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Regional Head of Design Management, EMEA

Job Description

Regional Head of Design Management, EMEA

Location: UK / Europe

Overview / Role Purpose

The EMEA Head of Engineering and Design Delivery is responsible for leading the delivery of scalable, cost-efficient, and high-quality design solutions across data centre developments throughout the EMEA region.

This role provides end-to-end leadership of the regional design management function, ensuring the effective translation of global reference design standards into project-specific solutions aligned with local regulatory requirements, site constraints, and customer needs. The position combines strategic oversight, technical leadership, and operational delivery, ensuring all projects are brought to market on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

A key focus of the role is driving design through the construction phase with a strong delivery mindset, ensuring that design solutions are practical, buildable, and aligned with programme and commercial realities, not solely technically correct.

The role also acts as the senior interface between internal teams, clients, consultants, contractors, and external stakeholders, ensuring strong governance, decision-making, and accountability across all aspects of design and engineering delivery.

Key Responsibilities

1. Design Leadership & Delivery

  • Lead the delivery of design solutions across a portfolio of hyperscale data centre projects in EMEA.
  • Oversee the adaptation of Global Reference Design into site-specific and customer-compliant solutions.
  • Ensure alignment with global standards while incorporating local regulatory, environmental, and technical requirements.
  • Drive consistency, quality, and continuous improvement across all design outputs.
  • Establish clear and timely decision-making frameworks balancing cost, programme, and technical requirements.

2. Design Process, Governance & Coordination

  • Lead and manage the full design review process across all regional projects.
  • Ensure all design deliverables meet required quality, programme, and cost expectations.
  • Act as the escalation point for design-related matters during project delivery and construction.
  • Maintain robust design governance, ensuring traceability, auditability, and alignment with contractual requirements.
  • Oversee implementation of the design during construction to maintain integrity and adherence to specifications.

3. Project Delivery, Schedule & Commercial Management

  • Ensure design programmes are aligned with overall project schedules and permitting timelines.
  • Oversee planning applications, permitting strategies, and derogation processes to maintain project momentum.
  • Manage the commercial aspects of design including cost estimates, change control, and budget adherence.
  • Ensure design outputs support project delivery objectives including buildability, sequencing, and commissioning requirements.
  • Provide oversight of design risks, proactively identifying and resolving issues impacting programme or cost.

4. Team Leadership & Development

  • Lead, manage, and develop a multi-country team of Design Managers and engineering professionals.
  • Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and delivery excellence.
  • Provide mentoring, coaching, and capability development across the regional team.
  • Enable confident and effective decision-making to maintain project momentum.

5. Consultant, Vendor & Stakeholder Management

  • Oversee appointment, performance, and accountability of design consultants and external partners.
  • Ensure consultants deliver to agreed scope, programme, cost, and quality standards.
  • Act as the senior point of contact between internal teams, clients, contractors, and consultants.
  • Ensure strong coordination across Development, Construction, Procurement, Commercial, Operations, and Legal teams.

6. Technical Oversight & Design Integrity

  • Provide senior technical leadership across Electrical, Mechanical, and CSA disciplines.
  • Ensure compliance with all technical standards, regulatory requirements, and internal design principles.
  • Promote innovation, constructability, and operational efficiency in all design solutions.
  • Conduct design audits to identify inconsistencies, risks, and gaps, ensuring timely resolution.

7. Client Requirements & Design Integration

  • Ensure customer requirements are fully integrated into design solutions while maintaining alignment with standard design principles.
  • Manage design interfaces related to lease requirements and client specifications.
  • Act as the single point of responsibility for design alignment with contractual and technical obligations.
  • Continuously refine and improve the Basis of Design through client and project feedback.

8. Due Diligence & Masterplanning

  • Lead technical due diligence activities for acquisitions and new developments across EMEA.
  • Ensure feasibility, compliance, and alignment with design standards at early project stages.
  • Oversee implementation of masterplan design and ensure clarity of design intent across all disciplines.

9. Regional Growth & Market Expansion

  • Support expansion into new EMEA markets, providing leadership on design strategy and mobilisation.
  • Ensure efficient adaptation of standards to new geographies and regulatory environments.
  • Leverage experience to de-risk market entry and optimise delivery models.

10. OFCI & Equipment Coordination

  • Ensure alignment of Owner-Furnished, Contractor-Installed (OFCI) equipment with design requirements.
  • Work closely with Procurement and Operations to integrate equipment into the overall design solution.
  • Ensure performance, compliance, and operational readiness of all critical systems.

11. Innovation, Market Intelligence & Continuous Improvement

  • Stay current with emerging technologies and best practices in data centre design and delivery.
  • Provide input to global design and equipment strategies based on market developments.
  • Drive improvements in sustainability, energy efficiency, and technical performance.

12. Reporting & Communication

  • Maintain clear, consistent communication with senior stakeholders and project teams.
  • Provide regular reporting on design progress, risks, cost, and programme performance.
  • Track KPIs including schedule adherence, cost control, and design quality.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

  • Strong technical background in Electrical, Mechanical, or CSA engineering.
  • Extensive experience in hyperscale data centre or mission-critical project delivery.
  • Proven track record of managing and driving design through the construction phase, with clear evidence of influencing on-site delivery and resolving real-time design challenges.
  • Strong delivery-focused mindset, with the ability to prioritise buildability, programme, sequencing, and commercial outcomes over purely technical design optimisation.
  • Proven leadership of multi-disciplinary, multi-country teams.
  • Strong commercial awareness and understanding of project delivery lifecycle.
  • Experience managing consultants, contractors, and complex stakeholder environments.
  • Demonstrated ability to align design delivery with programme and commercial objectives.
  • Experience working with global design standards or reference design frameworks.
  • Experience supporting entry into new markets within EMEA is advantageous.

What We Offer

  • Leadership role across a growing and diverse EMEA portfolio.
  • Exposure to major hyperscale developments and new market expansion.
  • Collaborative, fast-paced, and international working environment.
  • Competitive compensation and benefits package.