Senior Engineering Leader - Mission Critical Systems Integration (MCSI)

Upchurch is a rapidly growing, full-service building engineering company providing mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services across the southeastern United States. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Horn Lake, MS, Upchurch has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, establishing a strong reputation for quality, reliability, and service excellence.

Position Summary

Upchurch Services is a national mechanical, electrical, and building-technology services company — Better Buildings. Better Lives. Our newest division, Mission Critical Systems Integration (MCSI), delivers building automation (BMS) and electrical power monitoring (EPMS) systems for hyperscale data centers — today with more than $91 million in active delivery across four regions for the world's largest cloud provider, and a nine-figure pipeline behind it.

MCSI is in the middle of a deliberate transformation: from a field-based installation contractor to a full-scope master systems integrator — controls design and engineering, PLC/SCADA and integration-platform software, OT networks, commissioning leadership, and lifecycle services, contracted directly with hyperscale owners. This role is a foundation stone of that build-out: you will shape the division, not inherit it.

This is the keystone hire of the transformation: the senior technical leader for all MCSI engineering — BAS/EPMS design, DDC/Niagara and PLC/SCADA execution standards, controls network architecture, and quality control across hyperscale data center programs. You will build and lead the engineering and integration organization from the ground up, write the division's technical standards library, hire and develop the Leads who carry it, and serve as the technical authority our hyperscaler clients rely on.

Why This Role?

• Competitive market-benchmarked base salary plus Upchurch incentive structure.

• Remote role based out of the US with travel up to 15%. Extended hours expected during critical startup, testing, and commissioning windows.

• Comprehensive benefits per the Upchurch Services.

Key Responsibilities

• Engineering leadership & standards (30%). Establish and maintain division engineering standards — hardware and panel design, network architecture patterns, software and templating standards, and documentation formats aligned to hyperscaler expectations; own the technical execution model for DDC/Niagara BAS and PLC/SCADA EPMS scopes.

• Project setup & quality (30%). Senior engineering leadership on first-of-a-kind programs (first direct hyperscaler scopes, liquid-cooling controls); technical reviews at design and pre-commissioning milestones; hands-on intervention on high-risk projects.

• Team building (25%). Hire, assign, and develop the engineering staff — Systems Engineers, System Integrators, SCADA Engineers, OT Network and MSI Platform Engineers; co-own the MCSI Academy: define lane curricula, certify trainee readiness, and gate who works on which scopes.

• Clients & cross-functional (15%). Represent Upchurch engineering in hyperscaler capability reviews, basis-of-design workshops, and vendor-qualification audits; support estimating and business development with technical strategy.

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field (or 8+ years hands-on controls leadership in lieu); 10+ years total in BAS/EPMS/DDC/PLC controls engineering.

• Significant leadership on large-scale mission-critical or hyperscale data center programs — a career weighted toward critical environments strongly preferred.

• Expert knowledge across: DDC and Niagara-based systems; PLC platforms (Allen-Bradley/Schneider); SCADA (Ignition or equivalent); EPMS integration; industrial panel design; OT protocols (BACnet, Modbus, SNMP, MQTT, OPC-UA); controls networking and IT/OT security; mission-critical HVAC including chilled-water plants, heat rejection, and liquid cooling.

• Prior experience leading engineering teams, owning technical standards, and enforcing QA/QC processes; Revit/AutoCAD literacy; strong client-facing communication at the engineering-leadership level.

• Direct AWS/hyperscaler controls program experience.

• PE or equivalent.

• Experience standing up an engineering department or standards program from scratch.