Senior Associate, Data Center Electrical Engineering

Ares Management; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Ares Management is seeking a Senior Associate, Data Center Electrical Engineering (North America) to lead electrical design strategies for data center projects across NA. You will coordinate with internal teams and consultants to ensure safe, reliable, scalable designs that meet program objectives and customer requirements.

You will collaborate on global standards, drive design reviews, and support procurement and interconnection processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in electrical engineering for data center, mission-critical, or similarly complex infrastructure projects.
• Strong knowledge of electrical systems including utility substations (HV), power distribution (MV & LV), power monitoring, UPS systems, and backup generation.
• Familiarity with industry standards, codes, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience supporting design development and coordination with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Understanding of reliability, redundancy, and maintainability principles as applied to data center electrical systems.
• Understanding of short circuit analysis, coordination studies, and electrical safety principles.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced project environment.

Responsibilities

• Support development and implementation of electrical design strategies for North America data center projects, including utility interconnection, substations, medium- and low-voltage distribution, UPS systems, and backup power systems.
• Collaborate with design management and consultant teams to ensure electrical systems are fully coordinated and integrated with all disciplines (civil, architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection & life safety, controls, and security).
• Provide technical guidance and perform design reviews of electrical systems to ensure compliance with company standards, industry codes, and project requirements.
• Partner with utility providers and project teams to support power delivery strategies, interconnection processes, and substation design coordination.
• Support sales engineering team in the preparation of technical responses for customer RFPs, including electrical design narratives, system configurations, and solution development.
• Support evaluation and selection of electrical equipment, technologies, and vendor solutions in alignment with program objectives.
• Collaborate with construction and operations teams to ensure electrical designs support efficient construction, commissioning, and long-term operations.
• Identify risks related to electrical system design, constructability, and schedule, and proactively support mitigation strategies.
• Stay informed on advancements in electrical engineering and data center technologies, and recommend improvements to enhance performance, efficiency, and reliability.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of global electrical design standards, specifications, and best practices in coordination with international peers.
• Participate in cross-regional collaboration efforts to align on design approaches and share lessons learned across the global portfolio.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Data center design

Project management

Regulatory compliance

Design coordination

Analytical thinking

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Job description

Job Description

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

As the Senior Associate, Data Center Electrical Engineering (North America), you will support the development and implementation of electrical design strategies for data center projects across the North America region. This role focuses on ensuring that electrical systems are designed to meet customer requirements, operational needs, and program objectives for safety, reliability, scalability, and speed to market. You bring strong technical expertise in electrical systems for data centers, combined with a practical understanding of design execution, constructability, and operations. You will work closely with internal teams and external consultants to ensure high-quality, coordinated electrical designs are delivered across multiple concurrent projects.

In addition to regional responsibilities, you will contribute to the evolution of global electrical design standards and strategies in collaboration with our Global leads and peers across Japan, EMEA, and South America—leveraging North America project experience and innovations to inform global best practices.

Responsibilities

• Support development and implementation of electrical design strategies for North America data center projects, including utility interconnection, substations, medium- and low-voltage distribution, UPS systems, and backup power systems.
• Collaborate with design management and consultant teams to ensure electrical systems are fully coordinated and integrated with all disciplines (civil, architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection & life safety, controls, and security).
• Provide technical guidance and perform design reviews of electrical systems to ensure compliance with company standards, industry codes, and project requirements.
• Partner with utility providers and project teams to support power delivery strategies, interconnection processes, and substation design coordination.
• Support sales engineering team in the preparation of technical responses for customer RFPs, including electrical design narratives, system configurations, and solution development.
• Support evaluation and selection of electrical equipment, technologies, and vendor solutions in alignment with program objectives.
• Collaborate with construction and operations teams to ensure electrical designs support efficient construction, commissioning, and long-term operations.
• Identify risks related to electrical system design, constructability, and schedule, and proactively support mitigation strategies.
• Stay informed on advancements in electrical engineering and data center technologies, and recommend improvements to enhance performance, efficiency, and reliability.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of global electrical design standards, specifications, and best practices in coordination with international peers.
• Participate in cross-regional collaboration efforts to align on design approaches and share lessons learned across the global portfolio.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in electrical engineering for data center, mission-critical, or similarly complex infrastructure projects.
• Strong knowledge of electrical systems including utility substations (HV), power distribution (MV & LV), power monitoring, UPS systems, and backup generation.
• Familiarity with industry standards, codes, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience supporting design development and coordination with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Understanding of reliability, redundancy, and maintainability principles as applied to data center electrical systems.
• Understanding of short circuit analysis, coordination studies, and electrical safety principles.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced project environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on hyperscale or high-density data center projects.
• Experience with availability/reliability modeling.
• Familiarity with construction methodologies, cost considerations, and project execution for electrical systems.
• Experience with prefabrication or modular design approaches.
• Experience participating in client-facing technical discussions and solution development.

Reporting Relationships

Head of Design & Innovation, NA & Global, Ada

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $140,000.00 - $160,000.00. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. The firm also offers robust benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.

Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more.

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.