Design Project Manager

SPECTRAFORCE; New Albany (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SpectraForce seeks a Client Project Manager (CPM) to act as the on-site liaison between the Client Design Project Lead and key stakeholders in New Albany, OH. This 12-month engagement requires autonomy on-site, weekly status reporting, and continuity planning to cover planned absences while protecting budget, schedule, and core design scope.

The CPM will lead owner representation, contract oversight, schedule control, QA/QC, EHS compliance, and technical design management, coordinating with

Qualifications

• 8+ years in design/project management, with 3–5 years in data center delivery.
• Strong on-site liaison with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Experience navigating local permitting and approvals in Central Ohio.

Responsibilities

• Own on-site representation and manage stakeholder communications.
• Coordinate commercial/contract activities and change control.
• Monitor schedule, milestones and risk with vendors.
• Assure QA/QC and conformance to design documents throughout execution.
• Ensure EHS compliance and safety governance on-site.
• Oversee information flow between design entities and contractors.
• Lead continuous improvement and close-out activities.

Skills

Design/PM experience

On-site liaison

Permitting experience

Education

Architecture or Engineering degree (preferred)

Job description

Duration: 12 months- potential extension

Location: New Albany, OH (fully onsite)

The Client Project Manager (CPM) serves as the primary liaison between the Client Design Project Lead (DPL) and all key project stakeholders. Operating with significant autonomy on-site, the CPM drives continuous project progression, delivers structured weekly status reports, and escalates matters to the DPL exclusively when proposed actions impact budget, schedule, core design scope, or operational and installation standards. Furthermore, the CPM guarantees full coverage and seamless continuity during any planned absences throughout the engagement term.

Core Responsibilities & Scope of Work:

1. Owner Representation & Stakeholder Management

• Single Point of Contact: Serve as the dedicated on-site representative for the Owner, safeguarding corporate interests across all site-level operations and decisions.
• Requirements & Deliverables: Communicate, monitor, and enforce accountability regarding the Owner's functional requirements and project deliverables.
• Documentation & Governance: Maintain comprehensive, real-time documentation of key decisions, formal approvals, field progress, and risk logs within designated tracking systems to guarantee complete transparency and auditability.
• Meeting Governance: Participate in all principal Design and Construction Administration (CA) progress meetings; align continuously with the Client DPL on strategic expectations.
• Status Reporting: Generate and submit formal weekly project status reports to the Owner Project Lead utilizing prescribed reporting frameworks.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Manage expectations through clear, timely, and executive communication. Coordinate directly with operational end-users to integrate technical requirements in compliance with established Owner Standards.

2. Commercial & Contract Management

• Contractual Compliance: Ensure all execution complies strictly with contractual terms, maintaining rigorous accountability across the design team.
• Consultant Coordination: Act as the primary field contact for third-party consultants (e.g., TEOR PM), ensuring synchronization across schedules, deliverables, and field activities.
• Change Control: Rigorously evaluate design modifications, omissions, scope variations, and potential change orders, presenting formal recommendations to the Client DPL for final determination.
• Audit Records: Ensure the Engineer of Record (EOR) maintains precise, timely records of all design instructions, field changes, and administrative determinations.

3. Schedule & Execution Oversight

• Schedule Optimization: Proactively track the master design schedule and main construction timeline to detect risks, optimize path sequences, and oversee direct vendor dependencies.
• Milestone Tracking: Monitor critical path milestones, reporting schedule variances, impact analyses, and proposed mitigation plans to the Client DPL.
• Issue Resolution: Facilitate immediate resolution of design-related field challenges by orchestrating cross-functional resources and escalating unresolvable risks appropriately.

4. Quality Assurance & Quality Control (QA/QC)

• Quality Monitoring: Collaborate with the Owner QA/QC Lead to evaluate active construction against technical specifications, design intent, and acceptance standards.
• Reporting Integrity: Validate the detail, accuracy, and risk mitigation strategies in weekly EOR discipline submissions.
• Design Conformance: Hold design partners accountable for maintaining complete alignment with authorized construction documents throughout execution.
• Close-Out Management: Oversee close-out activities with direct-appointed vendors, ensuring full regulatory compliance and statutory certification acquisition.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead post-completion debriefs to document lessons learned and operational enhancements.

5. Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Compliance

• Safety Leadership: Promote a proactive safety culture on-site across all contractors and stakeholders. Participate in site safety meetings and safety performance audits.
• Sustainability Governance: Engage with the Owner Sustainability Lead to confirm adherence to environmental targets, escalating critical non-conformance risks to the Client DPL.

6. Technical & Design Management

• Information Flow: Oversee submittal flows and RFIs between design entities and general contractors to secure timely, fully coordinated documentation.
• Consultant Oversight: Track design partner KPIs regarding review turnarounds, design review milestones, and ad-hoc problem resolution.
• Change Control Protocols: Enforce standardized change protocols during the CA phase, requiring comprehensive cost, time, and quality impact assessments prior to authorization.

Minimum Years of Experience

8+

Must-Have Skills

• 8+ years of design/project management experience (Level 4), including 3–5 years specifically in data center design or delivery.
• Ability to act as an on-site liaison — strong communication and coordination across construction/delivery teams, landlords, and internal stakeholders; managing submittals and RFIs.
• Experience navigating local jurisdictions and municipal permitting/approval processes, ideally in the Columbus/Central Ohio area.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Prior experience with hyperscale or colocation data center owners/providers (large-scale, mission-critical portfolios).
• Experience across both new-build and leased/retrofit facilities.
• Familiarity with equipment commissioning and willingness to travel domestically for site visits.

Degrees/Certifications

Degree in Architecture preferred; Engineering (Electrical or Mechanical) as a secondary option. Degree is preferred but not a hard requirement — relevant hands-on experience outweighs academic background.