Director of Project Design

JOB DETAILS:

Position: Director of Project Design

Status: Permanent; Full-time

Location: Remote, must live in the contiguous U.S. or Canada

Closing Date: Open until filled

ABOUT US: 

NGEN Mission Critical is a global operation designed to meet the ever-evolving critical power and thermal infrastructure needs of mission critical facilities. Guided by integrity and innovation, our team provides a high-touch, transparent experience from the first quote through to final delivery. From advanced data center campuses and utility-scale power generation to critical grid infrastructure, NGEN delivers solutions built to meet the highest operational standards in today's most demanding environments.

Our team works hard while maintaining a collaborative, respectful, and supportive culture. We are looking for colleagues with a sense of humor, who consider themselves "builders", and who are excited to make an impact in a future-focused and fast-paced environment.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

NGEN’s Data Center Development group is building out its core leadership team, and we’re looking for a Director of Project Design to own our design management function. This is a senior, outward-facing role that sits at the intersection of project management, design leadership, and client delivery.

You will take projects from initial site concept through to permit-ready design documentation, managing external engineering and architectural consultants, aligning our internal technical team, and serving as the primary design point of contact for clients. Reporting to the Head of Data Center Development and working alongside the Director of Construction, your world will consist of everything that happens before dirt moves.

We have active projects moving and a strong pipeline behind them. This person will step into real work from day one, with room to shape the design function as we grow.

YOUR MISSION:

• Own the full design management lifecycle from early site assessment and basis of design through schematic design, design development, and construction documents
• Engage, manage, and direct third-party engineering and architectural consultants (civil, structural, MEP) to deliver on scope, schedule, and quality
• Serve as the primary design liaison with clients by translating their requirements into clear consultant direction and keeping stakeholders informed throughout
• Collaborate closely with the Head of Data Center Development on project strategy and design vision
• Coordinate across internal mechanical, electrical, and procurement team members to ensure design alignment at every stage
• Manage concurrent design workstreams across 2–5 projects of varying scale simultaneously
• Lead the design-to-construction handoff, setting the Director of Construction up for a clean transition
• Build and eventually lead a small supporting team as project volume grows

YOU’LL WIN US OVER WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:

• Proven experience in design management or senior project management of complex, multi-discipline development projects
• A background in architecture, civil/structural engineering, or a closely related discipline. Ideally with exposure to CSA (civil, structural, architectural) scope
• Deep understanding of the full design process from pre-development through IFC (Issued for Construction) documentation

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• Experience engaging and managing third-party consultants. You know how to hold them to schedule and quality without micromanaging
• Client-facing confidence. You’re comfortable leading design conversations with owners, developers, and technical stakeholders
• Experience with direct reports or cross-functional team leadership. You know how to bring out the best in people around you
• Data center, mission critical, or technically complex campus experience is a strong asset
• Familiarity with MEP systems at a high level. You don’t need to be an engineer, but you need to speak the language
• PMP or equivalent credential is an asset

WHO YOU ARE:

• You take ownership naturally and feel accountable for outcomes, not just tasks
• You're comfortable going deep on the technical details while also thinking about how your work fits into the bigger picture
• You communicate clearly, confidently, and calmly
• You thrive in environments where things are still being built, and you bring structure without needing it handed to you
• You're collaborative, direct, and trusted by the people you work with
• You're energized by building something meaningful and want a role where your work has a real and visible impact

COMPENSATION PACKAGE:

• Base salary: $180,000 – $200,000 USD
• The exact salary will be determined based on the selected candidate’s location, qualifications, experience, and relevant skills
• Annual bonus of up to 35% of your base salary, based on performance
• 401k match of up to 5% of your base salary
• Access to health, dental, and vision benefits for you and your dependents
• Three weeks of paid vacation
• Five paid personal days
• Home office set-up support
• Remote working environment with flexibility and autonomy

INTERVIEW PROCESS & TIMELINES:

We’re so excited that you are interested in joining our team! Our interview process will look like this:

• April 27th - May 1st: 3-5 questions will be emailed to shortlisted candidates, confirming some basic information about you and why you’re interested in this position (estimated time commitment 10-15 minutes)
• May 4th – 8th: 30-minute virtual meeting with our recruitment team so that we can learn more about your career path so far, and you have a chance to ask us any questions that you have
• May 11th – May 15th: A 1-hour meeting with the Head of Data Center Development and Head of People & Culture
• May 18th – May 20th: Reference checks and an employment offer extended

We are anticipating a mid-June to early July start date for this position. We will do our best to follow the timelines outlines, and we will let you know if timelines shift!

HOW WE THINK ABOUT AI IN RECRUITMENT:

We believe in real humans hiring real humans.

• To keep things organized and thoughtful, NGEN uses AI-assisted tools for notetaking during interviews. That said, every conversation, evaluation, and hiring decision is made by real people on our team (including initial resume screening). The only automated (not AI-augmented, just automated) step in our process is at the initial screening question stage when you're first applying for the role.
• We are so excited to meet you and hear about all the incredible experiences and expertise you have built throughout your career. It's very important to us that we hear about those experiences and pieces of expertise in your own words — we prefer messy and authentic to polished with no depth.

We do believe in using AI to support our everyday work in areas that we've identified as low value or low energy – we routinely use tools like Claude, Zapier, Grammarly and Fireflies.ai. Bringing on a new teammate is very important to use, so this effort falls into neither of the categories of “low value” or “low energy.”

We will show up for you in this recruitment process! In turn, please show up (as yourself) for us. We can’t wait to meet you!

HOW TO APPLY:

If this role sounds like it's right up your alley, but you're worried about missing some of the listed qualifications, we still want to hear from you! We value unique skill sets, experiences, and pathways that people take in their careers, and are aware that non-traditional routes are sometimes overlooked. We make hiring decisions based on skill, and we’re excited to hear what you will bring to our team!

• This is a permanent, full-time position and a fully remote role with some travel as required. Candidates must be located in the contiguous U.S or Canada
• We are not in a position to sponsor visa applications of any kind. As a result, only candidates who are currently legally entitled to work in the USA and/or Canada will be considered for this role
• This position will typically work Monday to Friday within the normal business hours of the region in which the successful candidate lives. As a member of a globally remote team, some meetings outside of normal business hours will be required for this role

Please submit a resume and cover letter to careers@ngen-mc.com with the subject “Director of Project Design.” We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.