Senior Construction Manager - Data Center Fit-Out

LVI Associates; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

LVI Associates is seeking a Senior Construction Manager to lead interior fit-out and technical upgrade projects for high‑end data centers in the DMV region. This is an owner‑side role coordinating general contractors, consultants, equipment vendors, and commissioning teams from powered‑shell handoff through turnover, with responsibility for scheduling, safety, cost control, and quality.

The ideal candidate understands data center interfaces between architectural, structural, mechanical,

Qualifications

• Significant construction management experience in data centers or mission-critical facilities.
• Experience delivering interior or technical fit-out of data centers.
• Experience with live-site upgrades and phased fit-outs.
• Strong understanding of MEP, controls, and low-voltage systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee owner-side interior fit-out from handoff to turnover.
• Coordinate architectural, mechanical, electrical, and other trades.
• Lead schedule, risk, safety, and quality management.
• Report progress to senior stakeholders and elevate issues.

Skills

Data center experience

Contractor coordination

Project scheduling

Stakeholder reporting

Safety leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in construction management or related field

Job description

Senior Construction Manager, Data Center Fit-Out

The Opportunity

A rapidly growing data center developer is seeking a Senior Construction Manager to oversee the interior construction and technical fit-out of large-scale data center projects across the DMV.

This is an owner-side position with day-to-day responsibility for general contractors, specialist trade partners, consultants, equipment suppliers, and commissioning teams.

The successful candidate will manage projects from powered-shell or core-and-shell handoff through interior fit-out, critical equipment installation, commissioning readiness, turnover, and final handover.

This is not a shell-only construction role. We are looking for someone who understands what happens inside a data center and can coordinate the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, controls, fire protection, security, and low-voltage scopes required to create an operational mission-critical facility.

The developer is expanding its project portfolio and delivering infrastructure designed to support increasing power density, advanced cooling technologies, high-performance computing, and evolving customer requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide owner-side construction management for data center interior fit-out, retrofit, expansion, and technical upgrade projects.
• Oversee construction from powered-shell or core-and-shell handoff through MEP installation, commissioning, turnover, and handover.
• Represent the developer on site and manage the performance of general contractors, subcontractors, consultants, commissioning providers, vendors, and equipment suppliers.
• Manage architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, controls, security, telecommunications, and low-voltage packages.
• Coordinate the installation of critical infrastructure, including generators, switchgear, UPS systems, electrical distribution, busway, cooling equipment, piping, BMS, EPMS, and associated support systems.
• Ensure architectural and structural work is properly coordinated with critical mechanical and electrical infrastructure.
• Review construction schedules, sequencing plans, procurement schedules, equipment delivery plans, commissioning schedules, and critical-path activities.
• Monitor progress against agreed milestones and require contractors to implement corrective actions and recovery plans when necessary.
• Coordinate owner-furnished and contractor-furnished equipment, including delivery, inspection, storage, protection, installation, testing, and turnover.
• Identify schedule, cost, safety, quality, procurement, logistics, design, and constructability risks before they affect project delivery.
• Lead construction coordination, progress, risk, safety, quality, logistics, and schedule meetings.
• Review drawings, specifications, submittals, shop drawings, requests for information, change orders, design clarifications, and field conditions.
• Work with design teams and contractors to resolve coordination, constructability, sequencing, and installation issues.
• Conduct regular site walks to review progress, safety, workmanship, access, material protection, installation quality, and commissioning readiness.
• Coordinate construction activities with commissioning requirements and ensure systems are properly installed, inspected, documented, energized, and ready for testing.
• Support equipment startup, prefunctional testing, functional performance testing, integrated systems testing, deficiency resolution, and phased turnover.
• Oversee quality inspections, punch-list completion, system completion, closeout documentation, and final acceptance.
• Maintain clear project reporting covering construction progress, schedule, cost, risks, quality, safety, contractor performance, and commissioning readiness.
• Provide concise updates to senior stakeholders and elevate issues requiring decisions, additional resources, or corrective action.
• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with project-specific procedures and applicable construction standards.
• Support final inspections, readiness reviews, documentation checks, closeout, and formal handover to operations.

Required Experience

• Significant construction management experience within data centers, mission-critical facilities, critical infrastructure, or similarly complex technical environments.
• Direct experience delivering the interior or technical fit-out of data center facilities.
• Experience with data center retrofits, expansions, live-site upgrades, white-space build-outs, phased fit-outs, or critical infrastructure replacements is highly relevant.
• Experience managing projects beyond the shell stage through interior construction, MEP installation, commissioning, turnover, and closeout.
• Strong understanding of data center mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, fire protection, life-safety, security, and low-voltage systems.
• Working knowledge of switchgear, generators, UPS systems, electrical distribution, busway, cooling equipment, piping, BMS, EPMS, and associated critical infrastructure.
• Experience coordinating architectural and structural scopes with critical mechanical and electrical installations.
• Experience managing general contractors, specialist trade partners, consultants, commissioning providers, vendors, and equipment suppliers.
• Strong understanding of construction sequencing, critical-path scheduling, procurement, cost control, change management, quality assurance, safety, and risk management.
• Experience reviewing construction documentation, technical submittals, requests for information, proposed changes, field conditions, inspection records, and closeout materials.
• Familiarity with equipment startup, commissioning readiness, functional testing, integrated systems testing, punch-list completion, and turnover to operations.
• Ability to identify risks, drive corrective actions, challenge contractor performance, and maintain accountability across multiple organizations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to provide accurate and concise reporting to senior stakeholders.
• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, building services, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Certifications such as CCM, PMP, LEED, OSHA, or equivalent construction, project management, commissioning, quality, or safety credentials are advantageous.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have personally managed a data center from powered-shell or core-and-shell handoff through interior construction, critical equipment installation, commissioning, turnover, and final handover.

They will understand how architectural and structural work interfaces with mechanical and electrical infrastructure and will be able to identify sequencing, access, safety, quality, procurement, and constructability issues before they affect the project.

They should be comfortable representing a developer when managing major general contractors and specialist trade partners. The right person will be technically credible, commercially aware, confident in the field, and capable of challenging contractor performance constructively.

The strongest candidates will be able to move between detailed field coordination and senior-level reporting. They should understand the issue on site, evaluate its effect on schedule and commissioning, establish a corrective plan, and communicate the position clearly to project leadership.

Experience solely in ground-up shell construction, commercial interiors, facilities operations, design, or commissioning is unlikely to be sufficient without direct data center technical fit-out experience.