Associate Director – Project Management

Global DC Services Provider

Senior Leadership Role – Data Centre Construction & Engineering

£95,000–£120,000 + 2.5x Monthly Salary Bonus every May

£5,650 Car Allowance / Paid on monthly salary

Travel Allowance up to £5,000 / Paid on monthly salary

About the Opportunity

Join one of the world’s leading data centre service providers as an Associate Director – Project Manager, where you will shape the delivery of complex, high-value engineering and construction projects across a mission-critical global estate.

You will act as a senior leader within the Projects function, driving excellence across Business-as-Usual programmes and major capital developments. This role requires deep technical understanding, strong commercial awareness, and the ability to manage multi-disciplinary teams in high-resilience environments.

If you thrive in complex engineering settings, enjoy leading people, and take pride in delivering to the highest standards of safety, quality, and performance — this is a career-defining role.

Your Impact

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop the Project Management pod, acting as a senior escalation point throughout all project phases.
• Drive high performance, structured delivery, and technical excellence across a portfolio of data centre projects.
• Mentor emerging talent and ensure consistent application of best practice across the function.

End-to-End Project Delivery

• Plan, manage, and deliver engineering and construction projects across live data centre environments.
• Act as Employer’s Representative for major new-build and refurbishment schemes, ensuring business objectives are met.
• Guarantee compliance with corporate governance, technical standards, and statutory requirements.

Health, Safety & Risk Control

• Champion a safety-first culture; identify, manage, and report H&S risks.
• Lead or support incident investigations and ensure lessons learned are embedded into future delivery.
• Maintain risk registers, ensure mitigations are actioned, and drive proactive risk management.

Programme & Resource Coordination

• Monitor progress against master programmes and drive recovery strategies when required.
• Assess resource gaps and secure specialist project support as needed.
• Coordinate internal engineers, design teams, contractors, and suppliers to ensure seamless delivery.

Commercial & Procurement Oversight

• Lead procurement of design teams, specialist equipment, and contractors.
• Prepare and review tender documents, manage clarifications, evaluate bids, and support contract negotiations.
• Oversee budgets, cost plans, forecasting, and cashflows, ensuring robust financial governance.

Technical, Design & Quality Management

• Work closely with internal and external design teams across all RIBA stages.
• Review, challenge, and approve design proposals, ensuring alignment with technical standards and operational needs.
• Conduct inspections, benchmark quality, and ensure compliance with project requirements.

Energy, Environmental & Sustainability Leadership

• Promote energy efficiency and environmental considerations throughout design and construction.
• Support compliance with relevant legislation, sustainability targets, and ISO frameworks.

Change, Contract & Compliance Management

• Implement formal change control procedures for variations in cost, scope, or programme.
• Administer construction and consultant contracts, escalating issues where appropriate.
• Ensure all planning, environmental, and statutory consents are in place and properly managed.

Testing, Commissioning & Handover

• Oversee development and execution of testing and commissioning plans with engineering teams.
• Coordinate attendance, track defects, and ensure all anomalies are resolved.
• Lead Section/Practical Completion processes, manage snagging, and deliver complete documentation packages.
• Ensure a seamless transition to Operations teams, including training and handover support.

Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

• Chair progress meetings, prepare reports, and maintain strong cross-functional communication.
• Deliver updates and presentations to senior leadership and business stakeholders.
• Foster collaboration across engineering, operations, commercial, and external delivery partners.

What You’ll Bring

Essential

• 5+ years working in data centre or mission-critical environments (e.g., hyperscale, colocation, critical infrastructure).
• 10+ years’ technical and project management experience.
• Strong leadership capability with experience managing teams across multiple projects.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to deliver complex projects in controlled and compliance-driven environments.
• Strong commercial awareness with demonstrated cost, contract, and vendor management experience.
• Comfortable working in high-pressure environments with strict deadlines and risk profiles.

Desirable

• Degree in Engineering, Construction, Project Management or related field.
• Membership of a relevant professional institution (APM, PMI, ICE, IMechE, etc.).
• Experience with EDMS systems and workflow management tools (ASite preferred).
• Familiarity with IET MF/1 and JCT construction contract forms.

Your Strengths & Attributes

Analytical • Methodical • Professional • Honest • Quality-driven • Focused

Exceptional interpersonal skills • Confident with Microsoft Office & project management tools

How You Work

Customer First

You build trust, communicate with clarity, and resolve issues quickly.

Collaborative

You work well with multi-disciplinary teams and share knowledge freely.

Ownership & Accountability

You take initiative, challenge inefficiencies, and continuously improve delivery.

Performance Driven

You commit to deadlines, exceed targets, and deliver consistently high outcomes.

Transparent & Courageous

You communicate openly, challenge constructively, and seek better ways of working.

Energy & Enthusiasm

You motivate teams and represent the organisation with pride.

Ready to Lead Mission-Critical Projects?

This is a unique opportunity to influence major programmes across a rapidly growing global data centre portfolio. If you're a project delivery leader who thrives in complex, technical environments, we’d love to hear from you. APPLY NOW!!!!!!!!!!