Senior Project Leader - Mission-Critical Data Centers

WSP USA; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 112,000 - 163,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP is seeking a Lead Project Manager / Design Manager to drive complex mission-critical and data-centre projects in Canada. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, manage scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk, and serve as the client’s primary interface, ensuring reliable, high-performing facilities and long-term client value.

The role requires 10+ years of delivery experience, design coordination, and strong commercial acumen, with the ability to secure federal security clearances.

Qualifications

• A degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, or related discipline; professional registration or project management certification is an asset.
• 10+ years of experience delivering major, multidisciplinary projects and programs, including mission critical or data centre environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading design coordination and project delivery through procurement, construction administration, commissioning, and turnover.
• Proven proposal and work-winning experience, producing clear, compelling, and commercially sound submissions.
• Strong commercial and contract management capability, including fee, change, risk, forecasting, and performance management.
• Solid understanding of project controls interfaces across schedule, cost, risk, change, reporting, and decision governance.
• Effective stakeholder leadership and communication, with the judgement to resolve issues, manage escalation, and align diverse technical and commercial interests.
• Ability to obtain federal security clearances required for assigned projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, design management, execution, monitoring, commissioning, turnover, and closeout of major mission critical and data centre projects and programs.
• Act as the client’s primary interface and trusted advisor, building strong relationships and maintaining clear, timely communication across delivery stages.
• Direct multidisciplinary teams, subconsultants, stakeholders, and concurrent workstreams to achieve integrated, coordinated project outcomes.
• Oversee scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, change, and project controls, with particular attention to operational continuity, reliability, and critical milestones.
• Lead commercial and contract management, including obligations, fees, changes, risks, forecasting, and performance.
• Drive proposals and work-winning activities, including bid strategy, delivery approach, resourcing, fees, risk positioning, and written submissions.
• Establish governance, enable executive decisions, and lead issue resolution and escalation across design, procurement, permitting, construction administration, commissioning, and turnover.
• Identify priorities, take ownership, and implement practical improvements that strengthen delivery certainty, collaboration, and client value.

Skills

Leadership & coordination

Design coordination

Proposal & bid experience

Commercial & contract management

Project controls (schedule/cost/risk)

Stakeholder management & communication

Security clearance readiness

Education

Engineering degree or related discipline

PM certification asset

Job description

WSP is seeking a Lead Project Manager / Design Manager to drive complex mission-critical and data-centre projects in Canada. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, manage scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk, and serve as the client’s primary interface, ensuring reliable, high-performing facilities and long-term client value.

The role requires 10+ years of delivery experience, design coordination, and strong commercial acumen, with the ability to secure federal security clearances.