Harlow | Data Centre | Permanent
£120,000 - £150,000 + package
Package to include car allowance, bonus, pension, 25 days holiday, private healthcare and additional company benefits.
This is a role for a Technical Director who wants to be close enough to the project to actually shape the outcome.
You will be joining a major data centre scheme in Harlow, taking senior responsibility for the technical delivery, governance and coordination across a fast-moving critical environment project. For the first six months, this will need someone visible on site four to five days a week, setting the tone, understanding the detail and helping the project team make the right decisions early.
This is not a remote director role where you sit above the job and review reports after the problems have already landed. The project needs someone who can sit between client, design, construction, commissioning, commercial and supply chain teams, making sure the technical strategy is clear, the information is controlled and the works are delivered in line with programme, compliance, margin and client expectations.
Every major technical decision will have a knock-on effect. Plant, data halls, power, cooling, controls, CSA interfaces, commissioning, handover, defects, procurement and subcontractor performance all need to be joined up properly. That is where this role matters.
What you’ll be doing
* You will take senior responsibility for technical delivery across a major data centre project.
* You will lead technical coordination between design teams, project managers, construction managers, package managers, commissioning teams, commercial teams, subcontractors, suppliers and client representatives.
* You will make sure drawings, specifications, technical submissions, RFIs, design changes, coordination issues and commissioning requirements are reviewed, challenged, issued and closed out properly.
* You will provide senior technical leadership across mechanical, electrical, CSA and specialist systems, making sure interfaces are understood before they become site problems.
* You will support buildability reviews, design coordination, procurement strategy, technical risk, sequencing, QA, commissioning readiness and handover planning.
* You will work closely with the client and consultant teams, acting as a senior technical point of contact and helping protect relationships through clear communication and proper issue resolution.
* You will help manage technical and delivery risk, making sure statutory obligations, compliance requirements, HSQE expectations and project governance are properly followed.
* You will support contract execution plans, project reporting, KPI reviews, change control, defect close-out and lessons learnt.
* You will work with the commercial team where technical decisions affect cost, variations, procurement, programme, risk or margin.
* You will help drive supply chain performance, making sure subcontractors and suppliers provide the right technical information, resources and quality of delivery.
* You will make sure project records, data, systems and documentation are kept properly in line with company standards, policies and procedures.
* You will help create a high-performing project environment where technical decisions are made quickly, issues are escalated properly and the team understands what good looks like.
What you’ll need
* You will need experience as a Technical Director, Engineering Director, MEP Director, Technical Lead, Project Director, Senior Design Manager, Commissioning Lead or senior M&E project leader.
* You should have strong experience across data centres, critical environments, major M&E projects, infrastructure, pharmaceutical, healthcare, industrial or other technically demanding building services projects.
* Data centre experience would be strongly preferred, especially where you have dealt with critical power, cooling, controls, fire and life safety, commissioning, handover and technical governance.
* You will need a strong technical understanding of MEP delivery, including design coordination, buildability, technical submissions, RFIs, QA, commissioning strategy, sequencing and handover.
* You should be comfortable working across mechanical, electrical and CSA interfaces, even if your original background is biased towards one discipline.
* You will need to be credible with clients, consultants, project teams, subcontractors and senior leadership. This role needs someone who can challenge information, chair meetings, make decisions and give clear direction.
* You should understand project governance, statutory compliance, HSQE, commercial risk, supply chain performance and contract delivery.
* You will need to be site-facing and visible, especially during the early stages of the project.
* Experience with document management systems, SharePoint, Dynamics CRM, Asta Powerproject, Excel, Anaplan, ACC, Aconex, Asite, Procore, Dalux or similar would be useful.
* A construction, engineering, electrical, mechanical, building services or project management qualification would be useful.
* SMSTS, IOSH, CSCS and First Aid would be beneficial.
Why this role
This is a rare opportunity to take a senior technical role on a major data centre scheme while staying close to the actual delivery.
You will not be hidden away in a corporate structure. You will be visible on site, working with the project team, influencing technical decisions and helping shape how the scheme is delivered from design coordination through to commissioning and handover.
The role gives you proper influence over more than just technical paperwork. You will be involved in programme, risk, procurement, quality, compliance, client relationships, supply chain performance and commercial impact.
For someone with strong data centre, MEP or critical environment experience who wants a role with real authority, client exposure and technical influence, this is a serious move.
The scale is there, the complexity is there and the responsibility is real.
Apply now or get in touch for a confidential conversation
Salary description
£120000.00 - £150000.00 per year