Design Manager - Data Center

Overview

Are you looking for a highly rewarding opportunity that provides extensive career growth opportunity? Gibane is seeking a Design Manager - Data Center who will lead the integration of design and construction teams to deliver coordinated, constructible, and cost-effective designs on schedule and within budget. This role supports advanced delivery models (Design-Build, IPD, P3, EPC), ensuring design intent, risk management, and project readiness for execution.

As a Top-10 ENR Contractor, Gilbane is a family-owned business with 45 offices that has been shaping communities since 1870. Recognized as one of the most reputable construction management firms in the country, Gilbane commits to delivering projects safely and on-time.

You are someone who acts inclusively, showing empathy and treating others with respect and dignity in order to uphold Gilbane's core value of Caring and People First workplace culture. You seek to listen in order to understand and can convey information clearly. You're a strong problem solver who can identify, prioritize, and implement alternatives for solutions, and you demonstrate adaptability by collaborating with others and supporting team members to achieve excellence.

A self-starter who shows passion, commitment, and ownership all while delivering on business outcomes and driving results. You're someone who identifies opportunities for new and improved ways of doing things that result in value-add solutions.

Preconstruction & Proposal Phase

• Serve as primary liaison between design and construction teams during proposals.
• Lead strategy for design services breakdown and integration of specialty consultants or design/build trades.
• Define technical scope, manage RFIs, and ensure comprehensive bridging documents.
• Develop and maintain design deliverable schedules aligned with procurement and build phases.
• Validate A/E scope and fee structure; support Teaming Agreements.
• Collaborate with estimating to break down RFPs and support subcontractor/vendor pricing.
• Assemble and maintain the Endorsed Project Baseline (proposal, estimate, contract, schedule).
• Identify and communicate requirements to clarify RFPs for design and construction.

Design Development & Delivery

• Oversee design progression to ensure alignment with budget, schedule, and constructability; lead target value design.
• Facilitate design charrettes, team chartering, and owner approval processes.
• Coordinate permitting process and maintain related schedules.
• Monitor and document design changes, minimizing scope creep.
• Lead design risk management, including cost-benefit analyses for RFIs and changes.
• Ensure Health & Safety integration: complete Safety Risk Assessments, introduce Hierarchy of Controls, and incorporate logistics planning into design.
• Ensure effective coordination between the VDC (Virtual Design & Construction) team and the design team to align digital modeling, clash detection, and constructability reviews with project goals.
• Maintain tools for tracking design issues and changes.
• Promote a design-build mindset and collaboration between disciplines.
• Oversee and validate design team invoices.

Construction Integration

• Communicate design scope and intent to construction teams.
• Support development of construction budgets from design estimates.
• Assist in trade contractor/supplier scope definition and procurement.
• Provide feedback for future bids and risk assessments.
• Resolve scope conflicts and develop recovery plans as needed.
• Ensure design team responsiveness to field issues and facilitate risk-mitigating solutions.

Quality, Compliance & Documentation

• Oversee design QA/QC for regulatory and standards compliance.
• Improve documentation of design basis and assumptions.
• Emphasize the importance of delivering the proposed design and managing scope changes.

Experience / Education

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years' experience in design/project management for large-scale construction.
• Proven experience with advanced delivery models (Design-Build, IPD, P3, EPC).
• Strong understanding of design-to-budget, constructability, and risk management.
• Experience establishing and executing departmental processes and procedures.
• Experience with Assumptions Management, Change Management, requirement tracking, and Corrective Action Programs.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Excellent communication, leadership, and team-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and drive consensus.
• Proficiency in design and construction management software/tools.

The pay ranges from $123,600-$225,000 plus benefits and retirement program. Salary to be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience of the applicant, as well as the internal equity and alignment with the team.

Gilbane offers an excellent total compensation package which includes competitive health and welfare benefits and a generous profit-sharing/401k plan.…