Datacenter Design Senior Manager - MEP

Want to help design and build the infrastructure powering the digital world? As a Design Manager, you’ll sit at the heart of our Design, Engineering & Construction organisation, playing a key role in how our data centres are designed, developed and delivered. This is much more than a design coordination role. You’ll be involved across the design and construction phases, taking projects from early design through delivery, commissioning and handover.

Working across CSA and/or MEPH disciplines, you’ll lead multidisciplinary consultant teams, drive technical decisions and ensure our projects achieve the right balance between technical excellence, buildability, safety, cost, programme and quality. You’ll operate with a high degree of autonomy, collaborating with internal teams, consultants, contractors and technical partners to turn complex design challenges into practical, buildable solutions. Ultimately, your role is about making sure that what we design on paper can be successfully built, commissioned and operated in the real world.

What you’ll do:

• Lead design delivery: Take ownership of project set-up and end-to-end design delivery, ensuring alignment with programme, budget and technical requirements.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams: Lead and challenge consultants and technical partners across CSA and/or MEPH, keeping multiple disciplines aligned throughout the project lifecycle.
• Drive design standards & governance: Implement our Design Engineering Guidelines (DEGs) and standardised design solutions, while managing design governance through the DLR Gating Process, including PID preparation and G0/G1 reviews aligned with RIBA stages.
• Solve complex technical challenges: Provide technical leadership throughout delivery, resolving escalated RFIs, technical submittals and design challenges while balancing cost, risk, programme, quality and buildability.
• Keep projects on track: Work closely with Delivery teams on project budgets, forecasts, milestones, change control, contracts, change orders and invoice approvals.
• Bridge design and construction: Stay closely involved through the construction phase, supporting commissioning and Integrated Systems Testing (IST) to enable safe and successful project handover.
• Challenge and improve the way we design: Lead and contribute to cross-functional design reviews, promote DfMA, BIM/Revit, innovation and standardisation, and bring lessons learned and market insight back into our regional and global design standards.
• Collaborate across the business: Partner closely with Portfolio, Pre-Construction, Construction, Operations, Solutions and Sales teams to solve challenges and deliver successful project outcomes.

What you’ll need:

We’re looking for someone with a strong technical foundation who enjoys combining engineering expertise, project delivery and stakeholder management. You’ll ideally bring:

• Experience delivering mission-critical, complex or highly serviced buildings.
• A technical background in CSA, MEPH, Engineering or Architecture.
• Experience within a design consultancy, contractor, commissioning or owner/operator environment.
• Data centre design experience is highly valued, although experience from other complex mission-critical environments is also relevant.
• Good understanding of multidisciplinary design across CSA and MEPH.
• Familiarity with design gating, governance and change control.
• The ability to understand complex technical issues and confidently defend design decisions with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to assess technical solutions against cost, risk, schedule and quality.
• A pragmatic and organised approach, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEPH) Engineering, or Architecture (or equivalent experience).
• Masters or Doctorate degree preferred.
• Chartered Engineer or equivalent professional certification (ideally).
• 4-7 Years of experience in mission critical (data center or similar complex buildings) delivery, ideally in a multi-disciplinary design environment.
• Advanced technical knowledge in CSA and/or MEPH disciplines.
• Strong stakeholder management, technical leadership, and contract administration skills.
• Familiarity with design delivery processes, standards, and change control in an owner-operator environment.
• Financial awareness relating to project budgeting, forecasting, and cost management.

Responsibilities:

The role is responsible for managing internal and external stakeholders, ensuring all design activities adhere to established engineering guidelines and quality standards. They coordinate complex deliverables, balancing strict budgets and schedules while maintaining technical excellence. The role requires proactive risk assessment, change control, and reporting throughout the project lifecycle. The Design Manager also supports cost and schedule management, provides technical input to HR, Finance, Operations, and Sales Engineering, and champions continuous improvement initiatives. They must adapt quickly to changing project demands, negotiate effectively, and make critical decisions to support successful project outcomes.