Data Centre Design Director

Tiger Recruitment; Dubai; On-site; AED 600,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Tiger Recruitment in Dubai is seeking a Data Centre Design Director to lead the design and delivery of large-scale data centre projects. The role requires a strong Mechanical or Electrical Engineering background and extensive hands-on experience in managing and delivering multiple data centre projects.

This senior leadership position demands deep technical knowledge, strong project management skills, and a proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams across RIBA Stages 0–7.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.
• Professional engineering qualification or chartership is desirable.
• Senior-level experience in data centre design and project management.
• Experience delivering multiple data centre projects across sizes and stages.
• Strong knowledge of RIBA Stages 0–7.
• Extensive experience with mission-critical MEP systems.
• Excellent client-facing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and technical delivery of multiple data centre projects.
• Manage projects across RIBA Stages 0–7 from definition to close-out.
• Provide technical and strategic leadership throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams across MEP, architecture and related disciplines.
• Oversee development and coordination of critical MEP systems (power, cooling, HVAC, UPS, redundancy).
• Ensure designs meet client requirements, standards, regulations and resilience targets.
• Act as senior technical and strategic point of contact for clients and stakeholders.
• Manage design programmes, resources, budgets, risks, deliverables and milestones.
• Review and approve technical designs, specs, calculations and drawings.
• Identify and resolve design coordination issues; support procurement and handover.

Skills

Data centre design

Project management

Multidisciplinary leadership

Client facing

MEP systems knowledge

Electrical/Mechanical infrastructure

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Professional engineering qualification or chartership

Job description

Strong international travel eligibility required due to frequent travel

We are seeking an experienced Data Centre Design Director to lead the design and delivery of complex, large-scale data centre projects in Dubai. The ideal candidate will have a strong Mechanical or Electrical Engineering educational background, combined with extensive hands‑on experience managing and delivering multiple data centre projects.

This is a senior leadership position requiring deep technical knowledge, strong project management capabilities, and proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams across RIBA Stages 0–7.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and technical delivery of multiple data centre projects simultaneously.
• Manage projects across RIBA Stages 0–7, from strategic definition and concept through detailed design, construction, commissioning, handover, and close‑out.
• Provide technical and strategic leadership throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams across mechanical, electrical, architectural, structural, and specialist engineering disciplines.
• Oversee the development and coordination of critical MEP systems, including power, cooling, HVAC, electrical distribution, backup power, and associated infrastructure.
• Ensure designs meet client requirements, technical standards, statutory regulations, and data centre performance and resilience requirements.
• Act as a senior technical and strategic point of contact for clients, consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders.
• Manage design programmes, resources, budgets, risks, deliverables, and project milestones.
• Review and approve technical designs, specifications, calculations, drawings, and construction documentation.
• Identify and resolve technical and design coordination issues throughout the project lifecycle.
• Support procurement, tendering, construction, testing, commissioning, and handover activities.
• Ensure quality, technical compliance, constructability, and design integrity across all project stages.
• Lead, mentor, and develop technical and design teams.
• Support business development, client presentations, technical proposals, and the growth of the company's data centre portfolio.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline – mandatory.
• Professional engineering qualification or chartership is highly desirable.
• Proven senior‑level experience in data centre design and project management.
• Demonstrable experience managing and delivering multiple data centre projects, ideally across different project sizes and stages.
• Strong practical knowledge and experience across RIBA Stages 0–7.
• Extensive experience with MEP systems within mission‑critical/data centre environments.
• Strong understanding of data centre electrical and mechanical infrastructure, including power distribution, cooling systems, HVAC, UPS, generators, redundancy, resilience, and critical infrastructure.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering and design teams.
• Strong project management skills covering programme, budget, resources, risk, quality, and delivery.
• Excellent client‑facing, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
• Ability to provide senior technical direction while maintaining a strong commercial and project‑delivery focus.