Design Manager, AMER

Yondr Group; Aldie (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Yondr Group is seeking a Design Manager in the United States to lead the project design review process, coordinate with vendors, and promote best practices for data center projects.

You will drive early site due diligence, master planning, and deployment of global standards, ensuring quality, schedule, and safety targets are met with the Development team.

Lead technical workshops, manage external consultants and vendors, and guide design delivery through construction to support long-term goals.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in highly serviced buildings or data centers, with M&E knowledge.
• Experience in design management with contractors and vendors.
• Knowledge of design, build, and commissioning processes including risk management.

Responsibilities

• Lead design review process with internal and external stakeholders.
• Assess contractor and vendor deliverables for quality and performance.
• Coordinate design releases, submissions, and approvals with schedule.
• Monitor permitting activities and align with project timeline.
• Understand design-related cost control and change management.
• Lead sustainability initiatives across projects.
• Ensure designs meet safety and quality standards.
• Audit design quality and track issues to resolution.
• Assist delivery teams in resolving design-related construction problems.
• Oversee due diligence of acquisition programs for the Americas.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Workshop facilitation

Cross-cultural

Organisational skills

Commercial acumen

IT/workstream experience

Team collaboration

Education

Architectural/M&E qualifications

Tools

Design Management software

Job description

Yondr is a disruptor. We challenge convention and simplify complexity. A global developer, owner operator and service provider of data centers, we deliver complex data center capacity needs for the world’s largest tech companies. Our exponential growth sees us looking for extraordinary people to help accelerate us towards our vision: a tomorrow without constraints.

But we can’t do this without you.

About the Role

You will be expected to perform the Design Management function and ensure consistency in the service provided by various vendors and consultants, promoting best practices and continuous improvement with clear, appropriate and timely feedback on the performance of design management.

This entails the early site due diligence and master planning which is fundamental to ensuring quality, delivery and evolution of Yondr’s offering to our customers is at market leader level. Ensuring deployment of global standards, processes and technical governance for project delivery and to ensure all site technical developments risks are fully understood and analysed.

You will also take an active part in strategic expansion of site selection through technical process development and implement Yondr’s standard design principles, working alongside with our Development team leading the technical elements and continue to design delivery stage and providing design support throughout construction to meet long term targets of Yondr’s portfolio.

Another element to focus on would be to assist with pre-qualification, bid and tender documents returns and participate in project meetings ensuring the delivery to client is met with quality while adhering to Yondr’s systems, procedures and culture. Managing the review of the quality and completeness of the design to ascertain its ability to be built in accordance with both the cost plan, schedule and site Health & Safety requirements.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the project design review process and coordinate the process with internal stakeholders.
• Evaluate and manage individual deliverables as well as overall performances of contractor, vendor and supplier for each individual project.
• Coordinate design release, submissions, approvals with the delivery programme, coordinate model reviews and clash detection, ensure technical interpretation of the design and change process is communicated effectively to the project team.
• Responsible for the monitoring and ensuring Permitting Activities are on schedule and in sync with the overall Project Schedule.
• Awareness of all commercial aspects of design management including estimates, change control and out-turn costs.
• Lead company sustainability initiatives and ensure sustainability objectives are met throughout the project.
• Ensure the design solutions integrate Yondr's safety and quality standards across all projects.
• Audit the design and identify inconsistencies, discrepancies and missing information and record, report and track the close-out of these items in an Information Required Schedule (IRS) format.
• To support the delivery / construction team in the resolution of design related issues in a timely manner to prevent an adverse effect on the construction programme.
• Accountable for design and technical due diligence of the acquisition program associated to the Americas region.
• Interface with internal discipline leads in implementing the site-specific data center design masterplan and basis of design.
• Work with external customer requirements and the specific site design, based on Yondr's standard design principles, feeding back requirements to Yondr basis of design documents.

Qualifications and experience

• Possessat least 10 years' experience of highly serviced buildings and possess an understanding of the relationships between the primary mechanical, electrical and ICT elements of the build. Knowledge of Data Centres or mission critical facilities is a must.
• Prior construction design and/or design management experience or Architectural, Structural or M&E qualifications would be preferred.
• In-depth knowledge of the design and construction process, which includes refurbishment and fit out. Track record of delivering successful sizable projects.
• Commercially savvy and support the commercial team to identify opportunities arising from design development and equally manage change control communications.
• Someone who is a good organiser / system implementer who is able to effectively mitigate risks and exposures. Experience with Design Management programmes/software would be advantageous.
• A good relationship builder, team player and strong communication skills (written and verbal).
• Experience in managing working relationships (internal & external) with cross-cultural experience.
• Experience working with information technology workstreams to improve systems.
• Commercial acumen appreciating impact of technically led decisions, and data center costing.
• Ability to take the lead in technical workshops and meetings, with external consultants and vendors.

At Yondr, we want to enhance the diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging of our workforce to reflect the world we live in. Our roles are potential opportunities for everyone; all interested parties, regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, or gender, are welcome to apply. We ensure all candidates have equitable access and consideration throughout the hiring process.

Yondr is committed to fostering a welcoming, safe and inclusive work environment. We provide support through our benefits, which are inclusive of all backgrounds.