Design Manager

At Rowan Digital Infrastructure, we are transforming data center delivery for speed and scale. Our mission is to deliver best-in-class data center solutions to hyperscale customers who share our commitment to sustainability, with an unwavering focus on efficiency, quality, and flexibility. Our data center solutions are tailored to our customers’ needs and delivered by our exceptional end-to-end team.

Rowan is assembling a strategic portfolio of data center sites in Tier 1 markets across the United States at various stages of development, and we’re looking for incredible and passionate people to help us advance our company and our commitment to building a more sustainable future.

Role Summary

We are looking for a Design Manager to provide engineering and/or architectural expertise to support projects across the Rowan data center project portfolio. This position is a critical part of the technical team that will help support all aspects of the Rowan approach from site origination through facility operations. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of successfully providing both design and field-level engineering support for complex development projects in the data center, industrial design/build, or similar industrial construction industries.

The successful candidate will have 9+ years of experience participating in and leading large-scale commercial/industrial development, architectural, or civil design projects, with 3-5+ years of hands-on experience overseeing construction activities in the field. They must possess strong knowledge of best practices, safety standards, and quality control procedures, along with expertise in sustainability and integrated design guidelines.

Key responsibilities include strategic thinking, customer service orientation, excellent organizational and communication skills, the ability to multitask, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, direct, and manage architectural and engineering consultants in the design, permitting, and coordination of data center building and site design, inclusive of civil, geotechnical, architectural, structural, MEP, security, and controls disciplines.
• Collaborate with internal Subject Matter Expert engineering teams (electrical, mechanical, controls) to drive a cohesive data center building design.
• Coordinate with and ensure Rowan’s understanding of any engineering-related customer design requirements on a project-by-project basis.
• Provide on-site field support as needed during construction, ensuring that engineering work is executed according to design specifications and standards.
• Collaborate with the design and construction teams to address site-specific challenges and make recommendations to optimize designs for constructability.
• Interface with and serve Rowan’s Commercial team and program managers for key stakeholder decisions related to design.
• Support the preparation of construction documents, including drawings, specifications, and scopes of work, for all components of data center projects.
• Review contractor work, submittals, and RFIs to ensure that engineering elements adhere to Rowan's standards of quality and project requirements.
• Nurture and create relationships with permitting agencies and client technical experts.
• Identify risks during all stages of the project lifecycle from site origination through operations.
• Support the site origination team through technical reviews of existing site conditions and infrastructure associated with potential sites.
• Advise the development team with technical expertise from a preconstruction perspective.
• Support the growth of the engineering team and Rowan by helping to establish engineering standards and processes.
• Support other technical tasks not listed as required.
• Support site construction teams with engineering pre-construction services as an internal client.
• Work with government and jurisdictional agencies on complex environmental review, permitting, and Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) approval processes.

Education, Skills, and Experience

• Accredited professional degree in Architecture, Engineering, or related field.
• PE (Professional Engineer) or AIA (American Institute of Architects) certification required.
• 9+ years of experience participating in and leading large-scale commercial/industrial development, architectural, or civil design projects.
• 3-5+ years of hands-on experience overseeing construction activities in the field with strong knowledge of best practices, safety standards, and quality control procedures.
• Knowledge of construction practices and processes required.
• Knowledge of sustainability and integrated design guidelines.
• Knowledge of QA/QC and specification processes.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to coordinate large teams and consultants.
• Ability to communicate and present ideas in a clear, concise, and professional manner both verbally and in writing.
• Experience communicating with senior leaders and executives at all levels of the organization.
• Knowledge of data center industry and trends preferred.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite, AutoCAD, REVIT, GIS, and Blue Beam Revu.
• Ability to work with little oversight; Rowan team collaborates constantly, but the successful candidate should be comfortable working independently.