Data Center Project Managers

Renegade Group; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Fortune 500 Energy Company is seeking multiple Data Center Project Managers to lead deployments, expansions, and upgrades across Houston and the Washington, D.C. metro area with a potential transition to site locations.

You will own the full lifecycle, driving rigorous design management, planning, and procurement of critical equipment. The role requires 10+ years of data center PM experience, strong budgeting skills, and the ability to coordinate across engineering, procurement, vendors, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in a technical field.
• 10+ years of PM experience in data centers or mission-critical facilities.
• PMP, PgMP, or Agile/Scrum certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and execute project master schedules, WBS, and milestones for data center builds and upgrades.
• Own project budget from inception to closeout; forecast CapEx and monitor spend; perform cost-benefit analyses.
• Identify risks and dependencies; create mitigation and contingency plans; deliver executive status reports and KPI dashboards.
• Coordinate with electrical, mechanical, network, security, and facilities teams to ensure on-time, within-budget deployments.

Skills

Project management

Budgeting

Vendor management

Scheduling

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Project Management, Construction Management, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, or related field

Tools

MS Project

Primavera P6

Smartsheet

Jira

Procore

Job description

Multiple Locations: Houston, TX, Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area / Houston, TX (initial base), with potential transition to site location(s)

Company: Fortune 500 Energy Company

Position Overview

We are seeking a number of experienced and detail-oriented Data Center Project Managers to lead mission-critical data center deployments, expansions, and infrastructure upgrades. In this role, you will own the end-to-end project lifecycle with a sharp focus on rigorous design management, project planning and cost control, the optimization of internal business and change management processes, and the predictable procurement and delivery of critical equipment.

You will bridge the gap between engineering, procurement, vendors, and field operations to ensure buildings, facilities and IT infrastructure come online safely, on schedule, and within budget.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Planning & Cost Control

• End-to-End Planning: Develop, maintain, and execute comprehensive project master schedules, Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), and milestone trackers for data center builds, retrofits, and capacity enhancements.
• Budget & Financial Management: Own the project budget from inception to closeout. Forecast capital expenditures (CapEx), track actual spend, manage contingency funds, and conduct cost-benefit or variance analyses.
• Risk Management: Identify critical path dependencies, project risks, and schedule bottlenecks early; build actionable mitigation and contingency plans.
• Reporting: Prepare and deliver regular executive-level status reports, financial burn-rate metrics, and KPI dashboards to senior leadership and key stakeholders.

2. Business Processes & Governance

• Process Standardization: Design, implement, and continuously improve standard operating procedures (SOPs), project governance frameworks, and documentation workflows.
• Change Control Management: Strictly manage Request for Information (RFIs), submittals, and formal change orders. Evaluate scope changes for cost, schedule, and operational impact before approval.
• Compliance & Standards: Ensure all project plans and deployments adhere to corporate policies, local/international building codes, and Tier-level availability standards.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Facilitate alignment across electrical, mechanical (HVAC/cooling), network architecture, security, and facility operations teams.

3. Equipment Delivery & Supply Chain Coordination

• Procurement & Vendor Oversight: Manage the end-to-end procurement lifecycle for long-lead mission-critical equipment (e.g., generators, UPS systems, switchgear, CRAC/CRAH units, server racks, and cabling).
• Lead-Time Tracking: Track manufacturing schedules, factory acceptance testing (FAT), shipping logistics, and site delivery dates to prevent site delays.
• Vendor & Contractor Management: Evaluate, onboard, and manage external vendors, electrical/mechanical contractors, and equipment suppliers. Hold them accountable for contractual commitments, quality control, and delivery SLAs.
• Commissioning Support: Coordinate site-acceptance testing (SAT) and integrated system commissioning (IST) to ensure seamless handoff to operations.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Project Management, Construction Management, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Experience:
• 10+ years of project management experience specifically within data centers, mission-critical facilities, or complex enterprise IT/infrastructure deployments.
• Proven track record of managing multi-million-dollar budgets and complex, multi-vendor schedules.

Certifications: PMP (Project Management Institute), PgMP, or Agile/Scrum certifications are strongly preferred.

Technical Knowledge: Working familiarity with data center power distribution (UPS, generators, PDUs), cooling/HVAC architectures, MEP, structured cabling, and rack-level hardware integration.

Core Competencies:

• Exceptional financial acumen and cost-tracking capabilities.
• Strong mastery of project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Primavera P6, Smartsheet, Jira, or Procore).
• High-level negotiation, vendor management, and stakeholder communication skills.