Sr. Director, Design Engineering – GW-Scale Data Center Infrastructure

Ll Oefentherapie; Salem (OR); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

OCI is seeking a Design Engineering Leader to build and guide the Owner's Design Engineering organization for developer-led GW-scale infrastructure projects. You will act as the engineering authority for third-party designs and develop review processes aligned with the Basis of Design and OCI standards.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, and integrated systems, driving risk management, design maturity, and executive reporting throughout the

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in mission-critical facility engineering, hyperscale data center design, owner's engineering, or critical infrastructure development.
• 7+ years leading multidisciplinary engineering organizations or large infrastructure engineering programs.
• Extensive experience reviewing and validating third-party engineering designs for complex infrastructure projects.
• Deep expertise in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, and integrated building systems.
• Experience working with developers, engineering consultants, EPC firms, and contractor-led design organizations.
• Strong understanding of design reviews, engineering standards, commissioning, and infrastructure lifecycle management.
• Proven ability to influence engineering decisions across organizations without direct design ownership.

Responsibilities

• Lead OCI's Owner's Design Engineering organization and serve as engineering authority for third-party facility designs.
• Develop engineering review processes ensuring BOD, standards, and lifecycle requirements are met.
• Establish multidisciplinary teams spanning mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, and systems engineering.
• Create standardized review procedures and sign-off processes across OCI's global portfolio.
• Oversee design reviews through all project phases and coordinate with developers and consultants.
• Provide engineering leadership during construction, commissioning, and start-up activities.
• Drive engineering risk management and executive reporting on readiness and project status.
• Represent OCI Engineering in executive design reviews and governance meetings.

Skills

Leadership

Systems thinking

Engineering management

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Design review

Risk management

Executive reporting

Education

Bachelor's or higher in Mechanical/Electrical/Systems Engineering

PE license preferred

Job description

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Design Engineering Leadership

• Build and lead OCI's Owner's Design Engineering organization supporting developer-led GW-scale infrastructure projects.
• Serve as OCI's engineering authority for third-party facility designs throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop engineering review processes that ensure infrastructure designs meet OCI's Basis of Design (BOD), engineering standards, operational requirements, and long-term infrastructure strategy.
• Establish multidisciplinary engineering teams spanning mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, controls, and integrated systems engineering.
• Develop standardized engineering review procedures, technical acceptance criteria, and engineering sign-off processes across OCI's global development portfolio.

Design Validation & Technical Assurance

• Lead comprehensive engineering reviews of developer-produced design packages through all phases of design.
• Validate compliance with OCI engineering specifications, design standards, operational requirements, resiliency objectives, maintainability expectations, and lifecycle performance criteria.
• Evaluate engineering calculations, equipment selections, system architectures, controls philosophies, redundancy strategies, and integrated system performance.
• Identify technical risks, design deficiencies, constructability concerns, and operational impacts early in the design process.
• Work collaboratively with developers, architects, engineers of record, and consultants to resolve technical issues while maintaining project schedules.

Basis of Design & Standards Compliance

• Ensure developer designs remain aligned with OCI's Basis of Design throughout project execution.
• Review engineering deviations, design exceptions, and value engineering proposals for technical and operational impact.
• Validate implementation of OCI engineering standards across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, fire protection, and supporting infrastructure systems.
• Ensure engineering decisions maintain consistency with OCI's global infrastructure platform while supporting regional code and regulatory requirements.

Construction Engineering Support

• Partner with Construction and Capacity Delivery to provide engineering support throughout project execution.
• Evaluate field engineering issues, Requests for Information (RFIs), submittals, and proposed design modifications.
• Validate that construction changes maintain engineering intent and continue to satisfy OCI technical requirements.
• Provide engineering leadership supporting issue resolution during construction and startup activities.
• Participate in design coordination meetings with developers, contractors, and engineering consultants.

Commissioning & Operational Readiness

• Partner with Commissioning teams to ensure systems are tested against OCI performance expectations.
• Review commissioning plans, integrated systems testing, functional testing, and acceptance criteria.
• Validate engineering readiness prior to rack deployment and operational turnover.
• Support technical issue resolution during startup, commissioning, and early operations.
• Ensure commissioning findings are incorporated into future engineering standards and design guidance.

Engineering Risk Management

• Develop engineering risk assessment methodologies for developer-led projects.
• Identify technical, operational, schedule, and lifecycle risks throughout the design process.
• Drive mitigation strategies with developers and engineering partners.
• Provide executive reporting on engineering readiness, technical risks, design maturity, and project status.
• Establish engineering metrics measuring design quality, compliance, issue resolution, and technical performance across the portfolio.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Ensure OCI engineering standards continue to evolve based on deployment experience.
• Work with Infrastructure Engineering, Construction, Capacity Delivery, Commissioning, Supply Chain, and Operations to ensure engineering continuity throughout the project lifecycle.
• Represent OCI Engineering during executive design reviews, project governance meetings, and strategic developer engagements.

Qualifications Required Experience

• 15+ years of experience in mission-critical facility engineering, hyperscale data center design, owner's engineering, or critical infrastructure development.
• 7+ years leading multidisciplinary engineering organizations or large infrastructure engineering programs.
• Extensive experience reviewing and validating third-party engineering designs for complex infrastructure projects.
• Deep expertise in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, and integrated building systems.
• Experience working with developers, engineering consultants, EPC firms, and contractor-led design organizations.
• Strong understanding of design reviews, engineering standards, commissioning, and infrastructure lifecycle management.
• Proven ability to influence engineering decisions across organizations without direct design ownership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting hyperscale cloud or AI data center developments.
• Experience with developer-led or build-to-suit data center delivery models.
• Familiarity with Basis of Design (BOD) development, engineering standards, and owner's technical requirements.
• Experience supporting GW-scale infrastructure projects.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or advanced degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering preferred.

Leadership Characteristics

• Strong engineering leader with a systems-level understanding of mission-critical infrastructure.
• Exceptional technical reviewer capable of balancing engineering rigor with project execution.
• Influential collaborator who builds productive relationships with developers, consultants, and cross-functional OCI teams.
• Decisive leader with sound engineering judgment and a proactive approach to risk management.
• Passion for engineering excellence, operational reliability, and scalable infrastructure delivery.