should we describe lodging to a sheet metal crew that is traveling?
Per diem and housing are yours to define, so write the amount and the rule before the first interview. Crews talk, and a rule that changes mid job spreads quickly.
Is prefabricated duct with general labor better than hiring sheet metal workers?
Prefab saves field hours on straight runs. Hire workers when custom fittings, tight shafts and field changes dominate the drawings.
If our duct need is a short assignment, how is the search written?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The agreement records the assignment and whether you may keep someone afterward.
Start your search
Which related roles might you also need?
Managers and leaders who hire this role
Related hiring situations
How 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?
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.