Senior Director, Data Center Design & Engineering

Technical Decision Authority & Reporting Relationships

Reports to the VP, Projects. Serves as the technical lead for the Director, Data Center Design; the Director continues to manage external designers and day-to-day design deliverables, while the Senior Director owns the engineering standards, system selections, and technical decisions those deliverables must satisfy.

Holds final owner-side technical authority on engineering standards, Basis of Design (BoD), system architecture and redundancy topology, and design deviations, within approved project budgets and schedules. Decisions with material cost, schedule, or contractual impact are made jointly with the VP, Projects and the Director of Construction, and escalated to executive leadership as needed.

Key Responsibilities

Own and maintain CleanSpark’s AI data center engineering standards, Basis of Design (BoD), and design criteria across electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, controls, telecom, and site infrastructure disciplines

Define and approve system architecture for medium-voltage and low-voltage electrical distribution, generation and backup power, UPS, and mechanical cooling (air and liquid) for high-density AI/HPC loads, including redundancy and resilience targets (e.g., N, N+1, 2N) and associated trade-offs

Lead engineering interfaces with utilities and substation owners: load studies, interconnection requirements, substation and switchyard design, protection and coordination, metering, and energization sequencing in support of path-to-power planning

Provide technical direction to the Director, Data Center Design and external design consultants; review and approve technical studies, calculations, single-line diagrams, equipment selections, and design deliverables at each stage gate

Lead constructability, value engineering, and design-for-schedule reviews with Construction and Pre-Construction; resolve technical issues, RFIs, and design conflicts that exceed consultant or project-team authority

Own the owner-side commissioning program: define commissioning scope and levels, approve commissioning agents and test scripts, witness integrated systems testing, and sign off on energization and turnover readiness

Lead operational readiness from an engineering standpoint: handover documentation, as-builts, O&M requirements, spare parts and maintainability criteria, and alignment of design intent with Operations’ requirements

Evaluate and recommend equipment vendors, long-lead procurement specifications, and standard equipment platforms; support procurement with technical bid evaluations and scopes of work

Assess engineering risk across the portfolio; identify design, power, cooling, and integration risks early and drive mitigation into standards and project plans

Support tenant and customer technical requirements, including design review responses, change evaluations, and technical representation in customer and partner forums

Drive standardization and repeatability across sites so designs scale across the portfolio with predictable cost, schedule, and performance

Build and mentor the in-house engineering team; define roles, technical competencies, and development paths as the organization grows

Provide clear technical recommendations and updates to project and executive leadership

Perform additional duties and support evolving office priorities as assigned.

This role requires professionalism, respect, strong communication, and the ability to work well with others in a team-oriented, inclusive environment.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline
15+ years of progressive experience in the design and engineering of data center, mission-critical, or large-scale power and industrial facilities, including at least 5 years in a senior technical leadership role
Deep working knowledge of data center electrical infrastructure (MV/LV distribution, generation, UPS, protection and coordination) and mechanical infrastructure (chilled water, air and liquid cooling, heat rejection) for high-density compute
Demonstrated experience defining redundancy and resilience topologies and translating availability targets into design criteria
Hands-on experience with utility interconnection, substation design, and energization planning for large loads
Experience leading commissioning (Levels 1–5 / integrated systems testing) and facility turnover on mission-critical projects
Proven ability to lead engineering consultants, contractors, and internal technical staff, and to make and defend technical decisions with executives, customers, and partners
Strong constructability judgment and experience partnering with construction teams through design, procurement, and field execution
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical trade-offs clearly to non-technical stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

Professional Engineer (PE) license strongly preferred
Experience with AI, HPC, or hyperscale data center design, including liquid-cooled and high-density rack deployments
Owner-side experience with a hyperscaler, colocation provider, or large infrastructure developer
Experience developing and governing engineering standards or Basis of Design programs across multiple sites
Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier concepts, ASHRAE TC 9.9 guidelines, NEC/NFPA 70 and NFPA 70E, IEEE power system standards, and applicable energy codes
Master’s degree in engineering or an MBA
Experience in a fast-growth owner organization building in-house technical capability