Data Center Design Lead - Civil

At Mott MacDonald we trust our brilliant people to do brilliant things in engineering, management, and development services, supporting multisector project work in over 150 countries. As one of the largest employee‑owned companies in the world, we deliver exceptional outcomes through a network of 20,000+ consultants. Our North American practice focuses on sustainability and innovation across Buildings, Energy, Transportation, and Water, and we empower our people to excel, learn, and grow.

Responsibilities

• Lead civil and site‑infrastructure design strategy for major data‑center projects across North America, including hyperscale, cloud, AI, colocation, enterprise, and mission‑critical campuses.
• Provide technical leadership from site selection and feasibility through master planning, concept design, detailed engineering, permitting, construction support, commissioning, and operational handover.
• Develop site‑infrastructure solutions that address power readiness, utility coordination, grading, drainage, access, security, constructability, phasing, resilience, and long‑term campus expansion.
• Design and review site plans, grading, earthworks, storm‑water management, erosion and sediment control, roads, access routes, utility corridors, duct banks, water and wastewater systems, fire access, and site logistics.
• Coordinate closely with electrical teams on utility corridors, substation interfaces, transmission routes, duct banks, easements, equipment yards, and grid interconnection constraints.
• Partner with mechanical teams on water supply, cooling‑infrastructure interfaces, heat‑rejection equipment, drainage requirements, process water, and site‑based mechanical infrastructure.
• Support planning, zoning, entitlement, environmental review, permitting, utility approvals, municipal coordination, and agency engagement where civil design leadership is required.
• Provide senior technical oversight for civil calculations, drawings, specifications, design reports, storm‑water studies, utility plans, permitting packages, and quality reviews.
• Support major pursuits, client interviews, proposal development, technical presentations, and strategic account growth as a senior civil/site‑infrastructure subject‑matter expert.
• Establish and improve civil design standards, templates, workflows, QA/QC processes, lessons learned, and technical governance for data‑center projects.
• Collaborate with construction and pre‑construction teams to support value engineering, site logistics, sequencing, mass‑grading strategy, temporary works, and field issue resolution.
• Mentor civil engineers and design managers, supporting technical development, leadership capability, recruitment, and succession planning.
• Coordinate with global delivery teams to ensure technical quality, production efficiency, and alignment with North American codes, standards, and client expectations.
• Stay current with emerging trends in data‑center siting, utility constraints, water stewardship, climate resilience, sustainable site design, low‑impact development, modular campus deployment, and AI‑driven infrastructure demand.
• Represent the organization with clients, utilities, agencies, contractors, and industry stakeholders as a senior civil/site‑infrastructure design leader.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Site Development, Infrastructure Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Professional Engineer, Chartered Engineer, or equivalent professional registration preferred.
• Strong experience leading civil and site‑infrastructure design for data‑center, mission‑critical, industrial, logistics, utility, energy, advanced manufacturing, or large‑campus developments.
• Demonstrated focus on data‑center projects, ideally across hyperscale, cloud, AI, colocation, or enterprise environments.
• Deep understanding of site selection, grading, storm‑water, utilities, access, roads, permitting, phasing, erosion control, drainage, duct banks, utility corridors, site logistics, and campus expansion.
• Experience coordinating with utilities, municipalities, environmental teams, permitting agencies, contractors, developers, and multidisciplinary design teams.
• Knowledge of North American civil design standards, storm‑water regulations, permitting requirements, environmental constraints, accessibility, fire access, and site‑resilience principles.
• Experience supporting fast‑track design and construction programs where utility readiness, entitlement, constructability, and schedule certainty are critical.
• Proficiency with Civil 3D, BIM coordination, digital delivery, model‑based collaboration, clash resolution, and interdisciplinary design reviews.
• Proven ability to review and approve civil deliverables, manage design risk, coordinate approvals, and drive quality across complex programs.
• Strong client‑facing capability, including proposals, interviews, technical workshops, agency meetings, and executive‑level design discussions.
• Experience mentoring engineers, supporting recruitment, and building civil/site‑infrastructure capability.
• Excellent communication, commercial awareness, technical judgement, and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier Standards, TIA‑942, LEED, Envision, ASHRAE, and data‑center operational requirements preferred.

Benefits & Reward

• Personal and group performance bonuses giving employees a direct stake and voice in the business.
• Comprehensive benefits package including 401(k), medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Short‑term and long‑term disability coverage.
• Paid holidays, PTO, parental leave, and company‑paid life insurance.
• Individual pay determined by work location, education, experience, and unique skills.

Collaboration at Our Core

• Hybrid work model centered on an in‑office culture with a minimum of three days per week in the office.
• Flexibility to balance face‑to‑face collaboration with personal and client commitments.

Location & Employment Details

• Location: The Woodlands, TX, US
• Contract Type: Regular (US only)
• Work Pattern: Full Time
• Market: Buildings
• Discipline: Electrical
• Job Reference: 16297
• Recruiter Contact: Sam Kitchin