Master planning Manager

Digital Realty; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Competitive compensation

401(k) matching

Job summary

Digital Realty is seeking a Data Center Master Planning Senior Design Manager in Boston. You will lead early-stage planning, test fits, and long-range campus development strategy for hyperscale campuses, translating site constraints into scalable, approvable master plans and phasing strategies.

You will collaborate with Real Estate, Due Diligence, and Entitlements teams while coordinating with internal design leads and external consultants to optimize MW yield and capital efficiency.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in master planning, design, or development for hyperscale data center campuses.
• Expertise in space planning and test fits and their effect on MEP, cost, and phasing.
• Strong data center MEP knowledge translating engineering realities to early planning.
• Experience supporting site plan approvals and entitlements with jurisdictions and consultants.
• Deep understanding of campus phasing, utility delivery sequencing, and future-proofing.
• Ability to balance technical rigor with commercial priorities and defend tradeoffs.
• Experience directing multi-disciplinary consultant teams in fast-paced early phases.
• Excellent communication to explain planning concepts to executives and authorities.
• Highly organized, process-driven, comfortable in ambiguous early-stage environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, or related field; professional registration preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead master planning and test-fit efforts for large hyperscale data center developments, translating site constraints and requirements into scalable layouts and phasing strategies.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for early feasibility, evaluating power density, cooling strategies, building typologies, and future expansion paths.
• Develop and review test fits, conceptual site plans, and master plan alternatives with tradeoff analysis on MW yield and constructability.
• Partner with Real Estate Acquisitions, Due Diligence, and Entitlements teams to support site plan approvals and special exceptions.
• Lead technical coordination across internal teams and external partners including A/E firms, planners, acousticians, consultants, and authorities.
• Guide entitlement-driven design decisions, including height, setbacks, acoustics, stormwater, and community-facing design.
• Establish phasing strategies aligning utility delivery, substation build-out, and capital deployment with market demand.
• Ensure master plans reflect realistic MEP space, clearances, redundancy, and constructability.
• Oversee consultant engagement for planning scopes, RFPs, schedules, and deliverable quality.
• Review and approve early-stage deliverables including master plans, utility studies, and exhibits.
• Provide continuity from concept to execution, ensuring planning assumptions hold during project advancement.
• Drive improvements in planning tools and MW density benchmarks to increase speed and value.

Skills

Master planning

Test fits

Data center design

Stakeholder communication

Project management

Entitlements coordination

Phasing strategies

MEP considerations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Architecture

Professional registration

Job description

Position Title: Data Center Master Planning Senior Design Manager

Location: Boston or Ashburn

Role Overview

The Sr. Design Manager, Data Center Master Planning serves as the senior technical authority responsible for early-stage planning, test fits, and long-range campus development strategy for large hyperscale data center campuses. This role translates raw land, zoning envelopes, utility constraints, and market requirements into scalable, buildable, and approvable campus plans that maximize long‑term MW yield, phasing flexibility, and capital efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead master planning and test-fit efforts for large hyperscale data center developments, translating site constraints, zoning requirements, utility availability, and design standards into scalable campus layouts and phasing strategies.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for early feasibility, evaluating power density, cooling strategies, building typologies, road and yard layouts, easements, setbacks, and future expansion paths to maximize deployable IT capacity over the life of the campus.
• Develop and review test fits, conceptual site plans, and master plan alternatives, assessing tradeoffs between MW yield, constructability, entitlement risk, cost, schedule, and operational flexibility.
• Partner closely with Real Estate Acquisitions, Due Diligence, and Entitlements teams to support site selection, due diligence, zoning strategy, site plan approvals, special exceptions, and public hearing processes.
• Lead technical coordination across internal teams (Acquisitions, Design Management, Construction and Global Design Standards) and external partners including A/E firms, planners, acousticians, traffic consultants, utilities, and jurisdictional authorities.
• Guide entitlement-driven design decisions, including building height and massing, setbacks, screening, acoustics, noise compliance, stormwater strategies, and community-facing design considerations.
• Establish and oversee phasing strategies that align utility delivery, substation build‑out, building sequencing, and capital deployment with market demand and long‑term campus growth.
• Ensure master plans and test fits are grounded in real data center engineering, reflecting realistic MEP space requirements, equipment clearances, yard layouts, redundancy strategies, and constructability constraints.
• Oversee consultant engagement for planning and early design scopes, including RFPs, scope definition, schedule alignment, and quality control of deliverables.
• Review and approve early-stage technical deliverables including master plans, test fits, utility studies, acoustic studies, conceptual MEP narratives, and entitlement support exhibits.
• Provide continuity from concept through execution, supporting handoff from master planning into schematic design, ensuring original planning assumptions remain valid as projects advance.
• Drive continuous improvement in planning tools, repeatable campus typologies, MW density benchmarks, and entitlement playbooks to increase speed, predictability, and long‑term campus value.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in master planning, design, or development, with significant exposure to hyperscale or large-scale data center campus environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in space planning and test fits for data centers, including how early layout decisions affect MEP systems, constructability, cost, and phasing.
• Strong technical foundation in data center MEP systems, with the ability to translate engineering realities into early-stage planning decisions.
• Proven experience supporting site plan approvals and entitlements, including coordination with jurisdictions, planners, and specialty consultants (acoustics, traffic, environmental).
• Deep understanding of phasing strategies for multi-building campuses, including utility delivery sequencing, interim conditions, and future‑proofing.
• Ability to balance technical rigor with commercial and development priorities, making and defending tradeoffs under uncertainty.
• Experience managing and directing multi-disciplinary consultant teams through fast-paced, high-stakes early development phases.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly explain complex planning and engineering concepts to non-technical stakeholders, executives, and external authorities.
• Highly organized, process-driven, and comfortable operating in ambiguous, early-stage environments where decisions have long-term consequences.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, or a related field required; professional registration strongly preferred.

Additional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Structural, Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical, Public Health Engineering, or Construction Management – ideally chartered in a relevant discipline.
• Minimum 7-10 years’ data center design experience, preferably in a multi-disciplinary or owner‑operator context.
• Experience with large developments and multi-project delivery.
• Familiarity with change control, gating processes, and commercial/contractual obligations.

Benefits

Compensation range: $180,000 – $200,000.

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and AD&DD insurance, 401(k) match, disability benefits, wellness and education benefits, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off, holidays, and more.

Health & Safety

Safety isn’t just a priority here at Digital; it’s critical to everything we do. Safeguarding lives, protecting assets, and securing data aren’t just ideals—they’re essential pillars of our commitment to excellence for our people, partners, and customers. We have a culture of care where every member of Team Digital embraces a relentless pursuit of working safely across Digital Realty. Together we are Safely Powering Progress.