Controls Design Engineer, Controls Design Engineering

Controls Design Engineer, Controls Design Engineering Overview

This role sits within AWS Infrastructure Services and focuses on the design, planning, delivery, and operation of the infrastructure that keeps AWS data centers running worldwide. The Controls Design Engineering team develops and maintains global standards for controls, automation, and electrical power monitoring, with particular emphasis on building management systems and electrical power monitoring systems. In this position, you would act as a key technical owner for controls-related standards and documentation across AWS’s data center portfolio, helping ensure consistency, reliability, and cost-effective delivery at scale.

The work spans new construction projects, including leased and owned facilities, build-to-suit developments, and colocation sites, as well as legacy site improvements, support work, and special innovation initiatives. A major part of the role is reducing unnecessary cost and delay by tightening scope, standardizing documentation, improving vendor alignment, and minimizing change orders and engineering rework. The ideal candidate combines deep technical knowledge of data center controls and facility systems with strong coordination, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

What you will do

• Build and maintain expertise in building operations, mechanical plant strategies, BMS and EPMS programming, control diagrams, industrial HVAC, electrical lineups, one-line diagrams, and related environmental and electrical concepts.
• Use knowledge of data center redundancy, failure strategies, single-point-of-failure analysis, energy conservation, water conservation, and reporting analytics to improve design standards and project outcomes.
• Write, update, and distribute global specification documents, basis-of-design materials, controls point lists, and other standards used across AWS projects.
• Create project-specific scopes of work that align with global standards and support consistent delivery across sites and delivery models.
• Act as the central technical contact for internal and external stakeholders involved in controls standards and project execution.
• Work closely with construction teams, controls programmers, MEP/ACS engineers, design engineering, colocation regional engineering, and project managers to move initiatives forward.
• Coordinate directly with regional project managers to review, refine, and finalize scopes of work.
• Manage and prioritize requests for information across new builds, existing facilities, and legacy enhancement work.
• Lead vendor selection, bid review, and RFI coordination, and assess vendor submittals and technical documents against AWS requirements.
• Review and approve Modbus Device Templates for meters and control devices.
• Operate in secure, mission-critical environments while maintaining safety and productivity expectations.
• Use AWS cloud services and related applications to present, archive, and analyze control-system data.
• Take part in on-call support for the global data center controls environment.
• Identify risks and blockers early, escalate appropriately, and help drive issues to resolution.
• Travel as needed to support projects and initiatives, including domestic and international travel.
• Participate in design reviews, gather lessons learned, and help create unified solutions and standards across leased, owned, build-to-suit, and colocation delivery methods.
• Support site assessments and project lifecycle activities by identifying risks and helping with mitigation planning.

Day-to-day focus

In day-to-day work, you would collaborate with experienced controls and infrastructure specialists on critical data center projects such as high-voltage substations, leased facilities, and colocation data centers. The role includes developing new processes and standards, testing new controls innovations, and applying Amazon leadership principles to improve how AWS designs and delivers infrastructure.

Team and culture

AWS emphasizes diverse experience and encourages candidates to apply even if their background is non-linear or they do not meet every preferred qualification. The company describes its culture as inclusive, collaborative, and focused on learning, curiosity, and continuous improvement. It also highlights work-life harmony, employee-led affinity groups, mentorship, and career growth resources as part of the broader employee experience.

What AWS is looking for

• At least four years of engineering experience in mission-critical industrial or commercial settings such as data centers, power generation, or oil and gas.
• At least four years of experience in engineering, installation, or startup and commissioning of electrical and mechanical systems.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Experience researching new designs, technologies, and construction methods for data center equipment and facilities.
• Solid understanding of electrical diagrams, control diagrams, building operations, control circuits, and industrial HVAC.
• Ability to work independently, handle multiple priorities, and solve unexpected technical problems quickly.
• Experience coordinating with external consultants and ensuring high-quality delivery.
• Ability to review vendor bid packages and make selection recommendations.
• Comfort working across multiple projects at the same time.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required, with travel expected to be about 25%.

Preferred background

• Professional Engineer licensure.
• Experience with building codes and regulations in the relevant region.
• Experience carrying design concepts from early exploration through development and into deployment or production.
• Experience reading, interpreting, and producing construction drawings, specifications, and submittal documents.
• A bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field.

Additional information

Amazon states that it is an equal opportunities employer and makes hiring decisions based on experience and skills. It also notes that it does not discriminate on protected grounds and provides support for workplace accommodations during the application and hiring process for candidates who need them. The posting also includes Amazon’s privacy notice and candidate support information for accommodations.

Degree Requirement: Not Specified

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