Construction Manager - Data Center

Actalent; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 96,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Construction Manager 3 Mission Critical for a Phoenix, AZ data center project. This 100% onsite role leads field construction activities, coordinates with GCs, and drives safety, quality, and schedule adherence from site execution through turnover.

You will oversee MEP coordination, review design documentation, manage changes, and provide clear risk updates to project leadership. This is a contract, onsite opportunity offering exposure to high-scale, mission-critical

Qualifications

• 5+ years of construction management experience on large, technically complex projects.
• Experience in data centers or mission-critical facilities.
• Strong understanding of MEP systems (electrical, mechanical, controls, fire protection).
• Demonstrated experience managing general contractors, subcontractors, and vendors on active construction sites.
• Strong scheduling and recovery planning; able to identify schedule risks and mitigation actions.
• Proven ability to read and interpret construction drawings and design documentation.
• Experience leading projects through construction, commissioning, turnover.
• Excellent communication to elevate risks and provide status updates to leadership.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily field oversight of construction activities and site walks.
• Monitor GC/subcontractor performance against commitments, milestones, and safety requirements.
• Review work against design documents to identify issues before impacting schedule.
• Coordinate complex MEP scopes and ensure proper sequencing and integration.
• Track milestones, assess risks, and adjust plans to avoid delays.
• Lead contractor recovery plans when milestones are at risk.
• Resolve field issues related to design conflicts, procurement, or dependencies.
• Participate in OAC meetings, design coordination, and commissioning turnover discussions.
• Review RFIs, CORs, TIAs, scope changes and assess impacts on cost/schedule.
• Support commissioning and turnover activities ensuring systems are complete and tested.

Skills

Construction management

Data centers

MEP systems

Read drawings

Communication

Schedule management

Issue resolution

Site safety

Owners rep

Education

PMP certification

Tools

Bluebeam

Primavera P6

Job description

Job Title: Construction Manager 3 Mission Critical / Data Center ConstructionJob Description

This role oversees the delivery of a large-scale, mission-critical construction project in Phoenix, AZ. The Construction Manager provides hands-on, field-focused leadership to ensure that data center and other technically complex construction activities are executed safely, on schedule, and in alignment with design and quality standards. The position is 100% onsite, working closely with general contractors, subcontractors, design teams, vendors, and commissioning teams to drive contractor performance, manage schedule risks, and support commissioning and turnover.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily field oversight of construction activities through regular site walks, visual inspections, and progress verification.

• Monitor general contractor and subcontractor performance and hold them accountable to commitments, milestones, quality standards, safety requirements, and overall schedule.

• Review construction work against design documents, drawings, and specifications, identifying installation or quality concerns before they impact schedule or commissioning.

• Coordinate complex MEP construction scopes, including electrical, mechanical, controls, and fire protection, ensuring proper sequencing and integration.

• Track critical construction milestones and proactively identify schedule risks, sequencing conflicts, and potential delays.

• Review and help drive contractor recovery plans when milestones or critical path activities are at risk.

• Lead resolution of field issues involving design conflicts, construction constraints, procurement challenges, quality concerns, and commissioning dependencies.

• Participate in OAC meetings, schedule reviews, quality reviews, design coordination sessions, and commissioning and turnover discussions.

• Review and coordinate RFIs, CORs, TIAs, scope changes, and other change-management items, assessing potential schedule and cost impacts.

• Support commissioning and turnover activities to ensure systems and construction scopes are complete, tested, and ready for handoff.

• Track project risks and action items, escalating issues that require decisions from client or site leadership in a clear and timely manner.

• Maintain a strong focus on site safety, with particular attention to high-risk construction activities and adherence to safety protocols.

• Collaborate with GCs, trades, design teams, vendors, commissioning teams, and project leadership to keep stakeholders aligned from construction through commissioning and turnover.

• Use tools such as Bluebeam and scheduling software to review drawings, design documentation, and construction schedules.

• Provide clear, concise status updates and risk escalations to project leadership, ensuring visibility into field conditions and schedule impacts.

Essential Skills

• 5+ years of construction management experience supporting large, technically complex projects.

• Experience within data centers, mission-critical facilities, semiconductor, industrial/manufacturing, healthcare, power/utilities, or comparable environments.

• Strong understanding of MEP systems, particularly electrical, mechanical, controls, and fire protection.

• Demonstrated experience directly managing general contractors, subcontractors, and vendors in an active construction environment.

• Strong understanding of construction scheduling, critical milestones, sequencing, schedule risk, and recovery planning.

• Proven ability to identify field issues and coordinate stakeholders through resolution.

• Ability to read and understand construction drawings, specifications, and design documentation.

• Experience managing projects through construction, commissioning, and turnover (strongly preferred).

• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly elevate project risks and provide status updates to project leadership.

• Mission-critical or data center construction management experience, ideally 510+ years of overall construction experience with at least 5 years in highly technical environments.

• Comfort working in the field, walking the site, and determining whether installations align with design and quality requirements.

• Experience holding contractors accountable to schedule, quality, safety, and contractual commitments.

• Strong schedule management skills, including understanding of critical path, sequencing, schedule risk, and recovery plans.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Previous data center or mission-critical construction experience.

• Experience working as an owners representative or supporting an owner/client organization.

• Proficiency with Bluebeam for reviewing drawings and design documentation.

• Experience reviewing or managing construction schedules in Primavera P6.

• PMP or PMI certification is a plus.

• Background in roles such as Construction Manager, Data Center Construction Manager, Owners Representative, MEP-focused project lead, Mission Critical project manager, Senior Superintendent, Senior Construction lead, or Commissioning Manager with strong construction experience.

• Experience working across the full construction ecosystem, including general contractors, trades, design teams, vendors, commissioning teams, and client/site leadership.

• Comfort owning field issue resolution, including RFIs, design conflicts, procurement constraints, CORs/change orders, TIAs, quality issues, and commissioning dependencies.

• Experience taking projects through full lifecycle from field execution to commissioning and turnover.

Work Environment

This position is based 100% onsite in Phoenix, AZ, working approximately 40 hours per week on a large-scale, mission-critical data center construction project. The work environment is highly field-focused, with significant time spent on active construction sites overseeing MEP installations, monitoring contractor activities, and participating in onsite coordination meetings. You will collaborate closely with general contractors, trades, design teams, vendors, and commissioning teams, using tools such as Bluebeam and Primavera P6 to review drawings and schedules. The role involves regular interaction with client and site leadership, participation in OAC and coordination meetings, and direct involvement in commissioning and turnover activities. The setting is a technically complex facility environment where safety, quality, and schedule adherence are prioritized, and attire is appropriate for an active construction site.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Phoenix, AZ.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $70.00 - $80.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Phoenix, AZ.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 6, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Phoenix,AZ.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.