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Close control engineer jobs.

The role

What the job involves.

Perigon Search recruits close control engineers for manufacturers, specialist service companies and data centre FM providers. The job is keeping precision cooling running in data halls and comms rooms: planned maintenance, fault finding and repairs on CRAC and CRAH units, in-row and perimeter cooling, chilled water and DX systems, on Vertiv, Stulz, Schneider Uniflair, Airedale and Denco kit. Most close control roles also take in the chillers and condensers behind the units.

Close control is air conditioning with no margin for error. The units hold a data hall's temperature and humidity within tight limits, round the clock, and a failed unit means a hot spot under live IT load. Work is planned around redundancy, under permits and method statements. That's what separates close control from comfort cooling, and why data centre experience moves engineers up the pay scale.

Mobile or static. Mobile roles cover a patch of data centres and comms rooms from a van, with an on-call rota. Static roles put you on one large data centre, often on shifts. Manufacturer roles usually add commissioning on new installs and training on their own kit.

Salary and progression

What it pays.
Where it leads.

Salary

What close control engineers earn.

With overtime and call-outs, earnings run well past these base salaries. Most mobile roles come with a van and fuel card, paid travel and a paid on-call rota. When an offer comes in, we negotiate it for you, base and package. Typical UK base salaries, updated October 2026.

Close control engineer
£42,000 to £52,000 base
Senior engineer
£50,000 to £60,000 base
Supervisor or lead engineer
£55,000 to £65,000 base
Where it leads
Commissioning engineer
Bringing new precision cooling online in data halls and signing it off.
Service or contract manager
Running the engineers, the contracts and the client relationship.
Chiller engineer
The next step up in plant size, for engineers who want the chilled water side.
Data centre engineer
Static, multi-skilled roles on one site, usually on shifts.
Applications and technical sales
Specifying and pricing systems with a manufacturer, where knowing the kit counts.
Liquid cooling
CDUs and direct-to-chip cooling need engineers who already understand data hall cooling.
Latest jobs

Live close control jobs.

No close control engineer roles are live right now. Register with us and we'll come back to you when one is.
Shortlisting

What gets you shortlisted.

F-Gas is a given. What moves a CV up the pile is data centre experience and the makes behind it.

Systems
CRAC unitsCRAH unitsIn-row coolingChilled waterDX
Makes
VertivStulzUniflairAiredaleDenco
Skills
Fault findingCommissioningHumidity controlLeak testingPlanned maintenance
Sites
Data centresComms roomsBanksTelecomsHospitals
FAQ

Close control engineer questions.

What does a close control engineer do?
A close control engineer services, repairs and commissions precision cooling: the CRAC and CRAH units, in-row coolers and chilled water or DX systems that hold data halls and comms rooms at a set temperature and humidity. Day to day that's planned maintenance, fault finding and reactive callouts. Roles are mobile or static on one large site.
What's the difference between close control and comfort cooling?
Comfort cooling keeps people comfortable and can drift a few degrees. Close control holds temperature and humidity within tight limits, all day, every day, to protect IT equipment. The units run harder, redundancy matters, and a fault needs fixing before it becomes a hot spot.
What qualifications do I need to be a close control engineer?
An F-Gas certificate, usually Category 1, is a legal requirement for work on refrigerant circuits. Most employers also want an NVQ Level 2 or 3 in refrigeration and air conditioning. Manufacturer training on makes like Stulz, Vertiv and Uniflair helps, and a full driving licence is needed for mobile roles.
Can I move into close control from air conditioning?
Yes, it's the most common route. Some employers train experienced AC engineers on CRAC and critical cooling. What they'll check is that you can work to a data centre's rules: permits, method statements and changes planned around redundancy.
Do you recruit close control engineers outside the UK?
Yes. We recruit across the UK and EMEA, including Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Scandinavia. Data centre growth in mainland Europe means there's work for engineers open to it.