Data Centres & Major Projects Recruitment
Permanent engineering and project delivery hires for data centre operators, their contractors, and the builders of major venue, transport and precinct projects across Australia and APAC. This is Sonitec's newest desk: we bring the screening bar we use for specialist AI roles to critical infrastructure.
Data centre roles
Hyperscale and colocation operators and their contractors, building new capacity and running live critical environments.
Commissioning
Engineers who take new halls and plant from installation to live: integrated systems testing, staged commissioning and handover to operations.
- Commissioning (Cx) Engineers
- Commissioning Managers
- Controls, BMS & EPMS Engineers
Critical Facilities
People who keep live sites running: operations, planned maintenance and incident response across electrical and mechanical plant.
- Facilities Engineers
- Facilities Managers
- Facilities Technicians
Electrical & HV
Power design, grid connection and high-voltage delivery for new data centre capacity.
- Electrical Engineers
- HV & Substation Engineers
- Power & Grid Connection Engineers
Major project roles
Deadline-driven venue, transport and precinct programmes, including the South East Queensland build-out ahead of 2032.
Construction & Project Management
Leaders who run programmes, packages and sites from mobilisation to handover on fixed deadlines.
- Project Directors & Senior Project Managers
- Construction Managers
- Engineering Managers
- Project Managers
- Site Managers
Project Engineering
Engineers across structures, civil works and building services on large venue and transport builds.
- Project & Site Engineers
- Structural & Civil Engineers
- Building Services Engineers & Services Managers
Project Controls & Commercial
The people who keep programme, cost and contracts on track.
- Planners & Schedulers (Primavera P6)
- Cost & Commercial Managers
- Estimating Managers & Senior Estimators
- Contract Administrators
2026 salary bands for the desk
AUD base salary, excluding superannuation, for permanent roles in 2026. Bands are compiled from the Randstad Engineering & Construction Salary Report 2026, the Hays Salary Guide FY26/27 and the Robert Walters Salary Guide 2026, then cross-checked against live job ads. Package figures (car, site uplifts, bonus) sit above these bands.
Data centre and critical power bands (New South Wales)
Commissioning, electrical and HV, project delivery and facilities roles for hyperscale and colocation builds and live critical environments. Sydney market, 2026.
| Role | Mid | Senior | Principal / Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioning EngineerPrincipal column is the Commissioning Manager band. | $120k–140k | $150k–190k | $200k–260k |
| Substation / HV Engineer | $120k–165k | $150k–200k | $190k–250k |
| Power Systems / Grid Connection Engineer | $120k–170k | $160k–210k | $200k–275k |
| Project Engineer (data centre and energy) | $130k–160k | $160k–210k | $200k–250k |
| Project Manager (data centre and energy) | $150k–190k | $180k–240k | $240k–300k |
| Site / Construction Manager (energy and critical power) | $150k–180k | $180k–250k | $250k–300k |
| Facilities / Critical Facilities ManagerSenior client-side critical facilities roles are advertised above the published bands; we benchmark them per search. | $100k–140k | $130k–165k | — |
Contract commissioning and HV roles on live data centre and transmission projects are advertised as day or hourly rates well above these permanent bands.
Construction and project delivery bands (New South Wales and Queensland)
Project leadership, construction and project management, project engineering, project controls and commercial roles on major venue, transport and precinct projects. Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors, 2026.
| Role | New South Wales | Queensland |
|---|---|---|
| Project Director | $250k–400k | $250k–430k |
| Construction Manager | $220k–350k | $250k–400k |
| Senior Project Manager | $200k–300k | $200k–330k |
| Project Manager | $160k–270k | $180k–280k |
| Engineering Manager (civil) | $200k–320k | $215k–350k |
| Senior Project Engineer | $180k–250k | $160k–250k |
| Project Engineer | $130k–200k | $130k–200k |
| Building Services Manager | $140k–250k | $150k–300k |
| Estimating Manager / Lead Estimator | $200k–350k | $200k–285k |
| Senior Estimator | $160k–250k | $170k–300k |
| Senior Planner / Planning Manager | $180k–250k | $180k–240k |
| Planner / Scheduler | $120k–200k | $120k–200k |
| Commercial Manager | $180k–300k | $200k–350k |
| Senior Contracts Administrator | $140k–220k | $150k–250k |
The published Queensland bands for Tier 1 construction managers and senior estimators sit at or above New South Wales. Victoria is benchmarked per search.
Sources: Randstad Engineering & Construction Salary Report 2026; Hays Salary Guide FY26/27; Robert Walters Salary Guide 2026. Cross-checked against live job ads on 1 October 2026. Roles without a published 2026 band are benchmarked per search.
The AI and technology bands are on the salary guide.
What the 2025–2026 reports say
Published figures behind the hiring pressure in data centres and major projects. Each card names its source.
$242 billion
Australia's five-year Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline (2024–25 to 2028–29), up 14% on the previous outlook. Transport is $129 billion of it; utilities investment has more than doubled to $36 billion on new transmission projects.
Source: Infrastructure Australia, 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report
300,000
Projected peak shortage of infrastructure workers in 2027, from a workforce of 204,000 and a 141,000 shortfall in October 2025. Shortages of engineers, scientists and architects peak at about 126,000 in late 2026, and of project management professionals at about 59,000 in mid-2027.
Source: Infrastructure Australia, 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report
$77 billion
Queensland's forecast construction pipeline peak in 2026–27, up from $53 billion in 2024–25, with an average shortfall of 18,200 construction workers over the eight years to 2032 and a peak shortfall of 50,000 in 2026–27.
Source: Construction Skills Queensland, Horizon 2032 (2025 edition)
Data centres
Infrastructure Australia reports shortages of engineers, designers and experienced project directors constraining capacity in energy, data centres, defence and water. Randstad's 2026 report names mechanical services estimators, critical facilities managers and building services engineers as the roles the Sydney and Melbourne data centre build-out is pulling on hardest.
What to expect from the desk
Permanent hires
We recruit permanent engineering and project delivery roles through Retained Search, Executive Search or contingent search, depending on the role.
Screened against your brief
We screen for the site types, systems and project scope your role actually needs, and confirm with each candidate the authorisations and clearances you require.
Search plan, then shortlist
Tell us about the role and we come back with a search plan.
Infrastructure Talent: common questions
What roles does the Infrastructure Talent desk recruit?
Engineering and project delivery roles in two markets. For data centres: commissioning engineers and managers, controls, BMS and EPMS engineers, facilities engineers, managers and technicians, and electrical, HV and grid connection engineers. For major venue, transport and precinct projects: project directors and senior project managers, engineering managers, construction, project and site managers, project, structural, civil and building services engineers, planners and schedulers, cost and commercial managers, estimating managers and senior estimators, and contract administrators.
Do you recruit permanent or contract roles?
The Infrastructure Talent desk recruits permanent roles. Sonitec does not supply labour hire or trades workers.
How do engagements work?
Retained Search, Executive Search or contingent, depending on the role. Retained Search suits senior and hard-to-fill roles where the market is thin. Executive Search is a separate assignment type for leadership hires such as project directors and heads of construction.
Where do you recruit?
Across Australia and APAC, from our Sydney office at 39 Martin Place.
How quickly will we hear back after submitting a role?
We come back with a search plan.
Do you recruit candidates from overseas?
Yes, for permanent professional roles where the employer sponsors the visa. Sonitec does not provide migration advice or visa services; those stay with a registered migration agent.
Do you provide visa or migration services?
No. Sonitec does not provide migration advice or visa services.