Senior Manager, Design, AMERS

Nscale is hiring a Senior Design Manager to own the end-to-end design delivery of assigned data center projects. The role leads AE teams and coordinates stakeholders, procurement, permitting, design quality, and construction administration through project turnover to Operations.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the single point of accountability for design on assigned data center projects, from AE engagement through construction documents, permitting, Construction Administration, and turnover to Operations
• Build and own the project design schedule, sequencing deliverables to support long-lead equipment procurement, early-release packages, permitting milestones, and construction start
• Translate Nscale's design standards, campus master plan, and conceptual design basis into clear scopes of work for the AE team
• Drive design decisions with a clear hierarchy of priorities: safety first, then schedule, quality, cost, and sustainability
• Manage multiple concurrent projects or phases without losing visibility or control on any of them
• Define the AE scope of services, deliverables, and schedule for each project, and prepare and issue RFPs to the approved AE bench
• Evaluate proposals, lead fee negotiations, and recommend award, balancing fee, team quality, capacity, and data center experience
• Administer AE contracts by tracking scope, reviewing invoices against earned progress, and managing additional service requests and changes
• Procure and manage specialist consultants, including geotechnical, civil, commissioning, acoustic, code, fire protection, and security, as each project requires
• Run a disciplined requirements capture process with Construction, Operations, Commissioning, Security, Network/IT, Procurement, EHS, and Finance, then reconcile conflicts and freeze the design basis at defined milestones
• Chair regular design coordination meetings with clear agendas, documented decisions, and tracked actions
• Manage change discipline by evaluating late requests for schedule and cost impact and securing a decision before the AE proceeds
• Coordinate design interfaces with utility providers, major equipment vendors (generators, switchgear, UPS, chillers, CRAHs, transformers), and modular and prefabricated component fabricators
• Maintain a single, current log of all external design inputs and their status
• Hold the AE accountable for developing and executing the project permitting strategy and schedule, with every required approval and critical-path dependency identified early
• Track permit submissions and comment responses, and escalate slippage before it reaches the construction schedule
• Make sure conditions of approval are reflected in the construction documents and communicated to the construction team
• Coordinate with Nscale's community engagement and entitlement efforts so project design supports commitments made to the community and jurisdiction
• Drive structured design reviews at schematic design, design development, and construction document milestones, holding internal SMEs accountable for completing reviews on time and closing out every comment
• Require the AE to run and document model-based clash detection so architectural, structural, MEP, fire protection, and site civil designs are genuinely coordinated before issue
• Verify compliance with Nscale's design standards and owner's project requirements, and document any approved deviations
• Review constructability, maintainability, and operational access with Construction and Operations before documents are released
• Serve as the design authority to the construction team and the owner's interface to the AE through construction
• Hold the AE accountable for RFI and submittal turnaround, prioritizing long-lead and critical-path items
• Drive field design issues to fast resolution, and escalate changes with cost or schedule impact promptly and with a recommendation
• Conduct regular site visits and construction observation to validate design intent and catch deviations early
• Support commissioning and close out the design side of the project, delivering as-builts, the record BIM model, and O&M documentation to Operations on schedule
• Report design status, risks, decisions, and upcoming milestones clearly to design and project leadership
• Work closely with Construction, Operations, Procurement, Finance, and Legal so design decisions reflect Nscale's full range of priorities
• Share knowledge with other design managers, and feed lessons learned and recurring issues back into Nscale's design standards and AE bench

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in the design and construction industry, in design management, architecture, engineering, or construction
• Experience as the owner-side or AE-side design lead on at least one project delivered from early design through construction documents, permitting, and Construction Administration
• Direct experience scoping, procuring, negotiating, and administering AE and specialist consultant contracts
• Working knowledge of complex building systems, including electrical, mechanical, fire protection, structural, and site civil, sufficient to ask the right questions and recognize when an answer is incomplete
• Working knowledge of building permitting and agency approval processes
• Proven Construction Administration experience, including RFIs, submittals, field issue resolution, and close-out, on a fast-paced construction program
• Experience coordinating major equipment vendors and modular or prefabricated building components into a coordinated design
• A disciplined organizer and communicator who can run meetings, document decisions, track actions, and keep many parties aligned on a tight schedule
• A strong cross-functional collaborator who works effectively with Construction, Operations, Commissioning, Procurement, and external partners
• Entrepreneurial and resourceful, and comfortable in a fast-moving environment where process is built alongside delivery
• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Civil, Structural, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline
• Direct experience in data center or hyperscale AI infrastructure design and delivery, including data center electrical, mechanical, and fire protection systems
• Experience with modular, prefabricated, or offsite construction delivery on a completed project
• Experience with early-release and fast-track design packaging to support accelerated construction starts
• Familiarity with commissioning processes for mission-critical facilities
• Existing relationships with high-performing AE firms and specialist consultants in the US data center market
• Experience with sustainability design strategies, energy modeling, or LEED certification
• Master's degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field