Data Center Program Principal: Lead Mission-Critical Projects

HDR; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

HDR's Building Engineering Services Group is looking for a Project Principal in Manchester to lead large-scale, multidisciplinary data centre projects valued around £100m+. You will manage engineering, construction, commissioning and operations teams, ensuring safety, quality and on-time delivery.

You should bring a proven track record delivering mission-critical facilities across EMEA, strong leadership, business development and stakeholder management, and a commitment to HDR's employee-owned

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering.
• Extensive design and project management experience, 10+ years in design consultancy for data centres.
• Proven leadership and business development skills.
• Active participant in employee-owned culture.
• Incorporated status preferred; Chartered status pursued if not achieved.
• Ability to establish rapport with project teams and clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead full lifecycle delivery of large-scale data centre projects (typically £100m+).
• Manage multidisciplinary engineering, construction, commissioning and operational teams.
• Act as a senior client partner resolving challenges, and ensuring expectations are exceeded.
• Drive programme excellence: scope, cost, quality, risk, safety and schedule.
• Oversee contractor performance, procurement strategy, and governance.
• Champion technical standards and ensuring all systems meet resilience and availability.
• Report at executive level, ensuring transparent and proactive communication at all stages.

Skills

Leadership

Business development

Strategic planning

Stakeholder mgmt

Client relationships

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

MS Office

MS Project

Job description

HDR's Building Engineering Services Group is looking for a Project Principal in Manchester to lead large-scale, multidisciplinary data centre projects valued around £100m+. You will manage engineering, construction, commissioning and operations teams, ensuring safety, quality and on-time delivery.

You should bring a proven track record delivering mission-critical facilities across EMEA, strong leadership, business development and stakeholder management, and a commitment to HDR's employee-owned