Vice President, Design & Construction (Data Centers)

Our client is a rapidly expanding digital infrastructure platform focused on the development and operation of hyperscale and colocation data centers across Asia Pacific. As part of its continued growth, the company is seeking a Vice President, Design & Construction to lead the planning, design, engineering, and delivery of its regional development portfolio. This role will have a strong emphasis on data center design strategy, engineering management, technical governance, innovation, and design standardization , while maintaining executive oversight of construction execution and project delivery. The successful candidate will serve as the organization's technical authority and play a key role in shaping future developments across multiple APAC markets. Location: Singapore Key Responsibilities Design Leadership (Primary Focus) • Lead the development and implementation of the company's regional design strategy for hyperscale and colocation data center developments. • Establish and maintain design standards, engineering guidelines, technical specifications, and design governance processes across all projects. • Direct multidisciplinary design teams comprising internal engineers, architects, consultants, and specialist partners. • Review and approve conceptual, schematic, detailed, and IFC designs. • Drive optimization of power, cooling, resiliency, scalability, and operational efficiency across the portfolio. • Ensure designs align with long-term operational requirements, customer needs, and commercial objectives. • Champion innovation in data center architecture, modular design, prefabrication, sustainable technologies, and energy-efficient infrastructure. • Lead technical due diligence for potential investments, acquisitions, land opportunities, and expansion projects. • Act as the executive sponsor for design reviews, value engineering initiatives, and technical risk assessments. • Develop standardized regional design frameworks that enable scalable deployment across multiple markets. Engineering & Technical Governance • Serve as the organization's senior technical authority for critical infrastructure systems. • Provide oversight of electrical, mechanical, structural, civil, and architectural design disciplines. • Ensure compliance with industry best practices, international standards, local codes, and customer technical requirements. • Establish engineering quality assurance and design review processes. • Drive technical decision-making on equipment selection, resiliency architecture, capacity planning, and future expansion strategies. Construction & Project Delivery • Provide executive oversight of construction execution from groundbreaking through commissioning and handover. • Partner with project delivery teams to ensure alignment between design intent and construction outcomes. • Monitor project schedules, budgets, procurement activities, and contractor performance. • Ensure effective management of design changes, technical issues, and project risks throughout the delivery lifecycle. • Support commissioning and operational readiness planning to ensure successful project handover. Stakeholder Management • Partner closely with Development, Operations, Commercial, Finance, and Investment teams during project planning and execution. • Engage with hyperscale customers and strategic clients on technical requirements and solution development. • Manage relationships with consultants, design firms, contractors, OEMs, and technology partners. • Present technical recommendations and project updates to senior leadership, executive committees, and investors. Sustainability & Innovation • Lead the integration of sustainability principles into development programs. • Drive initiatives related to energy efficiency, renewable energy integration, water conservation, and carbon reduction. • Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends to maintain competitive advantage. • Support the organization's ESG objectives through innovative design practices. Requirements Education • ​Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Architecture, Building Services, or a related discipline. • ​Master's Degree is preferred. Experience • 15+ years of experience in data center design, engineering, and project delivery. • Proven experience leading the design and execution of large-scale hyperscale, colocation, or mission-critical facilities. • Strong track record managing regional design programs across multiple APAC markets. • Experience developing design standards, technical governance frameworks, and engineering best practices. • Prior experience with data center developers, operators, hyperscalers, engineering consultancies, or mission-critical contractors is highly desirable. • Demonstrated leadership experience managing large multidisciplinary engineering and project teams. #J-18808-Ljbffr