Data Center Detailed Design & MEP Execution Lead

The Opportunity

Black & Veatch is seeking an experienced Data Center Detailed Design & MEP Execution Lead to provide executive-level technical and delivery leadership for hyperscale, colocation, and mission-critical data center design programs. The leader will be accountable for establishing the execution model, assembling and developing multidisciplinary teams, and delivering coordinated design through construction documents and construction administration. 

This role will connect project directors, project managers, engineering managers, discipline leads, BIM/VDC, quality, and regional delivery teams. The successful candidate will bring deep data center design experience and the ability to translate client requirements and basis-of-design criteria into safe, reliable, constructible, scalable, and commercially sound design deliverables. 

The position is delivery focused. It is expected to strengthen detailed design execution, technical integration, quality, predictable performance, and repeatability across a growing portfolio. 

Key Responsibilities

Detailed Design Delivery Leadership 

• Lead multidisciplinary data center design execution from concept and basis of design through schematic design, design development, permitting, construction documents, procurement support, construction administration, and closeout. 
• Establish the project-specific design execution plan, organization, workshare model, design schedule, deliverable register, decision cadence, and discipline interfaces. 
• Provide oversight across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, controls, civil, structural, architecture, telecom/security interfaces, and campus utility connections. 
• Ensure designs support reliability, redundancy, maintainability, resiliency, energy and water performance, phased deployment, and future expansion requirements. 

MEP and Technical Integration 

• Lead integration of critical power, cooling, plumbing, fire protection, controls, and building systems with the data hall, core-and-shell, central utility, substation, generation, and campus infrastructure scopes. 
• Drive coordinated resolution of technical interfaces, including utility service, medium- and low-voltage distribution, backup power, UPS, cooling architecture, controls, water systems, life safety, and commissioning requirements. 
• Chair interdisciplinary design reviews and technical decision forums; maintain clear ownership, action tracking, comment resolution, and escalation paths. 
• Coordinate internal subject matter experts and external architecture/engineering partners where specialized or supplemental capability is required. 

Execution, Quality, and Risk 

• Own engineering delivery performance for scope, schedule, budget, quality, coordination, and technical risk. 
• Establish and enforce design review, checking, model coordination, interdisciplinary review, and quality-control requirements. 
• Identify constructability, procurement, long-lead equipment, permitting, code, interface, and schedule risks early and drive mitigation plans. 
• Support project leadership with estimates, staffing plans, earned progress, change management, claims avoidance, and executive reporting. 

Team and Capability Leadership 

• Build, organize, mentor, and develop data center engineering managers, discipline leads, design managers, BIM/VDC leaders, and emerging technical talent. 
• Define role clarity and decision rights across project directors, project managers, engineering managers, design managers, discipline leads, and delivery centers. 
• Create repeatable execution practices, design guides, checklists, templates, lessons learned, and training that improve consistency across projects. 
• Balance internal resources, regional delivery centers, and external partners to create scalable teams while maintaining accountability and technical quality. 

Client and Project Leadership 

• Serve as a senior delivery and technical interface with client design, engineering, construction, procurement, commissioning, and operations stakeholders. 
• Translate client standards, reference designs, technical requirements, and commercial commitments into clear execution requirements for the project team. 
• Support project directors and project managers in issue resolution, recovery planning, client communications, and delivery assurance. 
• Participate in proposal and contract reviews to confirm scope clarity, staffing strategy, schedule realism, risks, assumptions, and deliverability. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, architectural, civil, or related engineering discipline, or a closely related field. 
• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in engineering and design delivery for complex buildings or mission-critical infrastructure, including substantial experience in data center detailed design. 
• Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary MEP and supporting design teams on large or concurrent projects. 
• Experience leading design through construction documents, permitting, procurement support, construction administration, commissioning support, and issue resolution. 
• Demonstrated accountability for engineering scope, schedule, budget, quality, technical risk, discipline interfaces, and client-facing technical discussions. 
• Experience coordinating internal teams, global or regional delivery centers, and external architecture/engineering partners. 
• Working knowledge of data center critical power, cooling, controls, fire protection, plumbing, civil/structural/architectural, BIM/VDC, constructability, and commissioning interfaces. 
• Ability to communicate clearly with executive, client, project, engineering, and field stakeholders and to make timely decisions in a fast-moving environment.
• Professional Engineer or Architect registration. 
• Experience with hyperscale or colocation provider standards, reference designs, site-adapt programs, and repeatable design platforms. 
• Experience as a Project Director, Engineering Manager, Design Director, MEP Director, or comparable detailed design execution leader. 
• Experience with modular or prefabricated systems, high-density compute, advanced cooling, high-availability electrical systems, and phased campus deployment. 
• Experience developing scalable design teams, standards, quality systems, and delivery partnerships across multiple regions. 
• Experience with Revit-based multidisciplinary delivery, BIM execution planning, model coordination, digital delivery, and document-control workflows. 
• Commercial awareness related to scope definition, fee development, subcontracting, change management, schedule recovery, and claims avoidance. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• All applicants must be able to complete pre-employment onboarding requirements (if selected) which may include any/all of the following: criminal/civil background check, drug screen, and motor vehicle records search, in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

• Hybrid or flexible work options may be offered after the first 90 days of employment based upon manager discretion, job performance and work assignments.
• Typical office environment, typical construction environment, extreme weather conditions, high noise level, safety hazards (electric currents, working on scaffolding and high places, exposure to chemicals), atmospheric conditions (fumes, odors, dusts, mists, gases, poor ventilation).
• Sitting, walking, talking, hearing, reading, writing, keyboarding, driving, filing, reaching, stooping, crouching, bending, standing for extended periods of time, lifting or carrying up to 40 pounds.