Senior Design Leadership – Data Centres

Role overview

Key accountabilities

• Lead design from concept and schematic stages through detailed design, IFC, construction, commissioning, and handover.
• Direct internal teams, international consultants, and specialist design partners; coordinate architecture, engineering, ELV, security, fire and life safety, and other disciplines.
• Review design quality, governance, resilience, scalability, efficiency, maintainability, operational performance, and constructability.
• Lead design reviews, technical workshops, risk assessments, value engineering, and constructability reviews; resolve complex design issues.
• Improve design standards, specifications, guidelines, and standardized solutions; drive innovation and design optimization.
• Support procurement, consultant and contractor selection, tender evaluation, and technical proposal assessment.
• Work with delivery, commercial, procurement, operations, and other stakeholders; represent the design function in senior discussions.
• Ensure compliance with applicable standards, local authority requirements, building regulations, data centre standards, sustainability requirements, and industry practices.
• Provide technical support through construction, testing and commissioning, and handover.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Architecture, Engineering, or a relevant technical discipline from a recognized university.
• 15+ years of relevant design, engineering, or design management experience, including significant experience in data centres, mission-critical facilities, hyperscale, colocation, or similarly complex developments.
• Proven leadership of design activities for large-scale, technically complex projects.
• Strong expertise in one or more of Architecture, Electrical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
• Experience managing international design consultants, multidisciplinary teams, and specialist consultants.
• Knowledge of design management, technical governance, design reviews, BIM coordination, design risk management, value engineering, and constructability.
• Experience across concept design, detailed design, tender documentation, construction support, commissioning, and handover.
• Understanding of applicable standards, building codes, sustainability requirements, and industry best practices.
• Commercial awareness in scope management, value engineering, procurement support, and proposal evaluation.
• Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, decision-making, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• A Master's degree or relevant professional qualification is preferred.