Data Center Construction Manager

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Construction Manager to support the delivery of a critical data center infrastructure project located in DeKalb, IL. This role is responsible for managing onsite construction activities, commissioning efforts, and project turnover while partnering closely with contractors, consultants, vendors, and internal stakeholders to ensure safe, efficient, and predictable project delivery. The position offers exposure to both new data center buildouts and a significant volume of retrofit work within live operating data center environments. Candidates should be comfortable managing complex construction activities in mission-critical facilities where careful planning, coordination, and execution are essential to maintaining operational continuity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field; and/or 7-10 years of professional experience in construction, operations, maintenance, project planning, or a related discipline.
• 7-10 years of experience directly related to the design or construction of data centers and/or critical infrastructure facilities.
• General knowledge of electrical, mechanical, and connectivity systems.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously across various phases of execution.
• Mission Critical, infrastructure, and/or Data Center Construction experience.
• Experience supporting commissioning activities for both retrofit projects and new data center buildouts.
• Knowledge of CPM scheduling practices and familiarity with Primavera P6.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Manage onsite construction, commissioning, and turnover activities for data center projects.
• Support the Lead Construction Manager with contractor, designer, consultant, and vendor management.
• Take ownership of construction execution across both retrofit projects within existing live data halls and new buildout projects throughout the leased data center portfolio in North America.
• Serve as a key point of coordination between contractors, consultants, and cross-functional partners.
• Provide strong onsite leadership by developing and maintaining effective working relationships with stakeholders, consultants, vendors, contractors, and internal teams.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through innovation, process improvement, accountability, and effective project execution.
• Support project planning and scope development by working closely with cross-functional teams and internal customers to identify, sequence, and package work for execution.
• Assist with the development and maintenance of project schedules in coordination with Project Controls and Scheduling teams.
• Manage the change management process and negotiate cost-effective solutions while balancing schedule and project objectives.
• Proactively manage schedules and associated risks to ensure reliable and predictable turnover dates while communicating opportunities, risks, and mitigation plans to leadership.
• Conduct monthly WIP (Work-In-Place) walks to verify completed work for invoicing purposes and perform regular site walks to monitor progress and validate handover readiness.
• Manage relationships with contractors, consultants, and designers throughout the project lifecycle.
• Assist in developing capital project budgets and preparing ROM (Rough Order of Magnitude) construction cost estimates.
• Manage monthly CapEx forecasting for all project-related expenditures.
• Analyze weekly project status reports and develop action plans related to financial performance, schedule adherence, and quality metrics.
• Develop and manage Method of Procedures (MOPs) for retrofit and remediation work occurring in live data center environments.
• Facilitate collaboration between contractors, internal stakeholders, and third-party QA/QC teams.
• Lead and support project closeout activities to ensure successful turnover and documentation completion.
• Escalate critical project issues promptly to the Construction Manager.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, partnership, team