Director, Data Center Construction

Responsibilities

• Serve as the owner’s representative to both the general contractor and the tenant’s onsite leadership team for all data center construction activities, ensuring field execution meets Fermi’s standards for quality, safety, schedule, and cost.
• Lead and manage a team of DC project managers across concurrent building phases, from site mobilization through substantial completion and turnover.
• Drive accountability for construction milestones, progress tracking, and schedule adherence across shell, core, MEP rough-in, and building enclosure scopes.
• Own the relationship with the GC and the tenant’s onsite leadership team at the program level—including project executives, construction managers, and commissioning leads—managing escalations, resolving disputes, and ensuring alignment on priorities, sequencing, and resource loading.
• Oversee GMP and construction contract administration, including change order management, pay application review, and scope validation.
• Coordinate with the Sr DC Design Integration Manager and engineering teams to ensure design packages are construction-ready and field issues are resolved without schedule impact.
• Establish and enforce field quality standards, safety protocols, and inspection programs in partnership with QA/QC and HSE leadership.
• Implement earned value and progress measurement systems to provide real-time visibility into construction performance across all active buildings.
• Partner with the Sr DC Preconstruction Manager to ensure smooth transitions from preconstruction into active construction phases.
• Support commissioning readiness by coordinating construction completion milestones with MEP integration and IT load delivery timelines.
• Drive continuous improvement in construction delivery—identifying lessons learned, standardizing processes, and reducing cycle times across successive building phases.
• Build and sustain a strong, collaborative culture across the DC delivery organization—fostering open communication, mutual accountability, and trust with procurement, safety, quality, design, and project controls partners to ensure alignment and shared ownership of delivery outcomes.

Qualifications

• 18+ years of progressive construction management experience, with a minimum of 10 years in hyperscale data center, mission-critical facility, or large-scale industrial construction programs.
• Demonstrated experience serving as an owner’s representative or senior construction lead managing general contractors on multi-billion-dollar construction programs.
• Strong command of GMP, lump-sum, and EPC contract structures, including change order negotiation, claims management, and pay application oversight.
• Track record of managing concurrent multi-building construction programs with peak craft workforces exceeding 1,000 personnel.
• Deep understanding of data center construction sequencing—shell/core, MEP rough-in, critical power, cooling systems, and IT infrastructure fit-out.
• Experience with earned value management systems, construction scheduling in Primavera P6, and field progress tracking methodologies.
• Strong safety leadership with demonstrated commitment to zero-incident culture on large construction sites.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with a demonstrated ability to build collaborative, high-trust relationships across technical, commercial, and executive audiences—including tenant onsite leadership, contractors, and cross-functional internal teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field; advanced degree or PMP certification preferred.