Project Director - Data Centres

COWI; Aarhus; On-site; DKK 1,400,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

COWI is expanding its senior leadership in Denmark to include a Project Director for Data Centres, overseeing major international data centre projects in the Nordics. The role focuses on strategic leadership, client relations, and delivery across multidisciplinary teams.

You will report to the Head of Projects - Buildings and Industry West. The position can be based in Lyngby, Aarhus or Aalborg with travel in Scandinavia expected.

Qualifications

• Documented experience from international data centre projects of 20+ MW.
• Experience with international clients in an English-speaking project environment.
• Familiarity with RIBA stages or equivalent delivery frameworks.
• Proven leadership of project managers and senior specialists in large organisations.
• Experience from engineering consultancy, technical advisory or hyperscale projects.

Responsibilities

• Hold overall accountability for large, complex and international data centre project organisations, from early concept through delivery and commissioning.
• Act as senior client interface, building long term trust and effective decision making frameworks.
• Define and oversee RIBA-based delivery models, ensuring consistency across geographies.
• Provide leadership to Senior Project Managers and Discipline Leads across large multidisciplinary teams across countries.
• Hold accountability for project performance, including finances, risk management, governance and steering committee engagement.
• Contribute actively to business development activities, supporting upselling, reselling and long term account development through ongoing client dialogue.

Skills

International project leadership

Data centre delivery

Client relationship management

Cross-disciplinary team leadership

Engineering consultancy/ hyperscale

Job description

At COWI, we are intensifying our focus on data centres and strengthening our capabilities to support clients in delivering the next generation of digital infrastructure. Therefore, we are expanding our senior leadership team in Denmark to include a Project Director for Data Centres, responsible for overseeing major international data centre projects in the Nordics. The role focuses on strategic leadership, client relations, and project delivery across multidisciplinary teams.

Lead international data centre delivery at scale

COWI supports leading international data centre operators, investors and developers across multiple geographies. Our projects are characterised by high complexity, fast decision cycles, and close collaboration with international clients, architects and technical partners.

As Project Director, you will hold overall accountability for large, international data centre projects (typically 20+ MW) from early concept through design, construction and commissioning. You will operate at a strategic level, setting direction, governance and delivery structure across large multidisciplinary and cross geographical project organisations.

You will join a highly professional environment with strong strategic focus and rapid growth within COWI's data centre sector. The role offers a unique opportunity to shape how COWI delivers large scale, international data centre projects and to influence both delivery models and customer collaboration going forward.

In this role you will report to the Head of Projects - Buildings and Industry West.

Your key responsibilities

• Hold overall accountability for large, complex and international data centre project organisations, from early concept through delivery and commissioning
• Act as senior client interface, building long term trust, shared governance and effective decision making frameworks
• Define and oversee RIBA based (or equivalent) delivery models, ensuring consistency, transparency and control across geographies
• Provide leadership to Senior Project Managers and Discipline Leads across large multidisciplinary teamsSet strategic direction and create clarity across disciplines, countries and partner organisations
• Hold accountability for project performance, including finances, risk management, governance and steering committee engagement
• Contribute actively to business development activities, supporting upselling, reselling and long term account development through ongoing client dialogue

Your skills. Our team. Together we design the future.

The first step to success in this role is your ability to collaborate at senior level, with clients, partners and colleagues. You communicate clearly, build trust across cultures, and provide leadership in complex and demanding environments.

In addition, you bring:

• Documented experience from international data centre projects of 20+ MW
• Extensive experience working with international clients in an English speaking project environment, including UK / British delivery culture
• Solid understanding and practical experience with RIBA stages or equivalent international delivery frameworks
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing other project managers and senior specialists within large, multidisciplinary organisations
• Experience from engineering consultancy, technical advisory or hyperscale projects

Work location

The role can be based in any of our larger offices in Denmark: Lyngby, Århus and Ålborg. We work in international and multidisciplinary teams, and many of our projects are delivered across offices and borders. Travel in Scandinavia must be expected.

Do you have more questions?

If you have any unanswered questions about the role or what we have to offer, please reach out to Head of Projects - Buildings and Industry West, Bo Stærk, at [e-mail].

Get to know us even better at our website,www.cowi.com and www.arkitema.com.

A place to work and so much more

At COWI, we work together with our customers to shape a sustainable and liveable world. We do it by applying our knowledge and curiosity - and sometimes even our courage - to create the solutions the world needs today to enable a better tomorrow. We support our customers' transition towards increased sustainability. We strive to lead by example by embedding environmental management, social responsibility and good governance into our business practices and the options we provide to our customers. We value differences and development and cultivate an environment of belonging and having fun. Because that is what brings out the best in you, at work and at home. With offices primarily located in Scandinavia, the UK, North America and India, we are currently more than 7,500 people who bring their expertise in engineering, architecture, energy and environment into play.

Diversity is fundamental to COWI, inclusion is key

We are committed to creating a respectful and fair work environment where all employees have a sense of belonging and equitable opportunities to thrive and grow. We ensure that our leaders are role models for inclusive leadership by cultivating a culture where diverse perspectives and thoughts are seen as strengths. And we take diversity and inclusion into account in all relevant decisions and processes and when setting teams and fora. We do it because it is part of our values and because it is simply the right thing to do.