Special Projects Manager - Data Center Operations Construction

Job Description

Job Description

Location: Onsite – Saline, MI; Abilene, TX; Shackelford County, TX; El Paso, NM; Wisconsin; Nashville, TN (HQ). Relocation assistance available.

Organization: Data Center Operations – Special Projects / Facilities Remediation
Employment Type: Full-time, onsite – people manager role
Compensation: $100,000–$210,000 base salary, depending on level and experience; may be eligible for bonus and equity

About the Opportunity

CAPISIUS Consulting is recruiting on behalf of a client delivering large-scale cloud data center infrastructure programs. The client's name is confidential at this stage and will be disclosed to qualified candidates during the interview process.

Role Overview

The Special Projects Manager, Data Center Operations Construction, leads the planning, execution, and delivery of complex infrastructure projects within live, mission-critical data center environments. This role manages post-construction initiatives, including MEP upgrades, lifecycle replacements, capacity expansions, reliability improvements, break-fix recovery projects, and operational readiness activities, while ensuring minimal impact to ongoing operations.

The role owns project governance from scope definition through execution and closeout, coordinating with Data Center Operations, Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Reliability, Safety, vendors, contractors, and site leadership. You will manage schedules, budgets, risks, vendor performance, documentation, and operational handoff requirements while ensuring work is executed safely and meets reliability, maintainability, and business objectives.

This is a role for a manager who can lead high-impact construction and remediation work in live or partially live critical environments while developing project talent and ensuring consistent execution across multiple workstreams. The ideal candidate brings proven experience managing complex MEP projects in mission-critical environments, with the ability to drive accountability, resolve issues, and deliver predictable outcomes in fast-paced, high-visibility data center operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead assigned remediation, retrofit, capacity expansion, lifecycle replacement, break-fix recovery, and special facilities projects from concept through design, permitting, construction, commissioning, and closeout.
• Manage project setup, including budget development, schedule creation, scope alignment, execution planning, and oversight through completion.
• Lead all phases of project delivery, including pre-construction, design development, permitting and entitlements, competitive bid processes, contractor selection, construction oversight, commissioning, and turnover.
• Manage project managers, coordinators, external project resources, or assigned delivery personnel supporting remediation and retrofit execution.
• Act as the primary leader coordinating internal stakeholders across Data Center Operations, Facilities Operations, Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Reliability, Safety, Procurement, Finance, Security, and site leadership.
• Translate requirements from subject matter experts and operations teams into executable project scopes that preserve long-term operational sustainability.
• Lead design coordination across internal teams, design-build partners, consultants, and contractors to ensure technical and operational requirements are incorporated into the project.
• Oversee physical construction activities on site, including quality, safety, contractor performance, sequencing, and adherence to site work rules, while ensuring minimal impact to ongoing operations in live facilities.
• Manage project scope, budget, schedule, risk, staffing, and partner performance in alignment with company standards and campus operating constraints.
• Coordinate owner-furnished, contractor-installed (OFCI) equipment planning, logistics, and integration into project delivery.
• Lead commissioning and turnover activities for critical systems integration across existing data center environments and remediation scopes.
• Ensure complete and accurate turnover documentation is delivered to Operations, including closeout records, drawings, commissioning results, and other required project artifacts.
• Partner with site operations teams to coordinate work with ongoing maintenance, operations, change-management, and customer-impact considerations in live facilities.
• Drive day-to-day project decisions to conclusion, escalating risk, business-impact, or resource concerns when appropriate.
• Own project resource allocation, workflow prioritization, and team utilization across assigned programs.
• Support financial governance through forecasting, variance reporting, contractor billing review, approval packages, and coordination with finance partners.
• Lead lessons learned and continuous improvement efforts to strengthen future remediation and retrofit execution across the portfolio.
• Support hiring, onboarding, coaching, and development of project delivery staff.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in project management, construction management, remediation, retrofit delivery, or technical infrastructure programs.
• 2+ years of experience leading project teams, project engineers, coordinators, or third-party project resources.
• Prior data center experience is required, with strong knowledge of critical facility infrastructure, including electrical, mechanical, controls, and life-safety systems.
• Strong experience in complex and technical construction environments such as mission-critical, industrial, utility, healthcare, semiconductor, or data center facilities.
• Experience delivering projects in live operational environments where safety, uptime, continuity, and coordination with ongoing operations are critical.
• Strong understanding of both CSA (civil, structural, architectural) and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) scopes, with the ability to coordinate technical and operational stakeholders through construction and turnover.
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a similar field preferred; equivalent experience also valued.
• Visa / work permit sponsorship is not available for this position.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong project and people leadership, with the ability to guide teams through complex remediation and retrofit work from concept through closeout.
• Strong budget, schedule, staffing, and contractor management capability.
• Strong communication and stakeholder coordination across technical, operational, and business functions.
• Ability to balance execution speed, safety, operational continuity, and long-term maintainability.
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving in dynamic, fast-paced, high-visibility project environments.
• Strong quality mindset with disciplined follow-through on documentation, turnover, and project controls.
• Ability to lead through influence while reinforcing accountability, clarity, and execution discipline across project teams.

Preferred Skills / Certifications

• Experience in data center, critical facilities, or other uptime-sensitive construction environments.
• Experience with remediation, retrofit, tenant improvement, infrastructure upgrade, or brownfield construction programs.
• Familiarity with commissioning, turnover, operational handoff, and project closeout requirements in mission-critical environments.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project management tools such as MS Project or Primavera P6.
• PMP, CCM, PE, or similar construction / project management credentials are a plus.
• Experience with contractor qualification, bid management, permitting coordination, project forecasting, and team resource planning is strongly preferred.

Key Skills (Search Keywords)

Data Center Construction • Mission-Critical Facilities • Hyperscale Data Centers • Live Data Center Environments • Special Projects • Remediation Projects • Retrofit • Capacity Expansion • Lifecycle Replacement • Break-Fix Recovery • MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) • CSA (Civil, Structural, Architectural) • Project Management • Construction Management • Pre-Construction • Design Coordination • Permitting and Entitlements • Competitive Bidding • Contractor Selection • Construction Oversight • Commissioning • Operational Handoff • Turnover Documentation • Project Closeout • Change Management • Uptime • Electrical Infrastructure • Mechanical Infrastructure • Controls Systems • Life-Safety Systems • OFCI (Owner-Furnished, Contractor-Installed) Equipment • Budget Development • Forecasting • Variance Reporting • Vendor Management • Risk Management • Stakeholder Alignment • Brownfield Construction • Tenant Improvement • MS Project • Primavera P6 • PMP • CCM • PE (Professional Engineer)

Work Environment / Physical Demands

This role supports mission-critical data center facilities and requires regular engagement in both office and active site environments. To perform these duties, you must be able to frequently walk, stand, sit, climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, and move through construction and operational areas. You may occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds. These duties must be performed safely, with or without reasonable accommodation, to support project execution in active facilities environments.

Why Join?

• Global impact at scale: Contribute directly to how mission-critical data centers operate across regions, influencing infrastructure reliability, security, sustainability, and long-term capacity growth.
• Technically rigorous environment: Work alongside experienced engineers, operations leaders, and compliance teams in a rapidly scaling hyperscale cloud infrastructure organization, where disciplined execution and technical depth matter.
• Culture built on operational excellence: Join an organization that values safety, process rigor, clear accountability, and continuous improvement as foundational to protecting uptime and customer trust.
• Long-term career development: Benefit from internal mobility, role-based technical training, and development opportunities designed for professionals building long-term careers in cloud infrastructure and facilities operations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

CAPISIUS Consulting and its client are equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Both CAPISIUS Consulting and its client are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. If you require an accommodation to participate in the recruiting process, please let us know when you apply.