Design Manager, Data Centers

Description

The company is a global infrastructure consulting firm with more than 50,000 people and revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. It works across water, environment, energy, transportation and buildings.

This newly created senior role is on the company's growing Canadian data center team. It suits an experienced design professional who will lead multidisciplinary teams on hyperscale, colocation and mission-critical facilities, working hands-on and directly with clients.

You will take data center projects from site due diligence and campus planning through conceptual, schematic and detailed design, construction documents and construction administration. You will coordinate design teams, control design quality and change, deal with clients and stakeholders, and help build the company's Canadian data center capability.

Responsibilities

• Direct design delivery across multidisciplinary teams on hyperscale, colocation and mission-critical data centers.
• Guide projects from site due diligence and campus planning through every design stage, documentation and construction administration.
• Coordinate architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, security, fire protection, ICT and BMS/EPMS work.
• Take charge of core-and-shell design, on both greenfield builds and add/move/change projects.
• Write project and multi-site program management plans and put them into practice.
• Work with discipline and project leads to find and assign the right design resources for each project.
• Own design requirements, schedule, quality and multidisciplinary coordination.
• Manage the basis of design and the localization process.
• Run interdisciplinary design reviews, peer reviews and quality checks against client requirements and company standards.
• Set up and run processes to log, track and close scope changes, design issues, errors and inconsistencies.
• Spot project challenges early and drive practical fixes.
• Communicate design changes to company teams, clients and stakeholders.
• Chair client and external stakeholder meetings and report clearly on project and design status.
• Keep design-management records: status updates, action and risk trackers, meeting records and quality reports.
• Prepare technical and financial proposals for new data center design and add/move/change projects.
• Build lasting trust with clients and project stakeholders.
• Mentor engineers, designers and emerging design leaders, and help grow the Canadian data center capability.
• Work with the company's global data center teams on project delivery and knowledge sharing.

Requirements

• Degree in architecture, mechanical engineering or electrical engineering, plus 8 years of relevant experience, or equivalent experience and/or education.
• Proven record of managing multidisciplinary design delivery on technically complex projects.
• Experience with data centers, mission-critical facilities or other complex building infrastructure.
• Strong technical, project management, coordination and communication skills.
• Proven ability to lead teams and work well with clients and project stakeholders.
• Preferred: 12+ years of relevant experience in design and/or project management.
• Preferred: Significant hyperscale, colocation or mission-critical data center design-management experience.
• Preferred: Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) registration in a Canadian province, applicable architectural registration, or eligibility to obtain registration.
• Preferred: Experience leading multidisciplinary design coordination and client-facing technical delivery.
• Preferred: Experience with data center core-and-shell design and add/move/change projects.
• Preferred: Proven design quality management, peer review, basis-of-design development and design change management.
• Preferred: Knowledge of applicable Canadian building, electrical and engineering codes, standards and provincial requirements.
• Preferred: Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier concepts and other relevant data center standards.
• Preferred: Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Professional certification.
• Preferred: Lean Six Sigma certification.
• Preferred: Active or recent involvement in data center or mission-critical industry organizations.
• Preferred: Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Preferred: Ability to work effectively in dynamic, time-sensitive situations with minimal oversight.
• Preferred: Strong team leadership, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Conditions

Relocation is not available for this position.

Sponsorship is not available for this position.

All newly hired employees must attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at a company office as a condition of employment.

The company is an equal opportunity employer. Artificial intelligence supports screening and selection, and the hiring team makes the final decisions.

Benefits

• Depending on status, benefits may include vision, dental and medical cover, life and AD&D insurance, disability cover, paid time off and leaves of absence.
• Voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, well-being resources, an employee assistance program and business travel insurance.
• Service recognition awards, a retirement savings plan and an employee stock purchase plan.
• Training and development programs to build technical and leadership skills.