Senior MEP Project Manager - Data Centres

James Lewis Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 77,000 - 104,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Profit share

Job summary

James Lewis Recruitment is seeking a Senior/Head of Projects to lead delivery across live data centre sites around the M25. You’ll own the client-facing delivery, manage small works up to £50k and large schemes up to £2m, and drive profitability with a principal contractor approach.

You’ll be based from the Essex office with weekly site visits; this is a non-remote role and involves line management of one to two Project Managers and close collaboration with clients and vendors.

Qualifications

• At least five years’ data centre experience.
• Experience delivering projects as principal contractor directly for the client.
• Strong PM experience in data centre, critical infrastructure or mission-critical environments.
• Mechanical or electrical background with ability to discuss with clients and engineers.
• Comfortable managing both small works and projects up to £2m.
• Experience managing programme, procurement, labour, subcontractors, site delivery, and handover.
• Willingness to travel around the M25 and weekly Essex office visits.
• No hybrid/remote working acceptable.

Responsibilities

• Lead project delivery across live data centre and critical infrastructure environments.
• Manage a mix of small works, technical upgrades and larger M&E projects up to £2m.
• Operate as the senior client-facing lead across allocated projects.
• Manage projects directly for end clients, FM providers, data centre operators, OEMs and critical infrastructure clients.
• Oversee mechanical and electrical works, depending on your own technical background.
• Manage one or two Project Managers and ensure accountability.
• Drive programme, procurement, subcontractors, labour, technical information, permits, access and project close-out.
• Review scopes, RAMS, drawings, technical submissions, programme requirements and commercial risks.
• Hold project teams, subcontractors and suppliers accountable for actions, deadlines and quality.
• Work closely with clients, consultants, site teams, subcontractors and specialist vendors.
• Manage live environment risks, shutdowns, access constraints, critical systems and procedures.
• Identify and manage change, variations, risk, margin and profitability.
• Produce clear project reports, commercial updates, programme forecasts and risk registers.
• Support client development and help grow the project pipeline.
• Leverage data centre relationships to open doors and grow business.
• Target around £3m turnover in year one, £5m+ thereafter.
• Maintain high standards around H&S, quality, communication, and client confidence.

Skills

Data centre delivery

Client-facing leadership

Project management

Contracting

Stakeholder management

Job description

Essex / M25 | Data Centres | Permanent

£90,000 + £5,000 car allowance + profit share

If you're a Senior Project Manager or Contracts Manager in the data centre sector and you want more ownership than just running one project at a time, this is a strong opportunity.

This is officially a Head of Projects position, but in practical terms it sits between a Senior Project Manager, Contracts Manager and delivery lead role. You'll be responsible for driving the project function, managing client-facing delivery and taking ownership of both small works and larger mechanical and electrical projects across live data centre environments.

The business is looking for someone with proper data centre experience, strong technical understanding and the ability to run projects directly for the client while operating as the principal contractor.

The role

You’ll be leading mechanical and electrical project delivery across live data centre sites around the M25.

The work will range from smaller technical projects and minor works up to around £50,000, through to larger schemes up to approximately £2m. These projects are expected to include live infrastructure upgrades, mechanical and electrical modifications, plant replacement, cooling and power upgrades, critical system improvements, containment, controls interfaces, commissioning support and handover.

You’ll be based from the main office in Essex around once a week, with the rest of your time spent on site. This is not a work-from-home role.

You’ll also be responsible for managing one or two Project Managers, keeping accountability high and making sure delivery, reporting, client communication and commercial control are all handled properly.

What you'll be doing

• Leading project delivery across live data centre and critical infrastructure environments.
• Managing a mix of small works, technical upgrades and larger M&E projects up to around £2m.
• Operating as the senior client-facing lead across allocated projects.
• Managing projects directly for end clients, FM providers, data centre operators, OEMs and critical infrastructure clients.
• Overseeing mechanical and electrical works, depending on your own technical background.
• Managing one or two Project Managers and making sure they are delivering with proper accountability.
• Driving programme, procurement, subcontractors, labour, technical information, permits, access and project close-out.
• Reviewing scopes, RAMS, drawings, technical submissions, programme requirements and commercial risks.
• Holding project teams, subcontractors and suppliers accountable for actions, deadlines and quality.
• Working closely with clients, consultants, site teams, subcontractors and specialist vendors.
• Managing live environment risks, shutdowns, access constraints, critical systems and operational site procedures.
• Identifying and managing change, variations, risk, margin and project profitability.
• Producing clear project reports, commercial updates, programme forecasts and risk registers.
• Supporting client development and helping grow the project pipeline.
• Using existing data centre relationships where relevant to open doors and support business growth.
• Targeting around £3m of turnover in the first year, with growth towards £5m plus after that.
• Maintaining high standards around health and safety, quality, communication and client confidence.

What you'll need

• You’ll need at least five years’ data centre experience.
• You must have worked inside a mechanical and electrical contractor delivering projects as the principal contractor, direct for the client.
• You’ll need strong project management experience across live data centre, critical infrastructure or mission-critical environments.
• A mechanical or electrical background is fine, but you must have enough technical knowledge to hold your own with clients, subcontractors, engineers and site teams.
• You should be comfortable managing both smaller fast-moving works and larger projects up to around £2m.
• You’ll need experience managing programme, procurement, labour, subcontractors, site delivery, commercial control, variations, commissioning and handover.
• Experience working with data centre operators, FM providers, OEMs, colocation providers or critical environment clients would be a strong advantage.
• Existing client relationships in the data centre sector would be useful, particularly if you can bring a network with you.
• You’ll need to be happy travelling to sites around the M25 and attending the Essex office once a week.
• This role will not suit someone looking for hybrid or remote working.

The right person

• You’re delivery-focused, commercially sharp and comfortable taking ownership.
• You naturally ask what the priority is, who owns the action, when it will be completed, what happens if it slips and what the commercial impact will be.
• You are strong enough to manage clients, challenge subcontractors, push internal teams and have difficult conversations when projects need momentum.
• You do not just report problems. You close them out.
• This role will suit someone who has already operated as a Senior Project Manager, Contracts Manager, Lead Project Manager or Projects Lead within data centres and wants a position with more responsibility, more influence and a direct link between project performance and personal reward.

The package is £90,000 plus a £5,000 car allowance at the top end, with 5% of the profit on your projects (£20,000 - £35,000 on averager per year).