Associate - Project Manager Data Centre

Ramboll Group A/S; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Ramboll in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa seeks a Design Manager / Project Manager for end-to-end delivery of large, multidisciplinary datacentre and mission-critical facility projects in Dubai. You will define scope, manage schedules, ensure design quality, and engage clients to drive commercial success.

You will lead all technical disciplines, coordinate teams across geographies, monitor budgets, and strengthen client relationships.

Qualifications

• BE in Mechanical, Electrical, or Building Services (or equivalent).
• PMP or equivalent certification strongly preferred.
• Hands-on experience in hyperscale or mission-critical datacentre projects.
• Familiarity with UAE regulatory landscape and authority approval processes.
• Experience with BIM workflows and coordination (Revit, Navisworks, or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Act as primary interface with clients and senior stakeholders, leading design reviews and steering committee sessions.
• Lead design management and multidisciplinary coordination across Mechanical, Electrical, ELV/IBMS, Architecture, Structural, and Civil scopes.
• Provide technical oversight to ensure compliance with data centre standards and UAE regulations.
• Support project manager with monthly reporting, budgets, and P&L input.
• Mentor engineers and develop high-performing teams across geographies.

Skills

Client engagement

Leadership

Multidisciplinary coordination

Communication in English

Risk management

Education

BE in Mechanical, Electrical, or Building Services

PMP (Project Management Professional)

Tools

BIM (Revit/Navisworks)

MS Project / Primavera

Job description

To work at Ramboll means being part of a people organisation. We are focused on knowledge sharing and collaboration across competence areas and geography, and we aim for a strong diversity among our employees. This enables us to solve a broad range of projects, and we firmly believe that cross-collaboration leads to creative and longstanding solutions. Thus, the possibilities at Ramboll are many and diverse –we invest a lot in the development of people and offer career paths tailored for each individual.

Ramboll in Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa

Ramboll has more than 1,500 experts working across 15 offices in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa. We are present in Dubai, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, China, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. Our experts are applying their passion to deliver innovative solutions in markets as diverse as Buildings, Transport, Planning & Urban Design, Water, Environment & Health and Energy. Founded in Denmark, Ramboll is a people company. We invite you to contribute to a sustainable future working in an open, collaborative and empowering culture.

The Design Manager / Project Manager will own end-to-end project delivery for large, multidisciplinary datacentreand mission-critical facility projects, responsible for scope definition, schedule management, integrated design quality, client engagement, and commercial success.

This role goes beyond design coordination and requires complete lifecycle ownership from concept development and team assembly through detailed design delivery, construction support, commissioning coordination, and project close-out. You will lead all technical disciplines, manage resource planning and allocation, track financial performance and profitability, and serve as the primary client interface ensuring expectations are met and relationships are strengthened.

Client Engagement

Act as the primary project interface with clients and senior stakeholders,leading project design review meetings, and executive steering committee sessions

Continuously engage clients on deliverables, priorities, risks, and schedule/budget performance,proactively surfacingissuesand managing expectations

Resolve scope ambiguities, change requests, and conflicts between client needs and project constraints

Build andmaintainstrong client relationships through clear communication, demonstrated progress, and reliable delivery

Design Management& LDC

Initiateand setupthe project,the tools, theschedule,introduce the teams, create the workstreams,draftandmonitorthe WBS

Lead and oversee all technical disciplines – Mechanical (HVAC, cooling, fire protection), Electrical (MV/LV systems, UPS, generators), ELV/IBMS (controls, security, monitoring), Architecture (planning, compliance), Structural (foundations, loads), and Civil (site development, utilities)

Manage and coordinate third-party consultants andstakeholders in the project. Establish communication processes and ensure the highest level of quality and coordination between disciplines

Establish andmaintaina structured coordination process

Identifyand resolve complex cross-discipline conflicts at early design stage (concept/schematic) before they become costly rework

Ensure all discipline outputs (SLDs, P&IDs, layouts, specifications) are coordinated, integrated, and constructible before client submission

Review design for buildability and operability

Identifyand assess technical, schedule, budget, and commercial risks at projectinceptionand continuously throughout delivery

Develop mitigation strategies foridentifiedrisks and track mitigation status

Manage change requests and scope variations using formal change control process and quantify impact

Communicate schedule status and risks to client

Develop andmaintainthe master project schedule incorporating all disciplines, design stages, client reviews, andpermittingmilestones

Track schedule performance,identifydelays early and implement corrective actions

Technical Oversight & Design Quality

Review key design deliverables across all disciplines to ensure compliance with TIA-942, Uptime Tier standards, ASHRAE, NFPA/NBC fire codes, and local UAE regulations

Guide multidisciplinary teams in solving complex technical challenges and ensuring design solutions areoptimal, integrated, and aligned with project objectives

Ensure quality standards aremaintainedacross all project stages

Support to Project Manager

Provideinformation to the project managerregardingmonthly reportingonproject budget vs actual, timesheets, andutilization

Provide the input and produce the monthly EVM reports

Provideall relatedinputforthemonthly P&L reports

Team Leadership & Capability Building

Lead and motivate the multidisciplinary project team

Create a collaborative team culture

Exceptional verbal and written communication in English

Ability to communicate with C-suite clients, internal senior leadership, and multidisciplinary teams

Accountability anddecision-makingskills

Proven ability to mentor engineers and develop high-performing teams

Technical Expertise

Strong working knowledge across multiple disciplines: HVAC & mechanical systems, electrical power systems, ELV/IBMS, architecture, and structural design

Extended knowledge of current data centerrequirements, AI infrastructure, construction methods,etc

Ability to review and understand design outputs: Single Line Diagrams (SLDs), P&ID drawings, system layouts, BIM models, equipment schedules, and technical specifications

Understanding of how design decisions cascade across disciplines

Familiarity with datacentrestandards and requirements: TIA-942, Uptime Institute Tier III/IV, ASHRAE 90.4, fire codes, and UAE regulatory landscape

Project & Delivery Management

8+ years of project management or design management experience, with at least 5 years managing datacentreor mission-critical facility projects

Proventrack recordof delivering large, multidisciplinary projects on schedule and within budget

Experience managing teams of engineers across multiple disciplinesand geographies

Demonstrated ability toidentifyschedule/budget risks early and implement corrective actions

Qualifications & Experience

BE in Mechanical, Electrical, orBuilding Services(or equivalent)

PMP (Project Management Professional) or equivalent certification (strongly preferred)

Hands-on experience in hyperscale or mission-critical datacentreprojects

Familiarity with Uptime Institute certification processes (ATD, ATS, CAP, ICCA)

Experience with global project delivery across multiple geographies/time zones

Knowledge of UAE regulatory landscape and authority approval processes (DEWA, ADDC, CivilDefence)

Experience with BIM workflows and coordination (Revit, Navisworks, or equivalent)

Good to Have

Experience with integrated project delivery (IPD) or collaborative design methodologies

What we can offer you

• Investment in your development
• Leaders you can count on, guided by our Leadership Principles
• Be valued for the unique person you are.
• Never be short of inspiration from colleagues, clients, and projects.
• The long-term thinking of a foundation-owned company

We offer:

• A challenging and interesting workday characterized by continuous learning, in an environment where you have many to spar with and learn from.
• Opportunity to work with varied work tasks, across the organization.
• Opportunity to develop and influence your own area of responsibility.

Work at the heart of sustainable change

Ramboll is a global architecture, engineering, and consultancy company. We believe that the purpose of sustainable change is to create a thriving world for both nature and people. So, that’s where we start – and how we work. At Ramboll, our core strength is our people, and our history is rooted in a clear vision of how a responsible company should act. Being open and curious is a cornerstone of our culture. We embrace an inclusive mindset that looks for fresh, diverse, and innovative perspectives. We respect, embrace, and invite diversity in all forms to actively cultivate an environment where everyone can flourish and realize their full potential.