VP of Construction Data Centers ( Remote )

Position Summary The VP of Construction (Data Centers) is the executive owner for planning, executing, and delivering missioncritical data center programs greenfield, brownfield expansions, and live-site retrofits. This role leads the full lifecycle from preconstruction and design management through construction, integrated systems testing (IST), and turnover, ensuring safety, schedule, budget, and quality while meeting data center performance targets (PUE/WUE), redundancy requirements (N/Tier), and reliability objectives. The VP partners across Development, Design/Engineering, IT/Network, Security, Real Estate, Finance, Procurement, and Operations to align delivery with business capacity plans and customer SLAs. The role leads internal teams and external GC/CMs, trade partners, commissioning agents, and specialty vendors (MEP, critical power, controls, structured cabling). Core Responsibilities Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Define the data center construction strategy and multisite delivery playbook across regions (hyperscale, colocation/wholesale, edge).
• Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs), methods of procedure (MOPs), emergency operating procedures (EOPs), and change management for live sites.
• Build and maintain a rolling portfolio roadmap aligned to capacity forecasts, site readiness, utilities, and supply chain constraints.
• Drive prefabrication/modular strategies (e.g., power skids, ehouses, modular UPS, prefabricated MEP racks) to reduce risk and schedule.

Preconstruction & Design Management

• Lead site due diligence, constructability, logistics plans, and phasing to protect live operations.
• Oversee estimates, ROM to GMP, risk contingencies, value engineering, and alternates.
• Partner with Design/Engineering on basis of design (BOD), Uptime Tier requirements, TIA942, ASHRAE TC 9.9 thermal guidelines, and NEC/NFPA/IEEE compliance.
• Align sequence of operations for BMS/EPMS/SCADA and integration with security and network systems.

Execution & Delivery

• Own endtoend delivery for civil/structural and MEP/FP scopes, including mediumvoltage distribution, switchgear, UPS/topologies (2N, N+1), generators, fuel systems, CRAH/CRAC, chiller/evap systems, DCIM/BMS/EPMS, structured cabling, white space fitout, and yard infrastructure.
• Approve master schedules (L1–L4), staffing plans, procurement logs, and longlead critical path (e.g., transformers, switchgear, generators, chillers).
• Manage change orders, claims, and cost controls; run monthly cost reports, cash flow, and forecast-at-complete.
• Ensure rigorous QA/QC, factory acceptance tests (FAT), site acceptance tests (SAT), and commissioning L1–L5/Integrated Systems Testing (IST) with clear acceptance criteria.

Risk, Safety & Compliance

• Champion zeroincident culture; enforce OSHA, NFPA 70E, lockout/tagout (LOTO), energized work permitting, and hotwork protocols.
• Lead risk registers for utility interconnects, energization, concurrent maintainability, and livesite change control.
• Ensure compliance with NEC, NFPA, IEEE, ICC, local AHJ requirements, and environmental permits.
• Own incident response and rootcause analysis for any commissioning or livesite events.

Vendor, Contracting & Supply Chain

• Structure sourcing strategies (GC/CM, EPC, trade partners) and negotiate contracts/GMPs to drive best value and schedule certainty.
• Build manufacturer partnerships for longlead gear and spares strategies; implement factory witness testing and expediting protocols.
• Enforce performance KPIs and SLAs with vendors; manage dispute resolution.

Stakeholder Communication & Reporting

• Provide executive dashboards on schedule, budget, risk, readiness for poweron/IST, and handover.
• Coordinate with Operations/DC Ops/Facilities for turnover, MOPs, spare parts, O&M manuals, training, and warranty plans.
• Support customer tours, due diligence, and capacity reservation milestones (for colo/wholesale).

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Deploy BIM/VDC, model coordination, clash detection, and 4D/5D workflows.
• Implement Lean Construction (Last Planner System), takt planning, and progressive commissioning readiness.
• Track and improve PUE/WUE targets, energy efficiency measures, and sustainability certifications (e.g., LEED, WELL, water reuse where applicable).
• Conduct afteraction reviews to capture lessons learned and update standards/details.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, Electrical/Mechanical/Civil Engineering, or related field.
• 15+ years of progressive construction leadership with 7+ years delivering missioncritical/data center projects at scale.
• Proven track record managing large, complex MEP programs and commissioning (L1–L5/IST) to successful turnover.
• Deep knowledge of critical power (MV distribution, switchgear, UPS, generators, paralleling gear, ATS/STS) and cooling systems (air/watercooled chillers, CRAH/CRAC, containment, economization).
• Demonstrated ability to manage GMP/EPC contracts, cost controls, scheduling (Primavera P6/MS Project), and change management.
• Strong safety leadership with working knowledge of OSHA, NFPA 70/70E, NEC, IEEE standards.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across executives, operators, AHJs, utilities, and customers.
• Ability to travel to job sites and support offhours events during energization, cutovers, or incident response.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree (CM, Engineering, or MBA).
• Experience delivering hyperscale campuses and/or colocation facilities across multiple regions.
• Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier design/operational principles, TIA942, ASHRAE TC 9.9, and ISO 27001/22301 facility interfaces.
• Background implementing prefab/modular delivery (ehouses, skids, modular data halls) and designformanufacture & assembly (DfMA).
• Certifications: CCM, PMP, PE, LEED AP, OSHA 30.
• Experience with BMS/EPMS/DCIM platforms, SCADA integration, and network/security coordination.
• Demonstrated success improving PUE/WUE, water stewardship, and grid/renewables integration (e.g., demand response, onsite generation, energy storage).
• Proven leadership in livesite environments with robust MOP/SOP/EOP governance.

Please note that our client currently unable to sponsor new applicants for employment authorization or provide immigration-related support for this position. This includes, but is not limited to, visa categories such as H-1B, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, F-1 CPT, J-1, TN, E-2, E-3, L-1, O-1, and any Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) or other work authorizations that require employer sponsorship. The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, drug free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable. Featured benefits

• Medical insurance
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid maternity leave
• Paid paternity leave
• Disability insurance

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