Principal Design Manager--Hyperscale Data Centers
About the Company
Our client is a leading global data center platform that designs, builds, and operates highly resilient, large scale digital infrastructure for some of the world's most recognizable hyperscalers, cloud providers, and enterprise technology companies. With a rapidly expanding footprint across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, the organization is known for delivering flexible, repeatable, and sustainable data center solutions that can scale rapidly to meet market demand.
The company differentiates itself through deep technical expertise, strong operational discipline, and a product driven approach to data center development. Its teams continuously evolve design standards to improve reliability, energy efficiency, and lifecycle performance while maintaining speed to market and cost predictability.
Design Integration Function
The Design Integration group owns the technical stewardship of data center designs throughout the full project lifecycle, from early development and concept through construction and handover to operations. The group integrates design management, design engineering, and regional product leadership to ensure consistency and scalability across a growing global portfolio.
Design Integration serves as the connective hub between strategy and execution, partnering closely with:
- Site development and real estate teams
- Construction and commissioning
- Operations and facility engineering
- Sustainability and energy teams
- Automation and controls
- IT, security, and EH&S
Position Overview
The organization is seeking an experienced Principal Design Manager to provide senior leadership across hyperscale data center design efforts. This role is open in several U.S. markets and operates under a hybrid work model with a regular onsite presence.
In this role, you will lead complex, multi discipline design initiatives for mission critical facilities, overseeing internal engineering teams and external design consultants while owning design strategy, coordination, and execution across multiple projects and regions.
You will act as a senior technical authority within the business, ensuring alignment between design intent, construction execution, operational readiness, sustainability goals, and customer requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Design Strategy and Ownership
- Develop and execute data center design strategies that balance scalability, resiliency, efficiency, and cost
- Establish early stage design baselines aligned with lease agreements and customer commitments
- Own design execution across multiple sites, monitoring RFIs, deviations, and change requests
Team Leadership and Technical Mentorship
- Lead, mentor, and support Design Managers and engineers across regions
- Ensure consistent delivery of high quality, constructible design packages
- Provide technical guidance on complex power, cooling, and building systems challenges
Cross Functional Collaboration
- Coordinate closely with construction, operations, sustainability, procurement, and technology teams
- Lead technical working sessions and design coordination meetings
- Communicate design progress, risks, constraints, and priorities to senior stakeholders
Consultant and Vendor Management
- Support selection and management of external design consultants and engineers of record
- Oversee consultant performance, scope adherence, and contract execution
- Participate in value engineering and procurement aligned design decisions
Quality, Risk, and Change Management
- Identify and proactively mitigate design risks across projects
- Ensure compliance with applicable building codes, fire regulations, and jurisdictional requirements
- Drive regional benchmarking, lessons learned, and change management initiatives to continuously improve standards
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, or a related technical field preferred
- Ten or more years of experience leading data center or mission critical design efforts
- Strong expertise in critical power, cooling, and data center infrastructure systems
- Familiarity with North American construction markets, codes, and regulatory processes
- Experience with sustainable design principles, energy efficiency strategies, and low carbon solutions
- Professional Engineering license or architectural registration is a plus
- Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills
- Ability to manage multiple complex projects in a fast paced environment
- Willingness to travel up to approximately 30 percent
Compensation and Benefits
- Final compensation dependent on experience, skill set, and geographic location
- Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Life, short and long term disability insurance
- Paid time off and holiday program
- Retirement savings plan with employer match and additional voluntary benefits
FAQs
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