Sr. Construction Manager

Digital Realty Trust, L.P.; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Digital Realty is seeking a Senior Construction Manager in a hybrid Chicago role to oversee data center construction from greenfield development to commissioning. You will lead contractors, consultants, and vendors to deliver projects on time and within budget, aligning with DLR standards.

Reporting to the Director of Delivery, you will navigate complex schedules and cross‑functional coordination across regional assignments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education.
• 7–10 years of project management experience on technically complex projects.
• Strong communication and team collaboration; ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all phases of data center construction projects from development through commissioning.
• Lead contractors, consultants and equipment vendors to meet schedule and budget.
• Ensure projects comply with DLR design standards and safety protocols.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects and coordinate diverse stakeholders.
• Prepare and evaluate RFPs; negotiate contracts with partners.

Skills

Project management

Communication

Team collaboration

Independent work

MS Office

AutoCAD

Budgeting

Electrical/mechanical knowledge

Building codes

Contract/subcontract management

Education

Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS)

Tools

AutoCAD

MS Office

Job description

Position Title: Senior Construction Manager

Location: HYBRID - Chicago

Your role

As a Senior Construction Manager, you will oversee all phases of data center construction projects—from greenfield development through commissioning and lifecycle replacements. You will lead contractors, consultants, and equipment vendors to ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, and in alignment with DLR Design Standards. Reporting to the Director of Delivery, you will manage challenging schedules, aggressive deliverables, and complex stakeholder coordination across regional and occasionally out‑of‑region assignments.

What you’ll do

• Partner closely with internal stakeholders including design managers, procurement, sales, and building operations.
• Serve as the primary customer contact for Build‑to‑Suit projects to ensure day‑to‑day responsibilities are met by design teams, contractors, and vendors.
• Ensure execution of standard projects in accordance with DLR internal design engineering standards.
• Manage multiple concurrent construction projects with competing priorities.
• Conduct project site visits for meetings, audits, and issue resolution.
• Support preparation and evaluation of RFPs for contractors, consultants, and equipment vendors.
• Negotiate and develop contracts with contractors, consultants, and vendors.
• Create and maintain project schedules and communicate updates to all stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with DLR Project Delivery / Management Standards across all participants.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with contractor, consultant, and vendor partners.

What you’ll need

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) or equivalent education.
• 7–10 years of project management experience with technically complex projects (or strong motivation to grow with less experience).
• Strong project management, organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated success delivering projects and working effectively in a team environment.
• Ability to work independently with minimal oversight; highly self‑motivated.
• Working knowledge of construction terminology, design principles, and contract structures.
• Financial acumen to interpret and develop budgets, estimates, and cost analyses.
• Comprehensive understanding of electrical, mechanical, security/monitoring, and fire/life‑safety systems.
• Familiarity with building code requirements and standard design/construction practices.
• Ability to interpret design drawings, construction specifications, contracts, schedules, and budget summaries; proficiency with MS Office and AutoCAD (preferred).

A bit about us

Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL®, the company’s global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx®) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Digital Realty gives its customers access to the connected data communities that matter to them with a global data center footprint of 300+ facilities in 50+ metros across 25+ countries on six continents.

To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

A bit about our team

Our Operations team keeps our customers’ infrastructure running safely and securely. We get plenty of opportunities to take on a variety of tasks and develop our technical skills. From overseeing electrical power to cooling and fire suppression systems, our team plays a vital role in making sure everything in our data centers operates as it should.

What we can offer you

Our rapidly evolving business sector offers the opportunity to be part of a courageous and passionate team who work together to understand and meet the changing needs of our global customers.

Join us and you’ll be part of a supportive and inclusive environment where you can bring your whole self to work. As part of our team, you’ll get to work with people from different business areas, challenge the way we do things and put your ideas into action. We’ll also give you plenty of development opportunities so you can build a rewarding and successful career with us.

Health and 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, our partners and our 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.

Our Compensation Philosophy

Digital Realty offers its employees a highly competitive compensation package, excellent benefits, and an environment that recognizes and rewards your contributions.

Central to our compensation philosophy is rewarding our employees for achieving the values and objectives aligned to the company's overall goals and values.

Our published pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum target for new hire pay for the full-time position determined by role, level, and geographical location. Individual pay is based on additional factors including but not limited to job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and/or training. Moreover, an employee’s total compensation package varies by role and may include salary, cash bonus or commissions, and equity awards not quantified below.

Compensation range $150,000 – $175,000. This compensation range represents the Company’s good faith belief as to what it will pay as a base salary for this position at the time of this posting.

• Benefits: For this role, Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, 401k match, disability benefits, wellness and education benefits, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off, holidays, and more.