Data Center Architect, CSA

United States Digital Space LLC; United States; Hybrid; USD 320,000 - 405,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC seeks a Principal Data Center Architect to own the civil, structural, and architectural standards for our data center portfolio. You will guide design from feasibility studies through reference designs, coordinating with AE firms and internal teams to enable high-density AI compute.

As the technical authority, you will review deliverables, drive standardization, and oversee construction with a hands-on approach. Global travel up to 40% is supported.

Qualifications

• 10+ years delivering mission-critical facility infrastructure, with at least 6 years in hyperscale CSA design.
• Experience as owner’s engineer or lead technical authority—setting standards and approving deliverables.
• Proficiency with building codes including IBC, IFC, ASCE 7, ACI 318, AISC, FM Global, across geographies.

Responsibilities

• Own CSA reference design standards for data center portfolio; establish repeatable design elements.
• Lead front-end test fits and site feasibility studies; evaluate structural approaches and code compliance.
• Review CSA deliverables from design-build partners at SD, DD, CD, IFC stages.
• Integrate CSA with MEP and IT infrastructure teams for coordinated designs.
• Drive site and campus planning to maximize compute density and optimize construction phasing.
• Provide technical oversight during construction and support commissioning.
• Manage relationships with design partners and subconsultants; define standards.
• Establish facility support area standards; scale for hyperscale deployments.
• Identify modular construction opportunities to reduce schedule, cost, and risk.
• Coordinate reviews and resolve design conflicts to keep projects moving.
• Travel to project sites globally for reviews and audits (up to 40%).

Skills

Mission-critical infra

Hyperscale data centers

Owner's engineer

Code compliance

High-density compute

Standardization

Multisite program

MEP coordination

Effective communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree (Civil/Structural)

Job description

About the company

the company’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.

About the company

the company's mission is the responsible development and maintenance of advanced AI for the long-term benefit of humanity. We are a safety-focused AI company working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. As our compute infrastructure scales to support frontier model training and deployment, we are building a world-class team to design, deliver, and operate the physical facilities that make that possible.

About the Role

We are looking for a Principal Data Center Architect with deep expertise in Civil, Structural, and Architectural (CSA) design to join our growing infrastructure team. This role is the technical owner for the physical building fabric of the company’s AI compute facilities — from the earliest site feasibility studies and test fits through reference design development, design partner oversight, and construction delivery.

As the company scales its data center program across multiple sites in the United States and internationally, you will set the civil, structural, and architectural standards that govern how our facilities are designed and built. You will work directly with design-build partners, AE firms, and internal mechanical, electrical, and IT infrastructure teams to ensure our facilities are optimized for high-density AI workloads, constructable on aggressive timelines, and replicable across a growing portfolio.

This is an owner’s engineer role — you are the technical authority, not a consultant. You will be expected to make binding design decisions, identify problems before they reach the field, and drive standardization across a pipeline of concurrent projects globally.

What You’ll Do

• Own the civil, structural, and architectural reference design standards for the company’s data center portfolio, establishing repeatable design elements deployable across multiple sites and jurisdictions

• Lead front‑end test fits and site feasibility studies, evaluating structural approaches, site constraints, utility interfaces, and code compliance to inform site selection and design direction

• Review and approve CSA deliverables from design‑build partners and AE firms at each design stage (SD, DD, CD, IFC), including drawings, structural calculations, specifications, and geotechnical reports

• Integrate CSA design with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and IT infrastructure teams to produce coordinated designs that support high‑density AI compute and direct liquid‑cooling systems

• Drive site and campus planning to maximize compute density, optimize construction phasing, and align physical layout with IT and operational requirements

• Partner with the construction and delivery team to provide technical oversight during construction, resolve field issues, and support commissioning activities

• Evaluate and develop relationships with design partners, structural engineering subconsultants, and prefabrication/modular vendors; define qualification and performance standards

• Establish and maintain facility support area standards — logistics staging, loading, maintenance access, and operational support spaces — scaled for hyperscale deployments

• Identify modular and prefabricated construction opportunities that reduce schedule, cost, and design risk across the project pipeline

• Manage review cycles and coordinate across internal and external stakeholders to resolve design conflicts and keep projects moving on aggressive timelines

• Travel to project sites globally for design reviews, construction audits, and commissioning milestones (up to 40%)

What We’re Looking For

Required

• 10+ years delivering mission‑critical facility infrastructure, with at least 6 years directly in hyperscale or large‑scale data center CSA design

• Deep technical expertise across civil site development, structural design, and architectural programming for industrial or mission‑critical facilities

• Demonstrated experience as an owner’s engineer or lead technical authority — setting standards, approving deliverables, and managing external design teams

• Proficiency with applicable building codes and standards including IBC, IFC, ASCE 7, ACI 318, AISC, FM Global, and local jurisdictional requirements across multiple geographies

• Experience with high‑density compute environments, including structural and architectural accommodation of direct liquid‑cooling systems, overhead busway, and dense rack deployments

• Track record of driving design standardization and developing repeatable reference designs across a multi‑site portfolio

• Ability to evaluate and red‑line structural calculations, civil site plans, and architectural construction documents for accuracy, completeness, and constructability

• Experience coordinating across MEP disciplines and IT infrastructure teams in a fast‑paced, multi‑project environment

• Clear and direct communication with both technical and non‑technical audiences; ability to make and defend design decisions with incomplete information

Preferred

• Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in civil or structural engineering, or licensed architect (AIA / RA)

• Experience with prefabricated and modular construction strategies for data center applications

• Familiarity with geotechnical risk assessment and foundation design for large industrial facilities

• LEED accreditation, Uptime Institute AOS/M&O certification, or equivalent mission‑critical credentials

• International project delivery experience (Europe, Asia‑Pacific, or other regions)

• Experience reviewing design packages in Autodesk Construction Cloud, Revit, or Navisworks

The annual compensation range for this role is listed below.

Annual Salary: $320,000 — $405,000 USD

Logistics

Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience

Required field of study: A field relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience

Minimum years of experience: Years of experience required will correlate with the internal job level requirements for the position

Location‑based hybrid policy: Currently, we expect all staff to be in one of our offices at least 25% of the time. However, some roles may require more time in our offices.

Visa sponsorship:We do sponsor visas! However, we a