Director, Data Center Solutions & Engineering Strategy

Cushman & Wakefield; Montpelier (VT); On-site; USD 145,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking a Director, Solutions Data Centers to lead the design and articulation of integrated facilities management solutions for hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, and AI/HPC data centers. The role centers on engineering solutioning, staffing models, and end-to-end operating constructs for winning proposals.

You will build staffing plans, wage structures, and governance, coordinate cross-functional teams, and present to client leadership and procurement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, Facilities/Construction Management, or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years in facilities management, critical facilities operations, or engineering services, including 5+ years with direct data center accountability.
• 5+ years in FM solutions development, bid management, or senior operations with direct staffing ownership.
• Demonstrated experience building critical-facilities engineering staffing models and defending them to clients.
• Working command of data center infrastructure: electrical distribution, UPS, generators, cooling, BMS/EPMS, and fire life safety.
• Fluency in FM commercial models, SLA/KPI regimes, and pricing mechanics; advanced Excel modeling capability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to present to C-suite and engineering audiences.
• Willingness to travel domestically (typically 25-30%).

Responsibilities

• Lead solution architecture for data center IFM pursuits across single-site, regional, and global portfolios.
• Interrogate client requirements and translate them into a defensible operating model.
• Build labor model, organizational chart, span of control, and scope matrix.
• Partner with Sales, Operations, HR, Talent Acquisition, Procurement, Finance, EHS, Sustainability, Legal, and Technology to assemble one integrated solution.
• Author and orchestrate the technical response: solution narrative, staffing plan, mobilization and transition plan, technology stack, governance model, risk register, and exclusions schedule.
• Lead solution workshops, site walks, due-diligence visits, and client orals; present the engineering approach to client leadership.
• Maintain a reusable library of data center solution components and benchmark staffing ratios.
• Design the engineering operating model: on-site teams, 24x7x365 coverage, on-call structures, remote ops, vendor-augmented models.
• Solution the maintenance program across critical systems (MV/LV, UPS, generators, cooling, BMS/EPMS, fire life safety).
• Quantify the engineering solution: headcount, overtime, tools, PPE, spares, and subcontracted services.
• Build staffing models by site and by portfolio, including shift rotations and coverage factors.
• Define licensure matrices by jurisdiction and recruiting ramps with Talent Acquisition.
• Benchmark engineering ratios against data and justify deviations.

Skills

Facilities management

Data center operations

Staffing models

Pricing models

Excel modeling

Communication skills

Client-facing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering / Facilities Management

Tools

CMMS/IWMS

BMS/EPMS

Job description

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking a Director, Solutions Data Centers to lead the design and articulation of integrated facilities management solutions for hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, and AI/HPC data centers. The role centers on engineering solutioning, staffing models, and end-to-end operating constructs for winning proposals.

You will build staffing plans, wage structures, and governance, coordinate cross-functional teams, and present to client leadership and procurement.