Data Center Design Project Manager – Mechanical

Kent Data Centres; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent Data Centres is seeking a client-facing Technical Project Manager / Mechanical SME in Houston to lead regional engagements. You will guide design from feasibility through construction support and handover, coordinating multiple engineering disciplines to deliver resilient data center solutions.

The role requires substantial mechanical design expertise, leadership across projects, and the ability to work with clients, vendors and commissioning teams across the Americas.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years in mechanical design/engineering, data center focus preferred.
• Experience in consultancy or design practice with client-facing roles.

Responsibilities

• Own client relationships and act as primary technical contact for data center design engagements.
• Lead mechanical design and delivery from feasibility to handover.
• Coordinate with electrical, controls, civil, and commissioning teams.

Skills

Client relationships

Technical leadership

Mechanical design

Project management

Cross-disciplinary coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Houston, Texas

Kent Data Centres is built on more than a century of engineering expertise within Kent, a global leader in integrated energy services.

We operate exclusively in data centre and critical environments, acting as lead consultants, technical advisors, and commissioning partners while supporting clients from feasibility through design, delivery, and operational handover.

To support our continued growth in the Americas, we're looking for client-facing Technical Project Managers / Data Centre SMEs to lead engagements across the region.

ABOUT YOU

Join us. Unleash your energy within.

If you have world-class ambitions to reach the stars while keeping your feet on the ground, we’re the team for you. We've created a new breed of company – future-focused with reimagined ambition across all disciplines within the energy sector.

We love people who know their own potential and are not afraid to use it. We know that together, we’re far more than the sum of our parts. So, we celebrate people who want to grow and develop as we work together on some of the largest projects on the energy world stage.

OUR PURPOSE AND BELIEFS

As Kent, we’re tackling the greatest challenge of our time - to bring our world the energy it needs in the most responsible way ever imagined.

It’s the energy of every member of our team driven by our beliefs that is making this happen. Whatever our skill, our language, or our culture. These beliefs define and direct us every day to be the very best - for ourselves, our clients, our key stakeholders, the communities we operate in and the planet:

We PLAY BIG

We thrive on EMOTIONAL AGILITY

We are FANATICAL ABOUT PERFORMANCE

We are built on INFINITE THINKING

Read more about the Purpose, Beliefs and Guiding Principles that drive us: https://kentplc.com/who-we-are/purpose-beliefs

OUR VISION FOR DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING

We recognize that diversity & inclusion are catalysts for success. We’re heightening awareness on the benefits of people diversity, diversity of experiences and diversity of our perspectives. Creating a culture of inclusivity where all employees feel a sense of belonging.

Our combined energy is fuelled by different nationalities, across 6 continents and 24 countries. Our commitment is to celebrate character – no matter what ethnic background, gender, age, religion, identity, or disability.

What You'll Do

• Own client relationships and act as the primary technical point of contact across data center design and consultancy engagements.
• Lead the mechanical design and technical delivery of data center projects from early feasibility and concept through detailed design, construction support, commissioning and operational handover.
• Act as Design Project Manager / Mechanical SME, coordinating internal and external engineering specialists to deliver integrated, high-quality designs.
• Lead development and review of Basis of Design, design criteria, technical narratives, specifications and stage deliverables.
• Provide technical leadership across data center cooling infrastructure including chilled-water systems, air-cooled and water-cooled solutions, CRAH/CRAC systems, pumps, heat rejection, ventilation, hydronic systems, controls and associated mechanical infrastructure.
• Advise clients on cooling strategy, resilience, redundancy, maintainability, efficiency and capacity planning.
• Provide guidance on N, N+1, 2N and concurrently maintainable mechanical system strategies where applicable.
• Lead design reviews, technical workshops, value-engineering sessions and client presentations.
• Review mechanical drawings, schematics, calculations, specifications, equipment selections and technical submissions for completeness, compliance and design intent.
• Coordinate mechanical requirements with electrical, controls/BMS, ICT/ELV, civil, structural, architectural and commissioning disciplines.
• Ensure designs comply with applicable US codes, local AHJ requirements, client standards and recognized data center design standards.
• Manage design risks, interfaces, assumptions, technical decisions and change throughout the project lifecycle.
• Challenge designs where appropriate and provide independent technical advice to optimize resilience, maintainability, energy efficiency, constructability, cost and program.
• Manage external design consultants and engineering partners, including scope, deliverables, quality and schedule.
• Own the quality and technical assurance of project deliverables before issue to the client.
• Support construction-phase technical queries, RFIs, submittal reviews and design clarifications while maintaining responsibility for design intent.
• Work closely with commissioning teams to ensure mechanical systems are designed for effective testing, commissioning, integrated systems testing and operational readiness.
• Interface directly with clients, owners, developers, contractors, vendors and consultants throughout bidding, design, delivery and closeout.
• Support technical proposals, scopes of work, fee development, bids and client presentations.
• Take commercial responsibility for assigned consultancy engagements, including scope, budget, margin, resource planning and change control.
• Identify project risks and opportunities and communicate them clearly to clients and senior leadership.
• Support the continued growth of Kent Data Centres in the Americas through strong client relationships, repeat business and technically excellent delivery.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related engineering discipline.
• Typically 7+ years of relevant mechanical design / engineering experience, with significant experience within the data center sector.
• Demonstrable experience working within an engineering consultancy, A/E practice or specialist data center design consultancy.
• Strong hands-on understanding of data center mechanical design rather than solely construction, installation or trade-package management.
• Experience delivering mechanical design through multiple project stages, ideally from concept / schematic design through detailed design and construction support.
• Deep understanding of data center cooling systems, heat rejection, HVAC, hydronic systems and critical mechanical infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of resilience, redundancy, maintainability and energy efficiency in data center cooling systems.
• Ability to review and challenge mechanical schematics, calculations, equipment selections, specifications and control philosophies.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary design coordination and the interfaces between mechanical, electrical, controls/BMS and commissioning systems.
• Knowledge of relevant US mechanical codes and standards and experience working with local code / AHJ requirements.
• Familiarity with relevant data center and HVAC standards, including ASHRAE guidance, Uptime Institute Tier requirements and TIA-942.
• Proven experience leading client workshops, technical meetings and design reviews.
• Strong client-facing and advisory presence with the credibility to challenge consultants and guide senior client stakeholders.
• Experience managing engineering teams, SMEs and external design consultants.
• Commercially minded with experience managing project scope, fees, budgets, resources and change.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to translate complex engineering issues into clear client recommendations.
• Experience interfacing with commissioning teams and understanding the relationship between design intent, commissioning and operational readiness.
• PE strongly advantageous; PMP, CDCDP or equivalent data center qualifications also beneficial.
• Based in, or willing to relocate to, Houston or Dallas, Texas, with willingness to travel across the Americas as required.

About Kent Data Centres

Kent Data Centres operates within Kent's group-wide governance framework, applying consistent standards for safety, quality, technical assurance, and commercial control.

Kent Data Centres teams are experienced in delivering work within live, high-risk, and operationally critical environments, with a clear focus on continuity of service and predictable outcomes across the full asset lifecycle - from early strategy through delivery, commissioning, and operational readiness.