Director, Design & Engineering - APAC

Nscale; Singapore; On-site; SGD 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Nscale is building a vertical AI-focused cloud platform and seeks a Director of Data Centre Design & Engineering to lead APAC facilities design and delivery. This role directs internal engineers and external consultants across civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical and controls disciplines to create reliable, energy-efficient data centres for high‑density AI workloads.

The incumbent will define technical strategy, approve design basis and equipment selections, and ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in electrical, mechanical, civil or structural engineering or equivalent.
• 12+ years of data centre design/engineering experience, mission-critical facilities or hyperscale infrastructure.
• Proven track record leading multidisciplinary design teams and delivering data centre projects.
• Strong expertise in critical electrical and mechanical data centre systems (power distribution, cooling, controls).
• Experience with hyperscale, colocation, cloud and/or AI-ready data centre environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead APAC Data Centre Design & Engineering function across civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical and controls disciplines.
• Set the technical strategy, design standards and reference architectures for Nscale data centres in APAC.
• Oversee projects from feasibility through concept design, detailed design, construction support, commissioning and handover.
• Define Basis of Design, specs, drawings and engineering change controls.
• Ensure designs meet availability, resiliency, maintainability and security requirements.
• Drive value engineering and standardisation while safeguarding uptime and lifecycle performance.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Project management

Multidisciplinary teams

Electrical systems

Education

Bachelor Degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Civil/Structural Engineering

Job description

Nscale is taking on the hyperscalers by building a vertically integrated cloud built for AI. We own the data centres, software, and applications that power today’s AI stack using sustainable technology solutions. We thrive on a culture of relentless innovation, ownership, and accountability, where every team member takes pride in their work and drives it with excellence and urgency.

As a Nscaler, you’ll build trust through openness and transparency, where everyone is inspired to do their best work. Collaboration is key, and we work together swiftly and respectfully, embracing adaptability and resilience in all we do.

We are seeking an experienced Director, Data Centre Design & Engineering to lead the technical design and engineering delivery of Nscale’s data centre portfolio across APAC. This role will be responsible for developing reliable, scalable and energy-efficient data centre facilities that support high-density cloud and AI/GPU workloads.

What You’ll be Doing

• Lead the APAC Data Centre Design & Engineering function, including internal engineers and external design consultants across civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical and controls disciplines
• Set the technical strategy, design standards and reference architectures for Nscale data centres across the region
• Lead projects from site technical due diligence and feasibility assessment through concept design, detailed design, construction support, commissioning and operational handover
• Define and approve the Basis of Design, technical specifications, design drawings, equipment selections and engineering change controls
• Ensure all designs meet requirements for availability, resiliency, maintainability, scalability, security, safety and operational readiness
• Lead the design of critical infrastructure including utility connections, substations, MV/LV distribution, UPS, generators, PDUs, busways, cooling systems, chilled water or DX systems, liquid cooling, BMS, EPMS and fire/life-safety systems
• Develop solutions for high-density AI and GPU deployments, including rack power density, cooling capacity, liquid-cooling readiness and heat-rejection strategy
• Partner closely with Site Selection, Development, Construction, Network, Operations and Commercial teams to ensure designs are technically robust, commercially viable and fit for long-term operations
• Manage and challenge architects, engineers, contractors, OEMs and colocation partners to achieve quality, programme, cost and performance targets
• Establish engineering governance, technical review boards, design assurance processes and risk-management controls across APAC projects
• Drive value engineering and standardisation while safeguarding uptime, resilience, safety and lifecycle performance
• Support utility engagement and power strategy, including grid connection, power capacity, renewable energy opportunities and backup generation
• Ensure compliance with local building codes, electrical regulations, environmental requirements and relevant data centre standards
• Support construction, factory acceptance testing, integrated systems testing, commissioning and handover to Data Centre Operations
• Provide senior leadership with clear updates on design progress, major technical decisions, cost, programme, risks and mitigations

About You

• Bachelor Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Civil or Structural Engineering or equivalent
• At least 12+ years experience in Data centre design and engineering, mission-critical facilities, hyperscale infrastructure or similarly complex critical environments
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary design teams and delivering multiple data centre projects from feasibility through commissioning
• Strong expertise in critical electrical and mechanical data centre systems, including power distribution, backup power, cooling, controls and monitoring systems
• Experience with hyperscale, colocation, cloud and/or AI-ready data centre environments is strongly preferred
• Understanding of data centre standards and best practices, such as Uptime Institute Tier concepts, TIA-942, ISO standards and local regulatory requirements will be a plus
• Proven ability to manage technical consultants, contractors, OEMs, utilities and senior internal stakeholders
• Strong commercial judgement, with experience balancing CAPEX, programme, reliability, operational risk and total cost of ownership
• Excellent leadership, stakeholder-management and communication skills.
• Willingness to travel across APAC as required

Why this role matters

This role is central to Nscale’s ability to scale AI infrastructure reliably in the US. As high-density compute demand grows, strong facilities leadership is critical to keeping sites resilient, efficient, and ready for expansion. Your work will directly influence uptime, operational excellence, and Nscale’s ability to deliver trusted AI infrastructure at scale.

What We Can Offer You

You’ll have the opportunity to help shape the operating standards behind a next-generation AI cloud platform, working on complex infrastructure challenges with real ownership and impact. This is a chance to play a meaningful role in scaling high-performance, sustainable data centre operations in a fast-moving environment.

We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, parents, carers, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

If there’s anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let us know.

The responsibilities outlined in this job description are not exhaustive and are intended to provide a general overview of the position. The employee may be required to perform additional duties, tasks, and responsibilities as assigned by management, consistent with the skills and qualifications required for the role.