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Decima International · 2 weeks ago

Senior Engineering Design Manager - Remote (United States)

United States

Full-time

Remote

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

15+ years exp

Decima International is a professional services company that delivers project management and controls services in the U.S. and the Middle East. The Senior Engineering Design Manager will support multiple data center projects, ensuring multidisciplinary designs meet client requirements and operational goals while managing several projects across multiple regions.

Civil EngineeringConstructionProfessional ServicesProject Management

No H1B

Responsibilities

Act as the owner’s trusted design authority, ensuring all multidisciplinary designs meet program requirements, operational goals, and long-term reliability objectives

Serve as the primary liaison between the owner and the external design team, ensuring client requirements, performance criteria, and operational needs are clearly communicated, interpreted, and incorporated into coordinated design solutions across all disciplines

Review and approve consultant design packages (concept, SD, DD, IFP, IFC) across CSA, MEP, ICT, and Security disciplines

Provide critical evaluation of proposed solutions, identifying gaps, risks, interdisciplinary inconsistencies, constructability issues, or value-engineering opportunities that protect the owner’s interests

Lead technical and commercial negotiations with designers, contractors, and specialty consultants

Provide technical leadership and strategic oversight across all data center design disciplines, ensuring systems are resilient, efficient, scalable, secure, and maintainable

Oversee civil, structural, and architectural design elements, including: Site development, grading, utilities, and drainage; Structural systems and building envelopes; Architectural layouts, space planning, and constructability; Life-safety, fire separation, and code compliance coordination

Validate design assumptions, calculations, and interdisciplinary coordination

Oversee key mechanical systems, including: Data center cooling (CRAH/CRAC, chilled water, DX, evaporative cooling); Hydronics and fluid distribution; Heat rejection systems; Airflow management, pressurization, and containment strategies; Smoke exhaust and other life-safety systems

Review and validate CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) models to ensure efficient airflow, thermal performance, and operational reliability

Validate mechanical design calculations, equipment selections, and modeling outputs

Evaluate and guide the development of electrical power systems, including: Medium-voltage and low-voltage distribution; UPS systems and battery/energy-storage technologies; Generators, switchgear, and paralleling gear; Protective relaying, grounding, and bonding; Emergency power, lighting, and controls

Review load studies, short-circuit analyses, arc flash studies, and selective coordination plans

Oversee ICT and security system designs, including: Structured cabling and pathways; Network rooms and data halls integration; Physical security systems (access control, CCTV, monitoring systems); Integration with building management and operational systems

Ensure alignment with client security standards and operational requirements

Drive the design review and governance process, ensuring alignment with codes, standards, and the owner’s design basis

Coordinate interdisciplinary design integration across CSA, MEP, ICT, Security, controls, and other engineering disciplines

Manage design budgets, forecasts, and cost controls using ERP systems, ensuring alignment with program financial objectives

Manage specifications, technical standards, and consultant submittals to ensure consistency and compliance

Lead and manage value engineering initiatives to optimize cost, performance, and constructability without compromising reliability or client requirements

Oversee BIM coordination, clash detection, and model reviews using Revit and Navisworks to ensure fully coordinated, construction-ready designs

Ensure all design deliverables are complete, coordinated, and construction-ready

Maintain design logs, review matrices, risk registers, decision documentation, and change records

Provide design-intent interpretation during construction and ensure contractors’ work aligns with approved drawings, specifications, and client requirements

Manage and review RFIs, submittals, and field issues to ensure alignment with design intent and contractual obligations

Evaluate all design-related change order requests across CSA, Mechanical, Electrical, ICT, and Security disciplines, including: Determining root cause (design development, unforeseen conditions, scope gaps, or contractor means/methods); Assessing technical and commercial validity; Identifying alternate solutions or mitigation strategies; Leading technical negotiations to minimize unnecessary change costs; Ensuring documentation is compliant, justified, and properly approved

Participate in commissioning planning, witness system testing, and validate that installed systems meet performance, security, and reliability requirements

Work closely with program management, operations, construction, finance, and external designers to ensure design solutions meet functional, operational, and business objectives

Communicate design decisions, risks, and recommendations clearly and effectively to leadership and external stakeholders

Qualification

Data center designMultidisciplinary design managementBIM coordinationProfessional Engineer (PE) licenseHyperscale data centersBudget managementTechnical leadershipStakeholder managementCommunication skillsOrganizational skillsMentoringProblem-solving

Required

15+ years of design experience in data centers or mission-critical environments across CSA, MEP, ICT, and Security disciplines

5+ years as an owner's representative, design manager, or consulting lead managing multidisciplinary design teams

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related discipline

Extensive experience with hyperscale data center programs

Strong understanding of applicable codes and standards, including: ASHRAE, NFPA, Uptime Institute, NEC, NFPA 70/70E, IEEE standards, International Building Code (IBC) and local jurisdictional requirements

Proven ability to manage external design firms, control budgets, and hold partners accountable for performance

Demonstrated experience with BIM coordination, clash detection, and model review processes

Professional Engineer (PE) license or equivalent professional certification