Design Manager Team Lead

Annexion Partners Pte Ltd; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Annexion Partners Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based data centre engineering leader, seeks an accomplished Design Manager to steer engineering design and delivery of large-scale hyperscale facilities across Asia Pacific. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, refine design strategies and ensure alignment with customer requirements, standards and schedules.

This role focuses on regional market engagement, scalable solutions, and rapid deployment while maintaining high reliability and constructability

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and people-management capabilities across multiple disciplines.
• Experience leading large-scale data centre design projects in a regional or international context.
• Solid understanding of MEP systems and data centre infrastructure requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional data centre design leadership across Asia Pacific.
• Direct multidisciplinary design teams for mechanical, electrical, and infrastructure work.
• Translate customer requirements into technically competitive design solutions and proposals.
• Oversee CFD simulations, load assessments and engineering calculations.
• Collaborate with consultants, contractors and customers to ensure on-time delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Project coordination

English communication

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

CFD software

MS Office

Job description

An established hyperscale data centre organisation with a growing presence across Asia Pacific is seeking an accomplished Design Manager / Design Team Lead to spearhead the engineering design and technical delivery of large-scale data centre developments across the region.

As the demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing infrastructure continues to accelerate, the organisation is focused on developing scalable, resilient and technically advanced data centre facilities to support its regional growth ambitions.

This is an opportunity for an experienced engineering and design leader to take ownership of multidisciplinary data centre design activities, from early-stage feasibility and campus master planning through detailed engineering, construction coordination and project delivery.

Beyond conventional design management, the successful candidate will play an important role in supporting regional market entry, evaluating project delivery strategies and developing innovative solutions that accelerate time-to-market.

Working closely with internal development teams, engineering consultants, contractors, supply chain partners and hyperscale customers, the individual will be instrumental in translating complex technical requirements into practical, commercially competitive and executable data centre solutions.

The ideal candidate combines strong MEP engineering expertise, proven design management experience and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams across different geographical markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Regional Data Centre Design Leadership
  • Lead and oversee conceptual, preliminary and detailed engineering design activities for large-scale hyperscale data centre developments across Asia Pacific.
  • Manage multidisciplinary design teams to ensure the successful delivery of engineering solutions across mechanical, electrical and associated infrastructure systems.
  • Drive the development of comprehensive design strategies aligned with customer requirements, project specifications and organisational standards.
  • Support data centre campus master planning, project feasibility assessments and early-stage development activities.
  • Provide technical guidance on critical infrastructure requirements, including external power, network connectivity, water supply and other essential utilities.
  • Ensure engineering designs achieve the required levels of reliability, scalability, operational efficiency and constructability.
  • Maintain oversight of design quality, technical deliverables, project milestones and engineering coordination throughout the development lifecycle.
• MEP Engineering & Technical Design Management
  • Direct and coordinate multidisciplinary engineering design activities, with particular emphasis on mechanical and electrical infrastructure.
  • Oversee the preparation and review of preliminary design drawings, engineering calculations, load assessments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations.
  • Lead technical evaluations relating to equipment selection, system configurations and infrastructure design solutions.
  • Review technical specifications, equipment schedules, procurement documentation and engineering deliverables.
  • Coordinate the preparation of technical procurement lists and participate in equipment and engineering tender evaluations.
  • Review construction drawings, design changes and technical submissions to ensure compliance with approved engineering requirements.
  • Identify and resolve complex engineering issues arising during design development and project execution.
  • Manage the technical quality and performance of external engineering design consultants and design institutes.
• Hyperscale Customer Engagement & Technical Solutions
  • Engage with hyperscale customers and relevant stakeholders to understand technical requirements, construction standards and infrastructure specifications.
  • Translate customer requirements into practical and technically competitive data centre design solutions.
  • Lead the preparation of engineering proposals, conceptual designs and technical responses for customer engagements and tender submissions.
  • Support pre-sales bidding activities through technical presentations, engineering evaluations and design clarifications.
  • Coordinate with commercial, development and project teams to ensure alignment between proposed technical solutions and customer expectations.
  • Provide technical leadership during post-award design development, project execution and customer acceptance activities.
  • Ensure design solutions reflect relevant hyperscale cloud, internet infrastructure and AI computing requirements.
• Regional Market Entry & Development Strategy
  • Work closely with corporate development and internal project teams to support the technical evaluation of new data centre markets across Asia Pacific.
  • Assess local engineering, construction and infrastructure conditions to determine the feasibility of proposed developments.
  • Evaluate local construction practices, permitting processes, contractor capabilities and other project delivery considerations.
  • Provide technical input into the development of realistic project schedules and the earliest achievable Ready for Service (RFS) dates.
  • Support the assessment of critical infrastructure availability and development constraints that may influence project feasibility and delivery timelines.
  • Establish and maintain relationships with local engineering consultants, general contractors and key industry stakeholders.
  • Contribute technical perspectives to regional market entry strategies and future development planning.
• Design Integration, Construction Strategy & Project Delivery
  • Coordinate design activities across development, engineering, construction and project delivery teams to ensure effective execution.
  • Provide technical guidance on the division of scope and contractual responsibilities between Core & Shell and Fit-Out works.
  • Support the establishment of clear technical interfaces, deliverables and accountability during early access and parallel construction activities.
  • Work with relevant stakeholders to identify design coordination risks and potential conflicts between construction workstreams.
  • Review proposed construction methodologies and assess their implications for design, programme and project delivery.
  • Support the resolution of technical challenges during construction, installation and project implementation.
  • Ensure design changes are properly reviewed, coordinated and documented throughout the project lifecycle.
• Modular Design, Prefabrication & Speed-to-Market Innovation
  • Evaluate innovative design and construction approaches to improve project delivery efficiency and accelerate data centre deployment.
  • Collaborate with engineering teams and supply chain partners to assess the feasibility and constructability of modular and prefabricated infrastructure solutions.
  • Support the development of containerised, prefabricated and modular construction strategies where appropriate.
  • Assess design standardisation opportunities to improve scalability, repeatability and delivery certainty across regional developments.
  • Identify opportunities to optimise construction sequencing, equipment integration and infrastructure deployment.
  • Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to translate innovative engineering concepts into practical project delivery solutions.
• Design Governance, Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement
  • Lead and coordinate project design teams to ensure technical quality, accountability and timely delivery of engineering milestones.
  • Establish and maintain standardised design documentation, engineering processes and technical review procedures.
  • Ensure design activities comply with applicable company processes, technical standards and project requirements.
  • Promote effective collaboration between engineering disciplines, departments and external project stakeholders.
  • Provide technical guidance and support to engineering teams in resolving complex design challenges.
  • Identify opportunities to improve design quality, engineering efficiency and project delivery performance.
  • Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented culture that encourages innovation, accountability and continuous improvement.

Key Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in data centre engineering design and design management, ideally involving large-scale hyperscale or mission-critical infrastructure developments.
• Strong technical foundation in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, HVAC or related MEP disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary engineering design teams and coordinating complex data centre projects.
• Proven involvement in the design management and delivery of medium- to large-scale data centre developments.
• Experience managing international or cross-border data centre design projects would be highly advantageous.
• Strong understanding of data centre infrastructure architecture, critical MEP systems and overall engineering design requirements.
• Familiarity with hyperscale cloud provider requirements, AI infrastructure design standards and emerging data centre technologies.
• Experience overseeing conceptual design, detailed engineering, construction drawings, design reviews and technical coordination.
• Strong ability to manage the technical quality and performance of external engineering consultants and design partners.
• Experience supporting technical proposals, tender submissions, equipment selection and engineering procurement evaluations.
• Familiarity with international engineering standards, building codes and regional project delivery practices would be advantageous.
• Exposure to modular, prefabricated or containerised data centre design solutions would be highly desirable.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication capabilities, with the ability to engage customers, consultants, contractors and internal business leaders.
• Excellent organisational and leadership skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple engineering disciplines and project stakeholders.
• Strong analytical thinking, technical problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
• Highly adaptable, meticulous and resilient, with a proactive approach to developing innovative engineering solutions.
• Strong English communication and presentation skills would be advantageous.
• Willingness and ability to undertake regional and international travel as required.

Why Consider This Opportunity

This is an opportunity to play an influential role in the development of next-generation hyperscale data centre infrastructure across Asia Pacific.

The position offers a combination of technical design leadership, regional project exposure and strategic involvement in new market development, extending well beyond the responsibilities of a conventional engineering design management role.

You will have the opportunity to lead complex multidisciplinary engineering activities, collaborate with hyperscale customers and regional development teams, and contribute to innovative construction strategies that support faster and more efficient infrastructure deployment.

With the continued expansion of AI, cloud computing and digital infrastructure across the region, this role provides exposure to technically demanding projects and emerging engineering solutions.

For an accomplished data centre design professional seeking broader regional responsibility, meaningful technical ownership and the opportunity to influence major infrastructure developments, this position represents a compelling next step.