Senior Data Center Design Integration Manager

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Description

Role Overview

Fermi America is seeking a Senior Data Center Design Integration Manager to serve as the owner's representative overseeing the design and engineering integration process for Fermi's hyperscale data center program. This role is responsible for ensuring that design deliverables from all engineering partners-architects, MEP engineers, structural engineers, and specialty consultants-are coordinated, construction-ready, and aligned with Fermi's technical standards and delivery schedules.

The DC Sr Design Integration Manager will manage the interface between Fermi's design integrator, the tenant's design team, and the broader project team-driving design coordination, resolving conflicts across disciplines, and ensuring that design packages support the preconstruction and construction timelines. This is a senior technical leadership role that requires deep experience in data center design management, multi-discipline coordination, and the translation of customer requirements into buildable infrastructure.

This role reports directly to the Head of DC Service & Delivery and works closely with the DC Sr Technical Manager, DC Sr Preconstruction Manager, Director of DC Construction, and procurement functions. This is a matrix environment where success depends on influence and partnership as much as direct authority. The right leader builds strong, collaborative relationships across every function and fosters a culture of transparency, shared accountability, and mutual respect.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the owner's representative to the design integrator for all data center design and engineering activities, ensuring deliverables meet Fermi's quality, schedule, and technical requirements
• Manage the design integration process across all disciplines-architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, controls, and specialty systems-resolving interdisciplinary conflicts and ensuring coordinated design packages
• Drive the design deliverable schedule, ensuring that IFC (Issued for Construction) packages are released on time and in sequence to support preconstruction and construction milestones
• Own the basis of design (BOD) documentation and enforce BOD compliance across all design deliverables-ensuring consistency across all building packages and alignment with customer requirements, while coordinating with the DC Sr Technical Manager who owns the technical standards and content within the BOD
• Lead design review processes including constructability reviews, value engineering sessions, and peer reviews, incorporating feedback from construction, commissioning, and operations stakeholders
• Coordinate with the DC Sr Technical Manager to ensure equipment specifications, vendor data, and long-lead equipment requirements are properly integrated into design documents
• Manage RFI workflows between construction and design teams, ensuring timely responses that do not create field delays or rework
• Oversee BIM coordination and clash detection processes, ensuring 3D model integrity and resolution of spatial conflicts prior to construction
• Track design change management, ensuring that scope changes, design revisions, and customer-driven modifications are documented, priced, and approved through proper channels
• Develop, embed, and enforce key performance indicators (KPIs) for design delivery-including deliverable on-time rates, RFI volumes and response times, clash detection resolution rates, design rework percentages, and drawing quality scores-to establish clear performance standards and hold the design integrator, consultants, and engineering partners accountable to those standards
• Conduct regular design performance reviews with the design integrator and engineering partners, using KPI data to identify underperformance, drive corrective action, and ensure contractual design quality and schedule obligations are met
• Provide design status reporting to leadership, including deliverable tracking, KPI dashboards, design quality metrics, and risk/issue logs
• Support the development of design standardization and template packages that can be replicated across successive building phases to reduce design cycle times
• Interface with the tenant's design team to coordinate the design process-aligning on design criteria, managing interdependencies between base building and tenant fit-out designs, and ensuring tenant requirements are integrated into Fermi's design packages without compromising design integrity or delivery timelines
• Build and sustain a strong, collaborative culture across the design integration function-fostering open communication, mutual accountability, and trust with construction, procurement, technical management, and project controls partners

AI-Enabled Execution Philosophy

Fermi America integrates artificial intelligence and advanced analytics into its core project delivery workflows. The DC Sr Design Integration Manager will be expected to embrace and champion this philosophy, including:

• Leveraging AI-powered BIM analysis and clash detection tools to accelerate spatial coordination and reduce the volume of design-related RFIs during construction
• Utilizing AI-driven document review to analyze design deliverables for specification compliance, drawing completeness, and cross-reference accuracy more rapidly than manual review
• Supporting the development of AI-assisted design automation workflows that accelerate the production of repetitive building packages by applying learned patterns from completed phases
• Partnering with project controls to integrate design deliverable tracking into AI-powered dashboards that forecast design completion dates and identify schedule risks
• Championing the use of generative design tools and parametric modeling to explore optimized layouts, routing, and system configurations that improve constructability and reduce material waste
• Driving the adoption of digital twin frameworks that connect as-designed models to as-built conditions, creating a foundation for lifecycle asset management

Requirements

Relevant Experience

• 15+ years of experience in design management, engineering coordination, or technical project delivery, with at least 8 years focused on hyperscale data center or mission-critical facility programs
• Demonstrated experience serving as an owner's representative managing design consultants, architects, and engineering firms on multi-billion-dollar design and construction programs
• Deep understanding of data center design across all disciplines-architectural, structural, MEP, critical power, cooling, controls, and fire protection systems
• Strong BIM management experience, including coordination workflows, clash detection, LOD specifications, and model-to-field verification processes
• Track record of managing design deliverable schedules across concurrent building packages, ensuring IFC releases align with construction and procurement timelines
• Experience owning and enforcing basis of design (BOD) compliance across design programs, including BOD development, design standards documentation, and customer technical requirement translation
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to drive alignment across design consultants, contractors, equipment vendors, and internal stakeholders. Proven ability to operate effectively in a matrix organization where influence, alignment, and partnership are as important as direct authority
• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical discipline; advanced degree or PE/RA licensure preferred

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with hyperscale data center design programs for major technology companies (e.g., Google, Meta, Microsoft, AWS, Oracle) or leading data center developers
• Experience with design-build and integrated project delivery models where design and construction timelines overlap significantly
• Familiarity with data center design standards including Uptime Institute Tier III/IV, ASHRAE guidelines for data center cooling, and NFPA requirements for mission-critical facilities
• Working knowledge of emerging data center technologies including liquid cooling system design, high-density power distribution, and advanced building automation platforms
• Comfort operating in a high-growth organization where the role will help define design management processes and standards as the platform scales

Work Requirements

• This is a 100% onsite role based at Fermi's campus location in Amarillo, TX, with periodic travel to vendor facilities, fabrication shops, and partner offices as needed
• Ability to work on active construction sites, including walking job sites, climbing ladders, and navigating unfinished structures in varying weather conditions
• Willingness to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) including hard hat, safety glasses, high-visibility vest, steel-toe boots, and hearing protection when on-site
• Flexibility to work extended hours during critical construction milestones, commissioning events, or schedule recovery efforts as needed

Why This Role Matters

Design is the foundation of everything Fermi builds. Poorly coordinated designs create RFIs, rework, delays, and cost overruns that cascade through the entire construction program. Fermi needs a senior design leader who can hold the design integrator accountable, ensure cross-discipline coordination, and deliver construction-ready packages on time and at the quality level required to support hyperscale data center delivery.