Design Team Lead

JDL Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

JDL Recruitment partners with a European data center operator to appoint a Design Team Lead in London. You will manage large data centre design programs with outsourced architecture and engineering partners, driving compliance with engineering standards and project scope.

Based in the UK, ideally in London or within commuting distance, you will lead SMEs across disciplines, shape design packages, and ensure on-time delivery with tight financial controls across multiple concurrent projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent technical field.
• 7+ years in data center technical roles with leadership of engineering deliverables and product development.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary SMEs across Electrical, Mechanical, Structural, Civil, Controls.
• Experience in European/Nordic data center markets is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of SMEs across disciplines (CSA, Electrical, Mechanical, etc).
• Manage SME input into design packages and roadmaps across concurrent projects with Engineering Managers.
• Apply the Project Engineering Strategy at all phases of the project lifecycle and refine core reference designs.
• Direct SME evaluations for test-fit exercises, capacity optimizations, and site constraints to maximize yield.
• Ensure SME expertise is leveraged during due diligence and permit approvals.
• Guide SMEs in translating market feedback and buildability constraints into standardized designs.
• Support FAT, Plan of Record compliance, site variations, and complex engineering defect resolutions.
• Oversee SME validation of IST scripts and commissioning protocols.

Skills

Team Leadership

Engineering Leadership

Data Center Expertise

Electrical Distribution

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

JDL Recruitment are delighted to be partnering with a PE-backed European data center operator building AI-ready, high-density colocation campuses in the UK, Europe and Nordics. We are supporting the expansion of their team and looking for a Design Team Lead to be based in London, UK.

This is a permanent role, managing a portfolio of large data center design projects with multiple outsourced architecture and engineering companies. The suitable candidate will manage these design projects through to completion, ensuring tight financial controls, compliance with scope, and assurance of compliance with our client's engineering standards.

The suitable candidate must be based in the UK, ideally in London (or within commuting distance) and be fluent in English.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and mentor a team of high-performing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) across disciplines (CSA, Electrical, Mechanical etc).
• Manage SME input into the delivery of technical design packages and product development roadmaps across concurrent project portfolios in conjunction with Engineering Managers.
• Apply the Project Engineering Strategy at all phases of the project lifecycle while driving continuous refinement of our client’s core reference designs and product standards.
• Direct SME evaluations for test-fit exercises, capacity optimizations, and site-specific constraints to maximize yield.
• Ensure SME domain expertise is leveraged during land due diligence and early-stage design packages to achieve full technical compliance and permit approvals.
• Guide SMEs in translating market feedback, equipment innovations, and buildability constraints into standardized product specifications and value-engineered reference designs.
• Direct technical SME support for factory acceptance testing (FAT), Plan of Record compliance, site variations, and complex engineering defect resolutions alongside the development team.
• Oversee SME validation of integrated systems testing (IST) scripts and commissioning protocols to verify complex cross-disciplinary design objectives.
• Authorize final operational engineering handovers, verifying that technical documentation, baseline settings, and as-built data empower Operations to maintain continuous uptime.

Requirements:

• Proven track record leading and managing engineering teams or specialized technical experts within large-scale mission-critical or data center environments.
• Bachelors in Engineering, Physical Sciences, or equivalent technical field.
• 7+ years of experience in data center technical roles, including direct leadership of engineering deliverables and product development frameworks.
• Deep subject matter expertise in at least one core data center engineering discipline (e.g., critical electrical distribution, liquid/air cooling topologies, high-density power, or controls automation).
• Demonstrated capacity to manage multi-disciplinary SMEs across all data center verticals (Electrical, Mechanical, Structural, Civil, Controls) and hold contributors accountable to technical quality and timelines.
• Experience working within or managing engineering teams in the European/Nordic data center markets (Finland market experience is beneficial).
• Strong financial acumen to manage team resourcing, direct specialized consultancy spend, and drive cost-effective standardization.
• Exceptional leadership skills with a track record of building collaborative, highly effective engineering teams.