Senior Construction Manager - Data Centres (FIFO/DIDO)

Turner & Townsend; Gladstone Regional; On-site; AUD 146,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

FIFO/DIDO

Job summary

Turner & Townsend seeks a Senior Project/Construction Manager for a major data centre project in Invercargill, New Zealand. This is a FIFO/DIDO role offering location flexibility for the right candidate while embedded within the client’s team to oversee delivery, governance, and performance.

You will lead on-site oversight, ensure schedule adherence, and drive issue resolution to protect critical paths. A strong GC/EC/MC background and extensive data centre experience are essential.

Qualifications

• 15–20 years total experience in project and construction management.
• 8+ years delivering data centre projects specifically.
• Bachelor's or higher in Construction Management, Civil/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering; a postgraduate PM qualification is highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Act as the client's senior representative on the ground, overseeing the programme delivery.
• Lead weekly and bi-weekly site visits, chair Developer roundtables, and hold the developer/contractor accountable.
• Protect the critical path, surface blockers early, and drive acceleration where needed.
• Produce bi-weekly site visit reports, roundtable minutes, and milestone/critical path updates.

Skills

Project management

Construction management

Critical path management

GC/EC/MC interfaces

High-pressure environment

Education

Construction/Engineering degree

PM qualification (PMP/AIPM)

Job description

Turner & Townsend is a global professional services company with over 22,000 people in more than 60 countries. Working with our clients across real estate, infrastructure, energy and natural resources, we transform together delivering outcomes that improve people's lives.

Our capabilities include programme, project, cost, asset and commercial management, controls and performance, procurement and supply chain, net zero and digital solutions.

Turner & Townsend are leaders in professional services to the data centre sector globally. Please visit us at www.turnerandtownsend.com

Due to the continued growth of our Data Centre business across Australia & New Zealand, we are currently recruiting for an experienced Senior Project/Construction Manager to join our team on a major data centre project in Invercargill, South Island New Zealand. This is a FIFO/DIDO role, offering flexibility of location for the right candidate while placing you at the heart of a complex, high-value delivery.

As Turner & Townsend's senior representative embedded within the client's team, you will act as the client's primary point of oversight on the ground, sitting above the developer and contractor to ensure the programme is delivered to the standard, timeline and quality the client demands. You will lead weekly and bi-weekly site visits, chair Developer roundtables, and hold the developer and their contractor accountable to their commitments on the client's behalf. This is not a coordination role — it demands the experience and confidence to challenge developer and contractor performance, identify risk before it reaches the client, and pursue acceleration where the programme demands it. You will protect the critical path with rigour, surface blockers and friction points early, and confirm inspection readiness across all scopes, ensuring the client is never exposed by gaps in developer or contractor delivery. Your reporting outputs — bi-weekly site visit reports, roundtable minutes and action logs, an acceleration and recovery opportunity log, and milestone and critical path status updates — will form the evidentiary record that keeps the client informed, protected and in control at every stage of construction.

• 15 to 20 years' total experience in project and construction management
• 8+ years delivering data centre projects specifically
• General contractor background strongly preferred, or equivalent direct site experience in a senior delivery role
• Thorough understanding of the full project lifecycle from mobilisation through to construction completion
• Proven ability to manage GC, EC and MC interfaces and drive accountability across contractor and developer teams
• Strong critical path management skills and experience in programme recovery
• Ability to thrive in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline; a postgraduate qualification in Project Management (such as a Master's or PMP/AIPM certification) is highly regarded

This role is offered on a FIFO/DIDO basis. We are open to candidates based across New Zealand who can commit to the required site presence.

We believe in the power of a diverse and inclusive workforce wherethe backgrounds, perspectives andlife experiences ofour people strengthen us.

It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time.

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property ofTurner & Townsend and arenot subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team,to submit candidates for review.

Turner & Townsend are ranked #90 in the 2023 Australian Financial Review Top 100 Graduate Employers. Find out more about what it’s like to work at Turner & Townsend on our GradConnection page.

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