Design Management - Team Lead (Data Centers)

Umbilical Advanced; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Umbilical Advanced is seeking a Senior Design Manager to lead design management across a growing portfolio of large-scale AI data center developments. You will coordinate architects, engineers, consultants, and internal stakeholders to ensure projects meet schedule and high technical standards ready for construction.

The role places you at the center of the design and delivery process, identifying issues early, driving decisions, and incorporating lessons learned into future projects.

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex engineering, industrial, mission-critical, or infrastructure projects.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary design teams and coordinate external partners.
• Strong understanding of design-construction-cost-schedule relationship.
• Experience managing design programs through milestones (development, IFC, construction, commissioning).
• Comfort operating at senior level with architects, engineers, contractors, owners.
• Exposure to data centers, hyperscale, AI/HPC, power infrastructure, or similar environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead design management across complex programs from concept through construction.
• Own design coordination, reviews, schedules and deliverables across projects.
• Manage architects, engineers, consultants, contractors and stakeholders to maintain quality, schedule and cost objectives.
• Drive multidisciplinary design reviews, identifying technical, commercial and constructability risks before they impact delivery.
• Work closely with construction and field teams to resolve design issues, RFIs, changes and other delivery challenges.
• Establish and improve design management processes, standards and workflows across a growing project portfolio.
• Support the development of repeatable and scalable design approaches, including reference designs, standardization and modular delivery where appropriate.
• Provide senior technical and strategic input into design decisions, helping shape how large-scale infrastructure is delivered.

Skills

Design management

Multidisciplinary leadership

Infrastructure project delivery

Job description

The Opportunity

You will lead design management across a growing portfolio of large-scale AI data center developments, coordinating architects, engineers, consultants, and internal stakeholders to ensure projects are delivered on schedule, to a high technical standard, and ready for construction.

You’ll sit at the center of the design and delivery process, identifying technical issues early, driving decisions quickly, and ensuring lessons learned from each project are incorporated into future developments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead design management across complex, high-value data center and critical infrastructure programs from concept through construction and delivery.
• Own design coordination, technical reviews, schedules and deliverables across multiple projects and design partners.
• Manage and coordinate architects, engineers, consultants, contractors and internal stakeholders to maintain quality, schedule and cost objectives.
• Drive multidisciplinary design reviews, identifying technical, commercial and constructability risks before they impact delivery.
• Work closely with construction and field teams to resolve design issues, RFIs, changes and other delivery challenges.
• Establish and improve design management processes, standards and workflows across a growing project portfolio.
• Support the development of repeatable and scalable design approaches, including reference designs, standardization and modular delivery where appropriate.
• Provide senior technical and strategic input into design decisions, helping shape how large-scale infrastructure is delivered.

What We’re Looking For

• Significant experience managing the design and delivery of complex engineering, industrial, mission-critical or infrastructure projects.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary design teams and coordinate multiple external design partners.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between engineering design, construction, cost, schedule and project delivery.
• Experience managing design programs through major project milestones, including design development, detailed/IFC design, construction and commissioning.
• Comfortable operating at a senior level with architects, engineers, contractors, owners and other stakeholders.
• Strong technical understanding across multiple disciplines, with the ability to challenge designs and identify potential delivery risks.
• Experience in data centers, hyperscale, AI/HPC, power infrastructure, advanced manufacturing or other highly technical environments is highly desirable