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

Ll Oefentherapie; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

OCI seeks a Design Engineering Leader to build and lead the Owner's Design Engineering organization for developer-led, GW-scale infrastructure projects. You will serve as the engineering authority for third-party facility designs and develop review processes aligned with the Basis of Design.

You will coordinate across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, and other disciplines, drive risk management, commissioning readiness, and ensure compliance with OCI standards across global projects,

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in mission-critical facility engineering or hyperscale data centers.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering organizations or large programs.
• Extensive experience reviewing third-party designs for complex infrastructure.
• Deep expertise in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, and integrated building systems.
• Experience working with developers, consultants, EPC firms, and contractor-led design teams.
• Strong ability to influence engineering decisions without direct ownership.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Owner's Design Engineering organization for developer-led, GW-scale infrastructure projects.
• Serve as OCI's engineering authority for third-party facility designs throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop review processes aligning with Basis of Design and OCI standards across the portfolio.
• Establish multidisciplinary engineering teams spanning mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and controls.
• Drive design reviews, risk assessment, construction support, and commissioning readiness.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional

Governance

Systems thinking

Education

PE license

Advanced engineering degree

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.