Job Summary

The Head of Design leads the engineering design function for data centre developments, overseeing the design of MEP plus CSA infrastructure, and related systems across new-build, retrofit, and expansion projects. This role owns design standards, leads a team of design engineers or technical specialists, and works closely with project delivery teams to deliver reliable, efficient, and scalable data centre facilities.

Key Responsibilities

Design Leadership

• Lead the end-to-end design process for data centre projects, from concept through detailed design, construction support, and commissioning handover.
• Own and continuously improve design standards, specifications, and basis-of-design documents.
• Review and approve designs, calculations, and drawings prepared by internal teams or external consultants / contractors.
• Drive design optimization from energy efficiency, reliability, modularity, speed to build with considerations of customer requirements as well as cost to build across all projects.
• Continuously explore the latest technologies on the market and support internal design & innovation projects.
• Lead internal standardisation initiative covering not only design related documents but also project management, construction management, commissioning management & etc., which are supported by relevant discipline leads.

Team Management

• Build, mentor, and manage a team of design engineers and coordinate with external design consultants.
• Set performance goals, conduct reviews, and support career development of direct reports.
• Allocate resources across multiple concurrent projects and manage workload and priorities.

Technical Oversight

• Evaluate and select power and cooling technologies appropriate to project requirements and industry trends (including AI/high-density rack cooling).
• Evaluate and select appropriate construction method from CSA side to project requirements as well as customers’ standards.
• Review vendor equipment selections, capacity calculations, etc.
• Lead value engineering exercises to balance cost, reliability, and schedule.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate closely with project delivery teams to ensure integrated design delivery.
• Liaise with clients, consultants, contractors, and regulatory bodies on design related matters.
• Work with operations/facilities teams to ensure designs support maintainability and operational requirements.

Project & Stakeholder Management

• Manage design timelines, budgets, and deliverables across multiple sites/projects.
• Present design solutions and technical recommendations to senior leadership and clients.
• Ensure compliance with local codes, standards (e.g., ASHRAE, Uptime Institute, TIA-942, LEED & etc.), and sustainability / energy regulations.

Key Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related discipline); Master's degree a plus.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or equivalent chartered engineer status preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of mechanical engineering design experience, with at least 5 years focused on mission-critical facilities or data centres.
• 3+ years in leadership/managerial capacity overseeing a design team.
• Proven track record delivering mechanical design for hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data centre projects.
• Experience working with end users, EPC contractors, MEP consultants, and OEM equipment vendors.

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of HVAC/cooling systems: CRAH/CRAC units, chillers, cooling towers, air/water-side economisers, liquid cooling & etc.
• Familiarity Power distribution systems: HV/LV, generator, UPS, battery & etc.
• Understanding of data centre redundancy topologies (N, N+1, N+2, 2N) and Uptime Institute Tier standards.
• Understanding of energy efficiency metrics (PUE, WUE) and sustainability considerations.
• Proficiency with design tools (AutoCAD, Revit/BIM, CFD modelling software).
• Working knowledge of relevant codes and standards (ASHRAE TC9.9, local mechanical/building codes, fire & life safety requirements as they relate to mechanical systems).

Leadership & Soft Skills

• Strong people management and team-building capabilities.
• Strong communication skills are required to establish effective and transparent communication channels.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, able to engage both technical and executive audiences.
• Strong project management skills; able to manage multiple concurrent design projects.
• Analytical and problem-solving mindset with attention to detail.

Others

• Willingness to travel to project sites as required.
• Experience in a fast-paced, growth-stage data centre or hyperscale environment is highly valued.

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