Facilities Control Engineer Lead

Caris Life Sciences•Phoenix, AZ

About The Position

The Facilities Control Engineer Lead is the enterprise technical authority for the design, governance, reliability, and lifecycle management of Building Management Systems (BMS) and facility automation platforms supporting regulated laboratory, manufacturing, and office environments. This role provides strategic technical leadership for environmental control systems that underpin GxP, CLIA, CAP, and ISO compliance, ensuring controlled environments are designed, operated, and evolved in alignment with regulatory expectations, quality systems, and business growth. The Facilities Control Engineer Lead defines automation standards, architects validated and non-validated control system strategies, and serves as the primary technical owner accountable for system performance, audit readiness, and long-term scalability. This role operates with significant autonomy, partners closely with Quality, Facilities, IT, and Laboratory leadership, and represents facilities controls during inspections, audits, and major capital initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Automation, Controls, Facilities Engineering, or a related discipline.
7+ years of progressive experience in facilities controls, automation engineering, or BMS ownership within regulated life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotech, or clinical laboratory environments.
Demonstrated experience owning enterprise-level BMS architectures (e.g., Siemens, Johnson Controls, Honeywell) across multiple facilities or complex regulated sites.
Strong expertise in HVAC systems, environmental control strategies, alarm management, and building automation protocols (BACnet, Modbus, OPC, PLCs).
Proven experience leading validation and compliance strategy for facility automation systems, including audit participation and remediation.
Deep understanding of GxP principles, data integrity expectations, and regulated laboratory operations.
Ability to operate autonomously, influence without authority, and drive alignment across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Excellent documentation, communication, and strategic problem-solving skills.
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and standard engineering documentation tools.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree
Professional Engineer license (PE)
Experience with room mapping, commissioning, and qualification activities for controlled spaces.
Certifications such as Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP), Certified Automation Professional (CAP), or relevant manufacturer certifications in BMS platforms.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Controls Strategy & Ownership Serve as the enterprise technical authority for Building Management Systems (BMS) and facilities automation supporting regulated and non-regulated environments.
Define, implement, and maintain standards for BMS architecture, alarm management, data integrity, validation, and lifecycle management.
Lead the design, commissioning, qualification, and validation strategy for facilities control systems, ensuring consistency and regulatory alignment.
System Performance, Risk & Compliance Own performance, reliability, and lifecycle sustainability of facilities control systems across sites.
Partner with Quality to ensure control systems meet GxP, data integrity, and audit expectations.
Act as the controls engineering subject matter expert during audits, inspections, and investigations.
Identify, assess, and mitigate risks related to environmental control failures, system obsolescence, cybersecurity, and business continuity.
Cross-Functional & Vendor Leadership Collaborate with Facilities, Quality, IT, and Laboratory leadership to align control strategies with operational and regulatory needs.
Govern external automation vendors and provide technical leadership to internal engineering resources.
Communicate complex technical issues, risks, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.