Senior Manager / Director, Utility Engineering

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Manager / Director of Utility Engineering to lead utility strategy and execution for our North America data center portfolio, with a focus on high-density AI and GPU workloads. This leader will own end-to-end responsibility for securing, designing, and optimizing critical utility interfaces to our data centers with a focus on power, while also leading external partners to deliver projects on aggressive schedules.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the long-term utility strategy to support high-density AI/GPU data centers across existing and new regions.
• Evaluate and select sites based on grid capacity, reliability, renewable/low-carbon options, interconnection queues, and regulatory constraints.
• Build and maintain load forecasts based on AI/GPU growth scenarios and translate them into concrete utility capacity plans.
• Develop power supply strategies that include both grid supply and on-site/behind-the-meter generation, evaluating trade-offs across reliability, schedule, fuel availability, emissions, and total cost of ownership.
• Lead technical and commercial engagements with utilities, ISOs/RTOs, transmission owners, and large energy providers from early-stage site diligence through energization.
• Negotiate and manage interconnection agreements, service agreements, and tariffs in partnership with legal, regulatory, and energy procurement teams.
• Track and influence grid upgrade timelines and constraints that impact data center development schedules.
• Own the end-to-end technical strategy for on-site power generation used to support data center capacity, schedule acceleration, and resilience.
• Lead generation plant concept development through design completion, including architecture decisions and design basis for:
  • Generation technology selection (e.g., reciprocating engines, turbines, dual-fuel strategies where applicable)
  • Electrical topology and one-lines (medium voltage distribution, paralleling, synchronization, islanding, black start concepts as applicable)
  • Protection and controls philosophy (relaying, coordination, fault duty, grounding, synchronization, load sharing)
  • Integration with UPS/BESS/microgrid controllers and operational modes (grid-parallel, island, peak shaving, backup)
• Oversee generation interconnection and utility coordination for behind-the-meter and/or utility-parallel operation, including studies, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Drive equipment specification and procurement alignment for generator sets, switchgear, transformers, e-houses, controls systems, and balance-of-plant, with focus on long-lead risk and schedule certainty.
• Support commissioning planning and field execution for generation systems, including performance verification, reliability demonstration, and handoff to operations.
• Define technical requirements and design standards for utility interfaces to high-density GPU data centers (substations, transformers, switchgear, protection, metering, etc.).
• Collaborate with internal and external design teams on one-line diagrams, protection schemes, redundancy strategies (N, N+1, 2N), and fault/reliability studies.
• Provide engineering leadership on integration of alternative or on-site energy sources (renewables, storage, generators, microgrids, etc.) to improve resilience and cost.
• Serve as the utility engineering owner for a set of data center development projects from due diligence through energization.
• Work closely with development, construction, and operations to align utility milestones with project schedules and capacity needs.
• Visit sites as needed to support commissioning, troubleshooting, and design clarifications in the field.
• Identify risks early (grid constraints, upgrade requirements, permitting, schedule slippage) and implement pragmatic mitigations.
• Ensure that utility designs meet or exceed reliability targets suitable for AI/GPU workloads with high power density and utilization.
• Partner with operations, reliability, and capacity planning to monitor actual performance versus design assumptions and close gaps.
• Continuously refine designs and standards to reduce losses, improve PUE/energy efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership.
• Lead internal and external partners, setting clear priorities and delivering against aggressive timelines.
• Act as the subject matter expert for utility and grid topics, educating internal stakeholders including executives, development, finance, and product teams.
• Communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders about utility risks, trade-offs, and options.
• Contribute to overall infrastructure strategy, including how power availability, cost, and carbon intensity influence data center and AI capacity roadmaps.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or related field.
• 8–12+ years of experience in utility engineering, power systems, or grid-connected infrastructure, with significant exposure to large-scale data centers, industrial loads, or hyperscale cloud environments.
• Deep understanding of transmission and distribution systems, interconnection processes, protection and controls, and utility planning.
• Proven experience working directly with electric utilities, ISOs/RTOs, or transmission owners on high-capacity interconnections.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects from concept through energization, ideally across multiple regions or countries.
• Strong ability to interpret and produce electrical one-lines, protection schemes, and system studies (load flow, short-circuit, reliability).
• Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical utility issues into clear business trade-offs and recommendations for non-engineers.
• Demonstrated experience with power generation projects and/or generation plant electrical design, such as:
  • Designing or overseeing design of generation plant one-lines, MV distribution, synchronization/paralleling, protection and controls
  • Managing generator plant concept-to-commissioning delivery (including equipment specification and long-lead procurement)
  • Integrating generation with critical power architectures (UPS/BESS, islanding strategies, microgrid controls)

Preferred

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Energy Systems, or similar.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or equivalent credential.
• Experience with high-density AI/GPU or HPC data centers, including unique power profiles and redundancy requirements.
• Familiarity with renewable energy integration, energy storage, microgrids, and low-carbon or sovereign energy strategies.
• Experience working in fast-paced growth environments or startups, where speed and execution are paramount.
• International experience dealing with utilities, regulators, and grid operators in multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience with generator OEMs, EPCs, and commissioning providers for large-scale standby/prime power plants supporting mission-critical facilities.