Senior Data Center Controls Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Senior Data Center Controls Engineer 

Location: Houston, Texas 
Travel: 10% 

About Submer  

Submer designs and delivers end-to-end AI datacenter infrastructure built around industry-leading liquid cooling. We help organizations scale AI beyond the limits of traditional datacenters by enabling higher density, greater efficiency and lower environmental impact - accelerating time-to-AI from first deployment to full production. 

What impact you will have 

The Senior Data Center Controls Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing control systems that operate highdensity AI containers with directtochip (DTC) liquid cooled and air-cooled racks. This role owns the controls layer from concept and sequence definition through factory testing, site deployment, commissioning support, and handover to operations. The engineer works closely with mechanical, electrical, and IT teams to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation of each container and to develop a repeatable controls standard that can be deployed across multiple sites. 

What you will do 

• Controls architecture and design 

• Define and maintain the controls architecture, including BMS/PLC topology, networking, point lists, naming conventions, and integration with EPMS and monitoring platforms. 

• Define and oversee pointtopoint checks, functional tests of control loops, alarm logic, and interlocks in factory and on site. 

• Develop detailed sequences of operation for DTC liquid cooling loops, CDUs, pumps, valves, fans, and airside systems, including redundancy and fault handling strategies. 

• Specify sensors, actuators, controllers, and communication protocols required to implement the sequences and meet performance, reliability, and cybersecurity requirements. 

• Thermal, hydraulic, and poweraware control strategies 

• Develop control strategies that coordinate D2C loops and aircooled racks to maintain safe temperatures and stable operation under dynamic AI workloads. 

• Implement loadaware and conditionbased control logic (e.g., variable speed pump and fan control, adaptive setpoints, staged capacity) to balance reliability, efficiency, and response time. 

• Support definition and implementation of failover modes (pump/fan failures, power events, leak detection, sensor faults) and ensure the system degrades gracefully while protecting IT hardware. 

• Support for factory testing and commissioning 

• Create controlsfocused test plans for FAT, SAT, prefunctional checks, and integrated systems testing in collaboration with the Commissioning Manager. 

• Support onsite commissioning by analyzing trends, tuning control loops, adjusting sequences, and troubleshooting complex interactions between cooling, power, and IT loads. 

• Provide structured feedback into design and controls standards based on commissioning and earlylife operational data. 

• Standards, documentation, and lifecycle ownership 

• Develop and maintain standard control narratives, sequences of operation, point schedules, alarm philosophies, and graphics standards for the modular container product line. 

• Produce and maintain uptodate documentation including control logic specifications, causeandeffect matrices, network diagrams, and configuration baselines. 

• Collaborate with product and operations teams to define KPIs, dashboards, and data models that support monitoring, analytics, and continuous improvement. 

• Crossfunctional collaboration and support 

• Partner with mechanical, electrical, and IT architecture teams to ensure controls requirements are embedded in designs (valves, test points, sensor locations, network architecture). 

• Provide controls expertise in design reviews, FMEAs, and reliability studies for new container configurations and nextgeneration designs. 

• Train commissioning and operations teams on control system behavior, sequences, and troubleshooting best practices. 

What you will have 

• Bachelor's degree in control systems, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 

• 7+ years of experience in controls engineering, with at least 3+ years focused on data centers, industrial process controls, or missioncritical HVAC/liquid cooling systems. 

• Proven experience designing and implementing control systems for complex mechanical processes (pumps, heat exchangers, valves, fans) with closedloop control and safety interlocks. 

• Handson experience with at least one major building or industrial controls platform (e.g., BMS, PLC/RTU, or SCADA) including programming, commissioning, and troubleshooting. 

• Solid understanding of data center mechanical systems (chilled water or coolant loops, CDUs, CRAC/CRAH or inrow units) and basic familiarity with electrical distribution and monitoring. 

• Experience developing sequences of operation, control narratives, point lists, and causeandeffect matrices, and turning them into working implementations. 

• Strong skills in analyzing timeseries data and trends to diagnose control issues, sensor faults, and performance bottlenecks. 

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with mechanical/electrical engineers, commissioning teams, vendors, and endcustomers. 

Preferred qualifications 

• Experience with DTC liquid cooling systems for highdensity GPU or CPU racks and mixed environments where some IT equipment remains aircooled. 

• Background in modular or prefabricated data center design, including standardization of control strategies and configurations across multiple units or sites. 

• Familiarity with integration to EPMS/DCIM/cloud monitoring platforms and with modern communication protocols used in OT and IT environments. 

• Knowledge of OT cybersecurity best practices for control systems and data center environments. 

• Experience working in fastpaced product organizations where controls standards need to be both robust and adaptable to new configurations. 

• Professional certifications related to controls, automation, or data center infrastructure (e.g., controls vendor certifications, CEM, or similar). 

What we offer 

• Attractive compensation package reflecting your expertise and experience. 

• Medical Insurance Plan. 

• 401k Employee volunteer contribution Plan. 

• A great work environment characterized by friendliness, international diversity, flexibility, and a hybrid-friendly approach. 

• Youll be part of a fast-growing scale-up with a mission to make a positive impact, offering an exciting career evolution. 

Our job titles may span more than one job level. The actual base pay is dependent on a number of factors, such as transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. 

Our inclusive responsibility 

Submer is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.