Locations: Chicago, Illinois • Phoenix, Arizona • California • Remote (United States)
Base Salary Range: $170,000 - $250,000 annually

Engineering the Infrastructure Behind Intelligence

At GWx, we believe the infrastructure behind intelligence is just as important as the intelligence itself. We engineer the mission-critical environments that power artificial intelligence, hyperscale data centers, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, semiconductors, and other critical infrastructure.

Our vision is: Shaping a future where intelligence, infrastructure, and humanity advance together.

We are building a different kind of engineering firm defined by accountability, technical excellence, integrity, humility, collaboration, and an ownership mindset.

Position Summary

GWx is seeking an Automation & Controls Leader to build and lead our automation and controls capabilities with a particular focus on mission-critical and data center infrastructure.

Automation and controls play a critical role in today's mission-critical facilities. These systems provide the intelligence connecting mechanical and electrical infrastructure and are fundamental to reliability, redundancy, energy performance, operational visibility, and a facility's ability to respond to changing or abnormal conditions.

This leader will establish GWx's approach to automation and controls while serving as a technical resource to our clients and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

Automation & Controls Team Leadership

Lead the development of automation and controls strategies for mission-critical facilities.

• Lead automation and controls design for mission-critical facilities

• Develop PLC-based control strategies, system architecture, and automation solutions

• Lead development of detailed Sequences of Operation (SOO) for mechanical and electrical systems

• Establish strategies for system redundancy, failover, alarming, monitoring, trending, and recovery

• Integrate controls across mechanical, electrical, cooling, central plant, and other critical facility systems

• Design and coordinate BMS/BAS, PLC, SCADA, and EPMS integration.

System Design & Technical Documentation

Develop comprehensive controls design packages that support reliable, scalable, and maintainable facility operations.

• Develop controls drawings, specifications, architecture diagrams, points lists, control narratives, and other design documentation.

• Develop GWx controls standards, specifications, design methodologies, templates, and best practices.

• Review controls submittals, programming approaches, and system integration.

Project Leadership & Delivery

Lead technical execution throughout the project lifecycle.

• Participate in planning, design reviews, controls workshops, and client meetings

• Coordinate with owners, contractors, controls vendors, equipment manufacturers, and multidisciplinary teams

• Review controls submittals and shop drawings

• Respond to RFIs and perform site observations

• Support startup, point-to-point verification, functional performance testing, and Integrated Systems Testing

• Support project managers with schedule and technical coordination

Multidisciplinary Coordination & Project Delivery

Collaborate across disciplines and project stakeholders to ensure successful implementation and integration.

• Coordinate with equipment manufacturers, controls contractors, system integrators, contractors, and client operations teams

• Support startup, functional testing, Integrated Systems Testing (IST), troubleshooting, and project turnover

• Coordinate controls integration and implementation throughout design, construction, commissioning, and turnover phases

Client Leadership & Practice Growth

Serve as a trusted advisor while helping grow GWx's automation and controls practice.

• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to clients and support project pursuits, proposals, and business development

• Contribute to the development of GWx technical standards, best practices, and organizational capabilities

• Support client development efforts, interviews, presentations, and strategic initiatives

Mentorship & Team Development

• Recruit, mentor, and develop automation and controls professionals as the practice grows

• Promote collaboration and continuous learning

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a related discipline; significant relevant industry experience may also be considered

• 10+ years of automation and controls experience, with flexibility for exceptional candidates

• Experience with data centers, mission-critical facilities, industrial facilities, or other high-availability infrastructure

• Strong experience with PLC design and programming concepts, sequences of operation, BMS/BAS, SCADA, and controls integration

• Understanding of mechanical and electrical systems and how they interact through controls

• Experience with major automation and controls platforms

• Familiarity with common protocols such as BACnet, Modbus, OPC, and Ethernet/IP

• Experience developing controls drawings, specifications, narratives, and technical documentation

• Strong understanding of redundancy, reliability, failure modes, alarming, and system recovery

• Strong communication, leadership, and client-facing skills

• Ability to mentor engineers and help build a growing technical practice

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or ability to obtain

The Leader We're Looking For 

This is an opportunity for someone who wants to build, not simply inherit, a practice.

We are looking for a leader who takes ownership, has high technical standards, challenges conventional thinking, develops others, collaborates across disciplines, and enjoys solving difficult infrastructure problems.

Technical expertise matters at GWx, but so does how we work. We want leaders who value our employees, our clients, and the communities in which we work.

Why GWx

Most engineering firms ask you to join a company. We're inviting you to help us build one.

GWx was founded on the belief that the firms engineering tomorrow's most important infrastructure should operate differently. We combine technical excellence with agility, accountability, innovation, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to people. We believe leadership is measured by service, not titles, and that exceptional professionals build exceptional companies.

At GWx, you won't simply contribute to projects, you'll help shape a company, a culture, and an industry redefining how critical infrastructure is engineered, delivered, and commissioned.

Professional Growth

• Continuing education

• Professional licensure and certification support

• Leadership development

• Mentorship

• Career progression opportunities

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary Range: $170,000 - $250,000 annually

• Annual incentive opportunities

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability Insurance

• 401(k)

• Paid Time Off and Holidays

• Flexible work arrangements

• Professional development and licensure/certification support

The anticipated base salary range for this position is provided in good faith and represents GWx's reasonable expectation for compensation at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, technical expertise, professional licensure, certifications, geographic location, project experience, and overall qualifications. This position may also be eligible for annual incentive compensation and other benefits.

Join Us

Help engineer the infrastructure behind intelligence while shaping a future where intelligence, infrastructure, and humanity advance together.