How hard is it to become a commissioning manager? What does a commissioning manager do?  What does a commissioning manager career path look like, plus recommendations to maximize your chances of becoming the trusted on-site commissioning authority.

Introduction

Pursuing a career as a commissioning manager is a similar path to pursuing a career as a commissioning engineer.  In fact, several years of experience as a commissioning engineer is necessary to get a complete understanding of the commissioning process, the technical knowledge, and operational experience.

There are two additional skillsets and experience that are necessary to becoming a commissioning manager:

• Project Management experience
• Experience operating plant processes and systems

Being a commissioning manager is not a theoretical role – it is a hands-on practical role to implement real solutions in the field.  Practical experience is required to have the background and knowledge to perform the role effectively.

Commissioning managers are consistently ranked as one of the most sought after engineering disciplines.  If technology is taking over many of our jobs, commissioning managers will be the last role replaced by machines due to the dynamic thought process required to solve complex problems.  It is a great opportunity to be on the commissioning team as a commissioning engineer, and an even greater opportunity to be the commissioning manager who is leading the team.

Commissioning is the best part of the project that everyone wants to be part of, regardless of the role that you fill. In this article, we discuss the important aspects to consider when aspiring to become a commissioning manager.

Duties

What does a commissioning manager do on a day-to-day basis?  Engineers enjoy commissioning because no two days are the same, there are always exciting new challenges to solve each day.  And that is definitely the case as a commissioning manager.  The team will be presenting you with unique challenges and looking to you for guidance on how to proceed.  These are some of the tasks that commissioning managers are responsible for:

• Prepare the commissioning plan coordinated with all disciplines on the project
• Communicate with all stakeholders to ensure deliverables are being met
• Develop and track the integrated construction and commissioning schedule
• Oversee the commissioning team’s activities and provide guidance to the team
• Troubleshoot issues as they arise
• Make decisions in real-time to resolve issues and guide the team on how to proceed
• Provide regular reporting to project sponsors
• Review the commissioning team’s work for accuracy and contract compliance
• Provide final sign-off of the tested systems
• Work with the operations team for final handover of the new systems
• Participate in the operational readiness process to ensure the operating team is ready to receive the new assets

Work Conditions

Commissioning managers are required to “get their hands dirty”.  What this means is this is not an office job – commissioning managers are out in the field talking to others on the project, understanding the issues, and working with all stakeholders for successful completion.  This is one of the great things about being a commissioning manager is you are not stuck at a desk all day – you are actively communicating with everyone involved in the project.  While working on a project, a commissioning manager will typically work out of temporary office locations right on-site such as a portable construction trailer or temporary office area of the new facility.  The job-site can be somewhat noisy due to heavy construction equipment, but this can be minimized with suitable locations for temporary office complexes.

While performing commissioning duties, safety hazards can be present due to active mechanical systems or invisible electrical hazards, and safety precautions must be taken.  Commissioning managers are casually dressed while on site and require full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as safety boots, hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, and safety vest.

Education

The education to become a commissioning engineer starts with the same basis as a commissioning engineer.  Read more about the education requirements of a commissioning engineer.

In addition to the technical education requirements, a background in project management is essential as well.  Commissioning mangers are often required to make decisions based on cost and schedule impacts, and a background in project management helps with these decisions.  When preparing commissioning schedules and coordinating with all stakeholders, project management decision making processes are required.  Any courses to learn and understand the project management framework will help you in your commissioning manager role.

Experience

A commissioning manager should have several years of experience as a commissioning engineer.  A thorough understanding of the commissioning process is required, and the lessons learned during on-site experience are invaluable.

Working in an operational plant provides even better experience.  Understanding the requirements of the guys in the field that are operating the equipment makes you such a better commissioning engineer.  Once you see things from the operator’s perspective, you are able to find solutions that align with the end user.  The operational environment also gives you an understanding of what is required to plan and coordinate shutdowns and operational procedures in an operating plant.  Having this understanding will help you better plan commissioning activities.

Project management experience is essential as well.  A previous role as a contract administrator on a smaller value contract can give you great experience working with contracts, understanding the contractual change management processes, and working with contractors to execute the work.

This experience will help you to understand the following:

• Understand the roles and responsibilities on a project and see how the various groups communicate
• Become familiar with the safety requirements on-site
• Become familiar with contract documents and how they are used
• See the complete project lifecycle to better understand the stages of the project
• See the on-site operating environment to better understand how the systems will be operated and maintained and understand the perspective of the operating team
• Participate in lessons learned discussions to prepare how to address similar challenges on your next project even better
• How to deal with people most effectively to become a dynamic leader

With this experience, building on the commissioning training you have taken as well as the onsite technical and project management experience you have gained, you become very marketable to lead any commissioning team.

Non-Engineers

I will also add that an engineering degree is not absolutely required to become a commissioning manager.  If someone that has years of on-site experience, has gained the technical knowledge, has the project management background, and is an effective leader, they can become a commissioning manager.  This may not be true in all working environments, but I have met several commissioning managers that have not had an engineering degree.

Training

In order to become a commissioning manager, the learning never stops.  One of the great things about commissioning is that you are always taking on new challenges that allow you to continue to learn.  Both on-site and off-site learning are required to sharpen your commissioning skills to become a commissioning manager.

You need to understand the commissioning process early in your career in order apply the process in the field as a commissioning engineer, as you build up your skills to become a commissioning manager. Having the fundamental understanding of the phases of the project, the stages of commissioning, and what is required during each step of the process, will allow you to execute more efficiently during your on-site commissioning activities.  Having a fundamental understanding of the commissioning process will allow you to secure your first commissioning role as either a commissioning engineer or commissioning manager.  You could choose to learn the commissioning process on-site during your first project, but getting your first role may be more challenging with a limited understanding of the commissioning process, and it will then take you a few years through the project experience to learn the full commissioning process.  Instead, you can accelerate the learning curve and position yourself for your first commissioning role by learning the commissioning process earlier in your career.  Check out the training that we offer to learn the commissioning process and position yourself for the best chance of success in your commissioning career.

Certification

While professions such as engineering, doctors, dentists, and lawyers are regulated professions, there is no certification for a commissioning manager.  There are commissioning certifications available online for building commissioning – these include ASHRAE, NEBB, CEIT, AEE, BCCB, ACG, BCA, and others.  However, there is no specific certification available for commissioning managers.

A great certification to have for project management is to become a registered Project Management Professional with PMI.  This shows that you understand the theoretical aspects of project management and are ready for applied learning in the field.

Since becoming a commissioning manager is very specialized, your best source for training is with an accredited learning provider.  Selecting an accredited commissioning training program ensures that you are receiving training from an organization that meets the highest standards for online training.  And since commissioning is a more specialized engineering discipline, the best location to find training is online.  Our online accredited commissioning training programs are perfect for aspiring commissioning managers and give all the commissioning details that a commissioning manager needs to know.

Tips for High School Students and New Grads

Your best approach is to first pursue the steps to become a commissioning engineer, which you can read about here.

Tips for Experienced Engineers

With several years of technical and project management experience, you are well on your way to becoming a commissioning manager.  Your understanding of site processes, the technical experience of the systems you have worked with, and the project management roles you have filled are beneficial to the commissioning team.  If you have not been exposed to commissioning, an online training course is your best way to accelerate your learning as you prepare for a commissioning manager role.  With your technical experience and an understanding of the commissioning process, you are in the best position to take on commissioning challenges.  Having the technical background and understanding of commissioning will allow you to excel in any interview and secure the commissioning role of your dreams.

While this might sound like a long career path to get to this point, this is the best position to be in as you are highly marketable to the commissioning team.  With several years of experience and an understanding of the commissioning process, you are able to demonstrate that you are able to take on more commissioning challenges.  You will be well on your way to becoming the trusted commissioning authority on the project.

Conclusion

A career as a commissioning manager offers many exciting challenges, allows you to travel to exotic locations, and provides a fast-paced dynamic environment that many people are looking for so that no two days are the same.  Leading commissioning as a commissioning manager has been very rewarding for me, and I encourage you to do the same.  The commissioning industry is in short supply of commissioning engineers and commissioning managers, and this will continue into the future as there is more demand for smart commissioning individuals to solve the world’s technical challenges.  Follow the steps above to pursue a rewarding career in commissioning and startup.  See you on site!