Design Manager

About the role

Join one of the fastest-growing, privately held data center companies where passion and customer focus drive success. As a Design Manager at Aligned Data Centers, you'll play a key role in overseeing major technical programs targeting both colocation and hyperscale builds.

Responsibilities

• Drive projects from inception through customer or business turnover, focusing heavily on the preconstruction and design phases.
• Assume project lead role at design hand-off meeting from the land enablement team and shift overall project leadership to the Construction Manager (CM) at GC mobilization.
• Coordinate with the land enablement group to ensure success with offsite improvements, early permitting, easements, and environmental studies.
• Create and manage project risk registers from land enablement phase through project completion/turnover to Aligned Operations.
• Oversee management of external third-party design teams and create/design schedules to support project needs.
• Oversee design deliverables, including stakeholder review and comment cycles, hold design team accountable to design progression and design gating, and enforce design team’s accountability to Aligned’s Cost Control Log (CCL) and Complies, Deviates, Excludes (CDE) matrices.
• Operate in lockstep with the CM on each project to ensure proper communications/escalations and regular reporting to all internal and external parties and leadership/management.
• Create, manage, and update project metrics in Smartsheets (project dashboards) for each project.
• Own or direct all administrative duties related to design management process.
• Support the CM with building and maintaining budget/cost models and preparing funding requests.
• Prepare and present quarterly project updates for leadership.
• Conduct technical reviews of construction plans with understanding of architectural design within data center environments.
• Communicate conceptual designs to multiple internal Aligned teams with required project documentation prior to and during construction.
• Cross-reference customer requirements as needed.
• Support day-to-day program activities and initiatives, engaging with architects, consultants, equipment providers, GCs, etc.
• Coordinate all project activities with building Operations while promoting safety and compliance initiatives and requirements on site.
• Interface with customers through fit out design, construction, and integration; accountable to successful delivery of customer contracts.
• Manage the project with the business in mind and work to ensure the project meets directives of CRC/SLT/Board.
• Operate with a constant mindset of continuous improvement, creativity, efficiency, and innovation.
• Strongly desired: Design engineering experience, management of design teams, exposure to IPD, Design-Build, and/or construction management, data center design/construction experience, specifically with MEP systems, knowledge of project management software (MS Projects, Prolog, Procore, BIM 360, or similar), knowledge and experience working with CAD, strong written and verbal communication skills, ability to multi-task, strong time and change management / organizational skills, ability to maintain discretion and confidentiality, ability to interpret construction drawings and specifications, knowledge of construction cost estimating methods and development of scopes of work, ability to monitor and interpret design and schedule changes and forecast their impact on overall project costs, ability to travel up to 25%.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or equivalent.
• 5+ years progressive experience in successfully managing commercial construction project design programs, with data center experience strongly preferred.
• Mechanical/Electrical background preferred.
• Advanced experience in Excel, Smartsheets, and/or AutoCAD.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task, with strong time and change management / organizational skills.
• Ability to always maintain discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to understand and follow clear directions and meet specific deadlines with reporting, communication, and project schedules.
• Team player across the organization with strong communication skills.
• Knowledge of construction cost estimating methods and development of scopes of work.
• Able to monitor and interpret design and schedule changes and forecast their impact on overall project costs.

Qualifications

• Minimum qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or equivalent.
• 5+ years progressive experience in successfully managing commercial construction project design programs, with data center experience strongly preferred.
• Mechanical/Electrical background preferred.
• Advanced experience in Excel, Smartsheets, and/or AutoCAD.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task, with strong time and change management / organizational skills.
• Ability to always maintain discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to understand and follow clear directions and meet specific deadlines with reporting, communication, and project schedules.
• Team player across the organization with strong communication skills.
• Knowledge of construction cost estimating methods and development of scopes of work.
• Able to monitor and interpret design and schedule changes and forecast their impact on overall project costs.

Skills

• Design engineering experience.
• Management of design teams.
• Exposure to IPD, Design-Build, and/or construction management.
• Data center design/construction experience, specifically with MEP systems.
• Knowledge of project management software (MS Projects, Prolog, Procore, BIM 360, or similar).
• Knowledge and experience working with CAD.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task, with strong time and change management / organizational skills.
• Ability to always maintain discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to understand and follow clear directions and meet specific deadlines with reporting, communication, and project schedules.
• Team player across the organization with strong communication skills.
• Knowledge of construction cost estimating methods and development of scopes of work.
• Able to monitor and interpret design and schedule changes and forecast their impact on overall project costs.

Benefits & Perks

Aligned Data Centers offers a comprehensive benefits package to support the health, well-being, and financial security of our team members. Eligible employees have access to:

• Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts: HSA with employer contribution for eligible participants. FSA's offered for health and dependent care to increase tax savings.
• Retail Savings: 401(k) plan with company match.
• Paid Time Off and Holiday Pay: Includes sick and safe leave as required by Maryland law.
• Company-Sponsored Insurance: Short-Term Disability, Life Insurance, and Long-Term Disability (with medical election).
• Optional Benefits: Voluntary life, critical illness, legal, and additional disability coverage.
• Wellness Programs: Employee assistance program (EAP), Wellhub gym membership, and other wellness initiatives.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.