Senior Design Manager

Overview

Senior Design Manager - IAD. This role supports all aspects of major technical programs targeting both colocation and hyperscale builds, including oversight of employees and third‑party organizations engaged in the preconstruction, design and construction phases. Working under supervision, this role requires strong communication skills, and demonstrates advanced organizational and time management competencies. A successful Design Manager with Aligned will possess a hunger to drive efficiencies and innovation, the humility to understand we are all working together during the construction process, and a heart to provide exceptional service to both internal and external customers and vendors.

Aligned Data Centers is a data center provider focused on continuous innovation, diversity and inclusion, and corporate sustainability. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, a generous 401k match with immediate vesting, and wellness benefits.

• Drive projects from inception through customer or business turnover, with emphasis on the preconstruction and design phases. The Design Manager assumes project lead at design hand-off and shifts leadership to the Construction Manager at GC mobilization.
• In conjunction with the Construction Manager, support day-to-day program activities with architects, consultants, equipment providers, GCs, etc.; coordinate project activities with building operations while promoting safety and compliance.
• Serve as the primary support to the Construction Manager from GC mobilization to turnover to Operations.
• Collaborate with sales and solutions engineering to meet customer requirements and ensure design deliverables are met.
• Interface with customers through fit-out design, construction, and integration; accountable for successful delivery of customer contracts.
• Manage projects with business objectives in mind and align with directives from CRC/SLT/Board.
• Promote continuous improvement, creativity, efficiency and innovation; lead design management teams with potential to oversee multiple projects across campuses or regions; responsible for direct reports as described above.

• Coordinate with land enablement to ensure offsite improvements, early permitting, easements, and environmental studies.
• Coordinate and create project risk registers from land enablement through turnover to Aligned Operations.

• Lead onboarding of third‑party design teams and create design schedules to meet project needs.
• Oversee management of external design teams through project completion/turnover to Aligned Operations.
• Drive review and management of design deliverables, including stakeholder review and comment cycles.
• Hold design teams accountable for design progression and gating.
• Work with SMEs, Operations, and Construction Managers to ensure design compliance with Aligned Design Efficiency Capture (DEC).
• Identify design variances, track approvals as required, and manage related processes.
• Enforce accountability to Aligned’s Cost Control Log (CCL) and Complies, Deviates, Excludes (CDE) matrices.
• Collaborate with the Construction Manager for communications/escalations and regular reporting to internal and external stakeholders.
• Create and maintain project metrics in Smartsheets (project dashboards) for each project.
• Own or direct administrative duties related to the design management process.
• Assist the Construction Manager with building and maintaining budget/cost models for design costs and timelines; help prepare funding requests.
• Coordinate with the Construction Manager to prepare and present quarterly project updates to leadership.
• Review construction plans with an understanding of architectural design within data center environments and communicate conceptual designs to internal teams with required documentation prior to and during construction.
• Cross-reference with customer requirements as needed.

• Design engineering experience
• Building design process and design deliverables management
• Management of design teams
• Exposure to IPD, Design-Build, and/or construction management
• Data center…