Associate Director - Data Centres (HV Substation Design

Company Description Work with Us. Change the World.

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There has never been a better time to be h accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description Start here. Grow here. We are trusted by the world's leading Hyperscalers and Data Centre operators to deliver the critical HV infrastructure that underpins their most ambitious programmes. Our clients include globally recognised names driving the cloud computing revolution — organisations that demand the highest standards of engineering excellence, reliability, and technical innovation.

As an Associate Director, you will be at the heart of this work, leading end-to-end HV substation design for hyperscale and co-location data centre clients across the UK, Ireland and Europe, shaping grid-scale power infrastructure from concept through to energisation on projects that few engineers get the opportunity to be involved in.

Here’s what you’ll do:

Lead HV substation technical discussions with data centre clients and multi-disciplinary teams
-establishing scopes, defining interfaces between HV infrastructure and site power systems (e.g. MSBs, UPS, generators), and ensuring coordinated delivery

Direct the technical delivery of substation design for data centre grid connections and on-site HV networks, agreeing approach with engineering teams, monitoring progress, and quality-checking deliverables prior to client issue

Apply lifecycle expertise — from grid connection studies and concept design through FEED and detailed design — to deliver HV substation schemes that meet the power density and availability demands of data centre campuses

Liaise with project management teams to develop resourcing forecasts and programmes aligned to data centre construction schedules and critical path milestones

Demonstrate commercial awareness through proposal development, project cost monitoring, and identifying opportunities to expand HV scope on data centre frameworks

Build trusted relationships with data centre developers, hyperscale operators, and utility stakeholders, understanding their grid connection strategies and availability requirements

Champion safety in design principles across all HV substation deliverables, ensuring compliance with relevant standards and the specific operational safety requirements of energised data centre environments

Mentor and develop junior engineers, building team capability in HV substation design for data centre applications over the medium and long term Enjoy the Perks. At AECOM, you'll enjoy a range of core and personalised benefits designed to support your future and well-being, customised to fit your lifestyle. Take advantage of career development opportunities, our flexible hybrid working model to ensure a work-life balance that suits your lifestyle, technical practice networks, AECOM University, and volunteering days.

Qualifications Ready to push the limits of what's possible in data centre power infrastructure?

Here’s what we’re looking for:

Experience in consultancy, contractor, or utility roles in the energy sector, with exposure to data centre grid connections or critical power infrastructure strongly preferred

Background working with Data Centre Clients , TSOs, DNOs and, or other UK/Ireland transmission utilities or developers — particularly on connection agreements relevant to large power users or data centres

Proven experience delivering HV…