Associate Director Site Engineering & Design – Data Center Construction

Turner & Townsend; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend seeks an experienced Associate Director Site Engineering & Design to join a large-scale data center program as an embedded member of the program team. You will manage RFIs, coordinate multidisciplinary design work, track issues, and support governance and reporting.

The role requires strong technical writing, stakeholder management, and 8+ years’ experience on major capital projects. Preference for Dallas/Houston; remote considered for the right candidate.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or related technical discipline, or equivalent.
• Preference for Dallas/Houston location, remote considered for right candidate.
• 8+ years of experience in project engineering, design management, construction administration, or technical project coordination on large capital projects.
• Experience supporting multidisciplinary design teams through design development, construction documentation, and construction phases.
• Strong knowledge of RFI, submittal, and design change management processes.
• Experience in design-build, EPC, or traditional delivery models.
• Proficiency with project information management platforms such as Procore, Aconex, Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360.

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain the project RFI register, ensuring RFIs are logged, categorized, prioritized, and tracked through resolution.
• Review, triage, and classify RFIs according to project protocols and escalation criteria.
• Draft proposed responses for routine RFIs using contract documents, drawings, specifications, and approved precedents.
• Coordinate review and approval of drafted responses with client design representatives before issuance.
• Escalate RFIs involving design changes, code interpretations, schedule impacts, cost implications, or ambiguities.
• Monitor RFI status, due dates, and turnaround times to support project schedule objectives.
• Maintain audit trails documenting authorship, review, approval, and issuance of all RFI responses.
• Coordinate design deliverables across architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, controls, and specialty disciplines.
• Track design risks, open issues, and action items; ensure timely follow-up and resolution.
• Facilitate design coordination meetings and document actions.
• Support document management, including design basis docs, RFIs, submittal logs, design issue logs, and lessons learned databases.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration between stakeholders, consultants, contractors, and client teams.
• Prepare and deliver regular program reports on RFI metrics, design status, issues, and risks.
• Analyze RFI trends to identify process improvements and clarity in design.

Skills

RFI management

Design coordination

Documentation

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

Procore

Aconex

Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360

Job description

Turner & Townsend is a global professional services company with over 22,000 people in more than 60 countries.

Working with our clients across real estate, infrastructure, energy and natural resources, we transform together delivering outcomes that improve people’s lives. Working in partnership makes it possible to deliver the world’s most impactful projects and programmes as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success.

Our capabilities include programme, project, cost, asset and commercial management, controls and performance, procurement and supply chain, net zero and digital solutions.

We are majority-owned by CBRE Group, Inc., the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with our partners holding a significant minority interest. Turner & Townsend and CBRE work together to provide clients with the premier programme, project and cost management offering in markets around the world.

Turner & Townsend is a global professional services company with over 22,000 people in more than 60 countries.

Working with our clients across real estate, infrastructure, energy and natural resources, we transform together delivering outcomes that improve people’s lives. Working in partnership makes it possible to deliver the world’s most impactful projects and programmes as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success.

Our capabilities include programme, project, cost, asset and commercial management, controls and performance, procurement and supply chain, net zero and digital solutions.

We are majority-owned by CBRE Group, Inc., the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with our partners holding a significant minority interest. Turner & Townsend and CBRE work together to provide clients with the premier programme, project and cost management offering in markets around the world.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director Site Engineering & Design to join a large-scale data center development program and serve as an embedded member of the program team. This role will be responsible for managing the Request for Information (RFI) process, coordinating multidisciplinary design activities, tracking design issues and action items, and supporting overall program governance.

The successful candidate will act as a key liaison between design, construction, and program management teams, ensuring that RFIs, design deliverables, and documentation are managed efficiently while maintaining established design authority and governance protocols. This position requires strong organizational, technical writing, and stakeholder management skills, along with experience supporting complex capital projects in mission-critical environments.

Responsibilities:

RFI Management

• Manage and maintain the project RFI register, ensuring all RFIs are logged, categorized, prioritized, and tracked through resolution.
• Review, triage, and classify RFIs according to established project protocols and escalation criteria.
• Draft proposed responses for routine RFIs using existing contract documents, drawings, specifications, and approved project precedents.
• Coordinate review and approval of drafted responses with designated client design representatives before formal issuance.
• Escalate RFIs involving design changes, code interpretations, schedule impacts, cost implications, or technical ambiguities to the appropriate design authority.
• Monitor RFI status, due dates, and turnaround times to support project schedule objectives.
• Maintain accurate audit trails documenting authorship, review, approval, and issuance of all RFI responses.

Design Coordination & Program Support

• Coordinate design deliverables, review cycles, and comment resolution activities across architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, controls, and specialty disciplines.
• Track design-related risks, open issues, and action items, ensuring timely follow-up and resolution.
• Facilitate design coordination meetings, including agenda preparation, meeting documentation, and action item management.
• Identify and communicate design process bottlenecks that may affect project execution or construction activities.
• Support document management efforts, including maintenance of:
  • Design basis documentation
  • RFI registers
  • Submittal logs
  • Design issue logs
  • Lessons learned databases
• Promote cross-functional collaboration between project stakeholders, consultants, contractors, and client teams.

Reporting & Governance

• Prepare and deliver regular program reports on RFI metrics, design status, issue resolution, and project risks.
• Analyze RFI trends and recurring issues to identify opportunities for process improvement and enhanced design clarity.
• Support development and continuous refinement of RFI management protocols and governance procedures.
• Ensure compliance with project documentation standards, approval workflows, and established authority boundaries.

SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Preference would be to be located in Dallas or Houston, TX, but will consider remote for the right candidate.
• 8+ years of experience in project engineering, design management, construction administration, or technical project coordination on large capital projects.
• Experience supporting multidisciplinary design teams through design development, construction documentation, and construction phases.
• Strong knowledge of RFI, submittal, and design change management processes.
• Experience working within design-build, EPC, or traditional delivery models.
• Proficiency with project information management platforms such as:
  • Procore
  • Aconex
  • Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360
  • Similar project collaboration systems
• Strong technical writing and documentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting data center, mission-critical, industrial, or large infrastructure projects.
• Familiarity with data center design fundamentals, including:
  • Electrical distribution systems
  • Mechanical cooling systems
  • Building controls systems
  • Reliability and redundancy concepts
• Experience operating within sophisticated program management and governance environments.
• Exposure to commissioning, design validation, or construction quality processes.

Additional Information

The salary range for this role is $170,000 - $200,000. This range reflects the company's good faith estimate of the base salary for this position at the time of the posting. Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity. In addition to base salary, employees may be eligible for bonuses and a comprehensive benefits package.

*On-site presence and requirements may change depending on our client's needs.

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance.

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/

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