Vice President, Design & Construction (Data Centers)
Vice President, Design & Construction
Location: Singapore
About the Opportunity
Our client is a rapidly expanding digital infrastructure platform focused on the development and operation of hyperscale and colocation data centers across Asia Pacific. As part of its continued growth, the company is seeking a Vice President, Design & Construction to lead the planning, design, engineering, and delivery of its regional development portfolio.
This role will have a strong emphasis on data center design strategy, engineering management, technical governance, innovation, and design standardization, while maintaining executive oversight of construction execution and project delivery. The successful candidate will serve as the organization's technical authority and play a key role in shaping future developments across multiple APAC markets.
Key Responsibilities
Design Leadership (Primary Focus)
- Lead the development and implementation of the company's regional design strategy for hyperscale and colocation data center developments.
- Establish and maintain design standards, engineering guidelines, technical specifications, and design governance processes across all projects.
- Direct multidisciplinary design teams comprising internal engineers, architects, consultants, and specialist partners.
- Review and approve conceptual, schematic, detailed, and IFC designs.
- Drive optimization of power, cooling, resiliency, scalability, and operational efficiency across the portfolio.
- Ensure designs align with long-term operational requirements, customer needs, and commercial objectives.
- Champion innovation in data center architecture, modular design, prefabrication, sustainable technologies, and energy-efficient infrastructure.
- Lead technical due diligence for potential investments, acquisitions, land opportunities, and expansion projects.
- Act as the executive sponsor for design reviews, value engineering initiatives, and technical risk assessments.
- Develop standardized regional design frameworks that enable scalable deployment across multiple markets.
Engineering & Technical Governance
- Serve as the organization's senior technical authority for critical infrastructure systems.
- Provide oversight of electrical, mechanical, structural, civil, and architectural design disciplines.
- Ensure compliance with industry best practices, international standards, local codes, and customer technical requirements.
- Establish engineering quality assurance and design review processes.
- Drive technical decision-making on equipment selection, resiliency architecture, capacity planning, and future expansion strategies.
Construction & Project Delivery
- Provide executive oversight of construction execution from groundbreaking through commissioning and handover.
- Partner with project delivery teams to ensure alignment between design intent and construction outcomes.
- Monitor project schedules, budgets, procurement activities, and contractor performance.
- Ensure effective management of design changes, technical issues, and project risks throughout the delivery lifecycle.
- Support commissioning and operational readiness planning to ensure successful project handover.
Stakeholder Management
- Partner closely with Development, Operations, Commercial, Finance, and Investment teams during project planning and execution.
- Engage with hyperscale customers and strategic clients on technical requirements and solution development.
- Manage relationships with consultants, design firms, contractors, OEMs, and technology partners.
- Present technical recommendations and project updates to senior leadership, executive committees, and investors.
Sustainability & Innovation
- Lead the integration of sustainability principles into development programs.
- Drive initiatives related to energy efficiency, renewable energy integration, water conservation, and carbon reduction.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends to maintain competitive advantage.
- Support the organization's ESG objectives through innovative design practices.
Requirements
Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Architecture, Building Services, or a related discipline.
- Master's Degree is preferred.
Experience
- 15+ years of experience in data center design, engineering, and project delivery.
- Proven experience leading the design and execution of large-scale hyperscale, colocation, or mission-critical facilities.
- Strong track record managing regional design programs across multiple APAC markets.
- Experience developing design standards, technical governance frameworks, and engineering best practices.
- Prior experience with data center developers, operators, hyperscalers, engineering consultancies, or mission-critical contractors is highly desirable.
- Demonstrated leadership experience managing large multidisciplinary engineering and project teams.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit an application along with an updated CV of yours detailing your relevant experience to this job ad.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Recruitment Consultant: Ken Tan
EA Registration No: R22111317
EA License No: 16S8194
FAQs
Congratulations, we understand that taking the time to apply is a big step. When you apply, your details go directly to the consultant who is sourcing talent. Due to demand, we may not get back to all applicants that have applied. However, we always keep your resume and details on file so when we see similar roles or see skillsets that drive growth in organizations, we will always reach out to discuss opportunities.
Yes. Even if this role isn’t a perfect match, applying allows us to understand your expertise and ambitions, ensuring you're on our radar for the right opportunity when it arises.
We also work in several ways, firstly we advertise our roles available on our site, however, often due to confidentiality we may not post all. We also work with clients who are more focused on skills and understanding what is required to future-proof their business.
That's why we recommend registering your resume so you can be considered for roles that have yet to be created.
Yes, we help with resume and interview preparation. From customized support on how to optimize your resume to interview preparation and compensation negotiations, we advocate for you throughout your next career move.