Design Project Lead, Data Center Design and Construction

Meta; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

Meta is seeking a Design Project Lead for Data Center Design Engineering to oversee Civil, Structural, Landscape, and Architecture disciplines across greenfield, leased, and retrofit facilities.

You will manage design development, procurement, and construction administration as an Owner’s Representative, coordinating with internal and external partners to deliver capacity safely, on time, and within budget.

Qualifications

• Experience in mission-critical building design and construction.
• Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, control, and fire protection systems.
• 8+ years of professional experience in design, construction, or operations of critical facilities.
• Proven experience with industry standards and building codes (IBC/ASCE).
• Strong presentation and communication skills in English.

Responsibilities

• Lead Civil, Structural, Landscape, and Architecture disciplines across new builds and retrofits.
• Oversee schematic design through commissioning as Owner’s Representative.
• Coordinate with stakeholders, EoR, general contractors, and regulators to deliver on time and on budget.
• Develop and track project milestones, resources, and risks; drive mitigations.
• Prepare and evaluate RFPs, contracts, change orders, and submittals.
• Support knowledge sharing and onboarding of new team members.

Skills

Civil

Structural

Landscape

Architecture

Project Management

Stakeholder Liaison

English Fluency

Education

Architecture or Engineering degree

Tools

Revit/BIM

ACC

Autodesk

Bluebeam

Job description

Summary:

Meta is seeking a Design Project Lead experienced in the design and construction of Critical Facilities to become part of our Data Center Design Engineering organization. Our data centers are the foundation upon which our software operates. Building and operating reliable and efficient data centers is essential to support the growth of Meta. The Data Center Design Engineering organization collaborates with all key stakeholders to ensure design and engineering of our data centers incorporate considerations from micro-levels (servers and IT equipment design requirements) to macro-levels (mechanical cooling and power distribution options) to ensure maximum efficiency and reliability of our compute infrastructure. As an integral part of the Design Development and Delivery Team, this role will operate as the Design Project Lead overseeing the design and construction administration as an Owner’s Representative, and lead the Civil, Structural, Landscape, Architecture (CSLA) disciplines as a subject matter expert. The Design Project Lead will collaborate with multiple stakeholders including cross-discipline partners across the Design Engineering organization, internal partners such as Planning and Development, Construction Management, Quality, Safety, and Operations as well as external partners including engineers of record (EoR), general contractors, and regulatory agencies to deliver data center capacity safely, on time, within budget, and of high quality. This position is full-time providing directional guidance aligned with the pace of fast-tracked design and construction.

Required Skills:

Design Project Lead, Data Center Design and Construction Responsibilities:

1. Lead multiple projects through schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction administration and turn-over as Project Lead and technical domain lead for the Civil, Structural, Landscape, Architecture (CSLA) disciplines on new builds (greenfield), leased facilities, and retrofit projects




2. Lead end-to-end project planning, including requirements gathering, defining the scope, identifying key milestones, and allocating resources. Serve as the primary technical liaison between business stakeholders and design engineering teams




3. Set clear goals and expectations for teams, regularly tracking progress and communicating status updates to stakeholders. Ensure all project decisions support Meta’s broader organizational goals and technical vision




4. Facilitate regular project meetings, retrospectives, and reviews to drive transparency and continuous improvement




5. Collaborate with internal cross-functional stakeholders and external partners in resolving issues and leading risk mitigation strategies ensuring on-time and budget delivery of capacity with a focus on safety, quality, operability, and sustainability




6. Prepare and issue Request for Proposals (RFP), analyze and make award recommendations, manage and administer project/program-level contracts, review and approve change cost proposals, value engineering proposals, invoices, shop drawings, submittals, requests for information, reports/audits/studies, and other design-related deliverables




7. Hold EoR teams accountable on deliverables and performance by providing actionable feedback, including from other stakeholders such as Construction Management and by participating in the project health reviews. Proactively identify risks and remove roadblocks to ensure on-time delivery of project deliverables




8. In collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders, analyze forward-thinking ideas to identify and mitigate risks, and embed lessons learned into current and future products. Drive opportunities to compress schedules proactively and in response to business needs




9. Participate in mock-ups, onsite testing, commissioning and other quality checks throughout the project life cycle in partnership with cross-functional teams to ensure proper installation and commissioning of systems




10. Liaise between internal teams, consultants, and contractors across projects and campuses to ensure transparency, situational awareness of status, way forward, and timely resolution of issues




11. Maintain awareness of project knowledge repository, status, decision, and planning documents. Maintain accurate records and documentation. Provide regular program/project updates to internal stakeholders and information sharing, priorities, and feedback to external partners




12. Provide technical expertise and oversight to ensure that the design and construction meet the owner's requirements and industry standards for critical facility systems, including Manufactured/Owner Furnished Equipment (M/OFE)




13. Collaborate with other technical disciplines as required to ensure fully functioning, integrated systems. Actively guide cross-discipline technical interactions within Meta Design team and EoR to ensure multi-disciplinary team alignment




14. Develop and support onboarding of new teammates to ensure continuity of design support




15. Develop cross-discipline knowledge to ensure continuity and build breadth and depth of the overall field design team




16. Lead Civil, Structural, Landscape, and Architectural discipline Design, Delivery, and Quality onsite meetings to facilitate resolution of critical design issues




17. Collaborate and support in innovating Design-Construction technology and processes




18. Collaborate and engage closely with the Quality Team, with a focus on area walk-downs, critical benchmarks, systems integration and operation, issue resolution, commissioning script review and implementation, providing technical support and guidance on design-related matters




19. Support Facilities Engineering and Operations Team on knowledge sharing, technical guidance and system operation of Design throughout the project schedule

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Experience with Google Suite, Revit/BIM, Bluebeam, Autodesk, ACC, or similar design software applications




2. Proven analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills




3. Knowledge of mission-critical building systems, including mechanical, electrical, control, and fire protection systems




4. Presentation and communication skills to peers, stakeholders, and leadership




5. Experience in providing solutions to complex projects under pressure




6. Knowledge in geotechnical/soil design, concrete and steel structural design, landscape architecture, sustainable design, interior/exterior finish systems, and design of culinary and physical security systems




7. Knowledge depth (SME) of building systems design and architectural details for steel, concrete, and mass timber structures




8. Experience with industry standards, building codes, and safety standards




9. Project management experience




10. 8+ years of professional experience in mission-critical building design, construction, and/or operations




11. Effective communication skills




12. fluent in English, as the role requires coordination with English-speaking internal teams, external partners, and regulatory agencies




13. Experience in leading and managing multidisciplinary teams




14. Registered or licensed professional with a degree‑qualified in Architecture or Engineering




15. Knowledge of industry standards, building codes, and safety standards, including IBC, ASCE, and European equivalents




16. Experience on large-scale design and construction projects




17. Knowledge of environmental, health, and safety programs

Preferred Qualifications:

1. LEED Accreditation




2. Experience in supporting construction and cost estimating processes




3. Owner’s representative experience, or experience performing Program or Project Management




4. PMP Certification




5. Experience on large scale Data Center design and construction projects




6. Experience with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), Unifier, Visio, and Oracle P6




7. Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)




8. Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)




9. Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies

Public Compensation:

$150,000/year to $209,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Industry:

Internet

Equal Opportunity:

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affir
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