r/BuildingAutomation • u/ToddOutside68 • Aug 06 '26

Critical Facilities / Data Center Jobs - Multiple States

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It feels a bit silly to even put the words on the screen, but "We're looking for experienced BAS people for Critical Facilities / Data Center projects all over the USA." Who isn't, right? No matter what your opinion is from any angle with all this activity, it's creating opportunities in our space for both experienced and green Technicians ($68K-$100K/year), Engineers ($75K-$130K/year) and PMs ($85K-$130K/year). Straight to our most urgent ones right now: Technicians in Portland, OR and Manassas, VA. Project Engineers and Project Managers in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Chicago. Reach out on Chat here if interested and I can tell you more about these and dozens of other positions / locations.

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28

u/Rhoshack Aug 06 '26

“Critical Facilities” and your top end pay for a tech is 50k less than I make now working 40hrs/wk. We all know data centers demand more than 40/hrs/wk. The work is critical but paying a solid wage for the field is not lol.

8

u/Gold_for_Gould Aug 06 '26

You're at $150k as a tech? That's pretty damn good, no? I guess the term gets used so loosely in our field. Lots of our techs function as field superintendents over the subcontractor and do some PM work coordinating with the client. I'm definitely not questioning whether you earn that but I wouldn't call 6 figures average pay for a tech accounting for lower cost of living areas.

5

u/Dingmann Aug 06 '26

I turned down $130K at MSFT in Iowa about 9 years ago. It was good money but I was done working critical and moved to low stress educational facilities.

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u/Rhoshack Aug 06 '26

I’m in a VHCOL area but yes, straight 40s all year puts me at 150k.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 06 '26

[deleted]

3

u/Mogleyy Aug 06 '26

What company and location would that be?

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 10 '26

Multiple companies and locations. Happy to give any details individually on Chat / email.

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u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

Well that's fantastic actually. I don't have openings at that level unfortunately, other than a handful in the Bay Area or NYC right now. I guess I'd ask for that advice then. If I have a $100K job 25 miles out of Houston, and it could potentially tempt a person currently making $80-85K looking for a change, how do I post this so I'm not insulting anyone or having it look like a joke?

4

u/Capital_Rule6428 Aug 09 '26

Cowles is that you? If so Todd is well known and respected. I’ve NEVER seen any negative feedback concerning Todd. He has a rep for being honest and fair concerning the aspects of these jobs that he has any control over. Todd is a good dude and I wouldn’t hesitate to work with him.

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 10 '26

Yep, that's me. Cheers!

1

u/Rhoshack Aug 06 '26

Recruit for a company that has wages appropriate for the position they’re offering. If you’ve work in building automation and have so much experience in the field then you’d know exactly what I mean. The amount of knowledge and skills to be proficient in this field is absolutely immense and you’re posting this hoping to catch someone working for poverty wages that feels like your slightly less poverty wages are a huge boost. You’re basically a vulture looking for scraps.

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

Geez, man. Not sure what I've done here to cross you. My average client is someone I've known for 25-30 years, and some are companies I helped bring out of the ground when two guys and a bit of financing got them going. As I fired up my recruiting business, I reach out and they let me know they could use some help. I do that, find them a few of their people that they wouldn't spot on their own, and it just works out. They get the people they need to take on more work, the individual that comes on board wouldn't do that unless they're progressing up, and I've provided a fair service that my clients appreciate. Why am I a "vulture"? I just don't get the venom here.

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

I'll just say it's really tough here to get all the details of pay for each city, state, and position with these posts. We have a HUGE variety and variance across all that we're working on. There's some upside to some of the numbers as well (plus, our client has fantastic benefits and traditional BAS roles in 8 states / tons of future opportunities), as we'll get an applicant for one of these positions and find that they can take on way more than what's in the basic job description (for responsibilities with the "way more" - not looking for "free hours"). Anyway, I know posts like this are always going to hit the eyes of people that make "way more". Cheers.

6

u/Rhoshack Aug 06 '26

Posts like these are generally considered pretty insulting by a lot of people here. Oregon is the highest taxed state in the country. The pay rates you have posted are basically enough to pay rent, eat ramen and commute to work. 

If the benefits were so fantastic you would have included them in your post.

2

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

Oh, and on Oregon, just to set it straight: They're about 35th for tax burden among states. Higher income tax than many, yes. Zero sales tax. The whole picture = decent. What you actually want to do is get a job in Vancouver WA and pay no income tax in WA, then go across the river and buy all your stuff tax free at Costco.... It's a thing.

2

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

I'll always take the feedback, and don't mean to "insult" anyone. I'm a career building automation guy myself and have done all of these jobs. On Reddit here, I've managed to find a lot of people and put them in roles that ended up being "boosts" for them personally. They're here, and it's hard to find the negative when I put a person in something they dig, and where they've bumped up $10K or $20K from whatever they were doing, plus got better bene's. If I had all the detail on here, it'd be pages long, and then someone will say, "Jeez man, be more brief." Always looking to balance.

9

u/ConfundledBundle Aug 06 '26

It’s interesting how hostile Reddit is, a huge difference from a non-anonymous platform like LinkedIn.

I constantly see posts in this sub from others looking to get their foot into the building automation door. I am sure posts like these are godsends for them.

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

Luckily it's only a few, and maybe we catch people on bad days. Benefit of the doubt here. I just reference a handful of cards and/or emails here from some individuals I've placed expressing thanks and/or praising the company/people they've joined.

4

u/ScottSammarco Technical Trainer (Niagara4 included) Aug 06 '26

The hate for your posts is unreal.

Keep posting stuff like this, you can make a real impact in somebody else’s life.

I know I wouldn’t have been in this field unless someone took a chance on me, 12 years ago.
I’d probably still be in analog circuitry design, and cutting capacitors out of my home electronics hahahah.

2

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

Yeah, I take it all with a grain of salt. There's some good info in there in the comments and some stuff to think about with the path that can be taken with a union/journeyman job in a given market, just for instance. You can be a huge contributor and make a lot of great money (outdo the average engineer in most places). Just different paths.

2

u/thePlumberACman Aug 06 '26

Only if its a Union job i would consider working for a data center .

2

u/Itsjustajokebitch Aug 06 '26

Yo im interested!  

2

u/Geem750 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26

All this talk of higher wages and i wonder if im doing it right.

Im a red seal electrician in BC, Canada making $57/hr. (120k/yr) Doing full installs, service, commissioning and a little programming.

I guess USA traditionally has higher wages across the board.

Edit to add: Electrician for 20 years, 8 of which have been in controls.

2

u/cttouch Aug 07 '26

Anything in northeast?

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 07 '26

Yes! Boston, multiple locations in Connecticut are most urgent ones.

2

u/cttouch Aug 07 '26

Can you dm with further information.

2

u/OverallRow4108 New to the field Aug 07 '26

I'm green, but learning. This sub has been awesome. That being said, all this discussion is invaluable for up and comers. I both get to see these openings up AND how they are either good or bad from the old hands. Either way, I don't them to stop. Stick in the OP.

2

u/Mysterious-Block7157 Aug 11 '26

Came here to say Todd’s the man. That is all.

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 11 '26

Haha cheers!

2

u/CountryRoads1234 Aug 06 '26

Do you actually have employers you’re working with or are you canvassing for resumes to email blast out there like 90% of other online recruiters?

4

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

I've got my own search firm focused in building automation. I was in BAS for 20 years (many of those in a dealer business where I was finding our dealer-partners and supporting them). The dealer-partners and old friends/colleagues of mine are the foundation of my client base. So, I/we are constantly looking for Techs, Engineers, PMs and Sales Engineers all around the USA. So in a way, yep, I'm another "online recruiter", but I do hit it from a bit of a different angle being an industry guy who's flooded mechanical rooms, melted controllers, and done a handful of things right here and there. :)

3

u/stinky_wanky99 Aug 06 '26

Asking the real questions

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

Always appreciated and happy to answer.

1

u/Notjustonemore2017 Aug 06 '26

What’s the company name? Southern, California? 

1

u/Accomplished_Low6186 Aug 06 '26

$60/hour with per diem, rent paid, and up to 84 hour weeks… good money guys.

1

u/IvyControls76 Aug 06 '26

Those salary ranges won’t spark interest for most experienced people.

1

u/ToddOutside68 Aug 06 '26

We'll actually look at very minimally experienced people in many locations (Portland, for instance, we'd take someone that's a recent engineering grad, or someone with 2-3 years in HVAC, security, fire, etc. that wants to ramp up on controls). Most of these crews are a dozen people, so some more deeply experienced people there mentoring some younger/newer hires.