Should our search be contingent or committed?

Contingent suits engineering roles where the market is active and you are also hiring directly. Committed suits roles that are hard to fill or need confidential approaches, and runs to a plan agreed at the start. We recommend one on the brief call and explain why.

Why are commissioning engineers so hard to hire?

Turner & Townsend’s director of global data centers told Data Center Knowledge on July 22, 2026, that commissioning agents and engineers are among the hardest critical roles to fill. In its research published on July 8, 2026, 87% of the markets analyzed reported mechanical, electrical and plumbing trade shortages. A building cannot be handed over until it is commissioned, so every program in a hub wants the same people.

Do you also search for AI platform engineers?

Yes. Engineering search covers AI platform and forward deployed engineers hired permanently. If you need engineers on contract for the same work, that is Capacity.

Which locations do you cover?

The United States, with a focus on Northern Virginia, Atlanta, Columbus, Phoenix and Dallas–Fort Worth for data center roles, and on AI platform roles nationally. We also work in Chicago and Austin–San Antonio. If your role sits elsewhere, tell us on the brief call.

Search · Engineering search

Engineering search for data center and AI platform roles

Engineering search is Kernavique’s permanent search for the engineers who build and run AI infrastructure: commissioning engineers and CxA, mission-critical electrical and mechanical engineers, construction and project engineers, and AI platform and forward deployed engineers. It runs as a contingent or a committed search, and we recommend which on the brief call. It is for consultancies, contractors and operators with roles their own hiring has not filled.

Talk to us

Last updated October 11, 2026

Line illustration of cubes connected in a network, with a lime path linking the highlighted nodes.

Engineering search

What you get

A written specification
The role as the work needs it: systems, certifications, site pattern and hub, written back to you after the brief call.
The right search model
Contingent where the market is active and you are hiring directly too, committed where the role is hard to fill. We explain the choice.
A named shortlist
Engineers we have spoken to, each with our notes on their projects, systems and reasons to move.
A process we run
Interviews, references and the offer conversation, with you making every decision.

How it runs

BriefWe confirm the systems, certifications and site pattern the role needs, and recommend contingent or committed.
ShortlistNamed engineers with our notes, to a timing agreed at the brief.
InterviewsWe arrange them, gather feedback on both sides and handle the offer.
StartWe stay involved through the first 90 days, checking in with you and the engineer.

When it fits

You need a commissioning manager or CxA for a program that is already on site.
Your own ads for mission-critical electrical or mechanical engineers are not reaching people with data center work behind them.
You are hiring your first permanent platform or forward deployed engineers.

Who it is for

Engineering and commissioning consultancies
MEP and general contractors delivering data center programs
Colocation and hyperscale operators
Consultancies with an AI platform practice

Questions buyers ask

Should our search be contingent or committed?: Contingent suits engineering roles where the market is active and you are also hiring directly. Committed suits roles that are hard to fill or need confidential approaches, and runs to a plan agreed at the start. We recommend one on the brief call and explain why.
Why are commissioning engineers so hard to hire?: Turner & Townsend’s director of global data centers told Data Center Knowledge on July 22, 2026, that commissioning agents and engineers are among the hardest critical roles to fill. In its research published on July 8, 2026, 87% of the markets analyzed reported mechanical, electrical and plumbing trade shortages. A building cannot be handed over until it is commissioned, so every program in a hub wants the same people.
Do you also search for AI platform engineers?: Yes. Engineering search covers AI platform and forward deployed engineers hired permanently. If you need engineers on contract for the same work, that is Capacity.
Which locations do you cover?: The United States, with a focus on Northern Virginia, Atlanta, Columbus, Phoenix and Dallas–Fort Worth for data center roles, and on AI platform roles nationally. We also work in Chicago and Austin–San Antonio. If your role sits elsewhere, tell us on the brief call.

Terms on this page

MEP: Mechanical, electrical and plumbing: the building-services trades and engineering in a data center.
CxA: Commissioning authority, also called a commissioning agent: the party that checks a building’s systems are installed and perform as designed. ACG also issues a credential of the same name.

Sources

01
Turner & Townsend, Growth of AI infrastructure driving job creation in global construction market (press release)
Dated Jul 8, 2026. Read Oct 11, 2026. turnerandtownsend.com
02
Data Center Knowledge, AI data center boom strains global construction capacity (reporting Turner & Townsend research)
Dated Jul 22, 2026. Read Oct 11, 2026. datacenterknowledge.com

What you get

A written specification

The right search model

A named shortlist

A process we run