Senior Design Manager (Data Center)

Here at Jacobs, we apply our expertise and knowledge as we look into the future with great optimism and focus. We don’t settle until we give our best and know that we’re making a difference.

At Jacobs, we are helping clients deliver the next generation of AI, cloud, hyperscale, and high-performance computing infrastructure. We are seeking a Senior Design Manager - AI Data Center White Space Design to provide technical leadership for the planning, design, construction, commissioning, and deployment of large-scale, high-density data center environments.

This individual will serve as a senior technical authority for white space design, translating rapidly evolving AI compute requirements into scalable, resilient, constructible, maintainable, and future-ready facility solutions.

Initially, this position will be based in South Carolina.

What You'll Do:

• Serve as the senior subject matter expert and technical authority for AI and high-density data center white space design.

• Establish and govern white space Basis of Design, design criteria, reference architectures, and technical standards.

• Translate GPU, accelerator, HPC, and next-generation IT platform requirements into facility requirements for power, cooling, connectivity, rack configuration, structural loading, service access, and deployment.

• Lead data hall layouts, rack deployment strategies, equipment spacing, compute-block planning, capacity utilization, and future expansion planning.

• Provide technical direction for white space electrical distribution, including busway, PDU, RPP, rack-level power, redundancy, monitoring, and high-density power architectures.

• Lead development of air-cooled, liquid-cooled, and hybrid cooling solutions, including direct-to-chip cooling, CDUs, rack manifolds, technology cooling water interfaces, leak detection, and thermal optimization.

• Guide integration of high-density AI network infrastructure, including network racks, high-speed fiber pathways, cable management, InfiniBand, and high-speed Ethernet environments.

• Develop and validate capacity models linking facility MW capacity to data hall, compute block, rack, power, cooling, network, and floor-space requirements.

• Address rack loading, structural capacity, equipment access, material handling, installation pathways, serviceability, and equipment replacement requirements.

• Lead white space constructability, deployment, commissioning, phased energization, turnover, and operational-readiness planning.

• Evaluate designs for resiliency, concurrent maintainability, failure isolation, technology refresh, and future increases in rack density.

• Lead multidisciplinary coordination across electrical, mechanical, structural, architectural, controls, telecommunications, commissioning, construction, IT, and operations.

• Serve as a senior technical interface with clients, technology providers, OEMs, contractors, commissioning teams, and facility operators.

• Champion standardized designs, lessons learned, technical governance, modularization, and repeatable deployment strategies across hyperscale programs.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related technical discipline.

• 15+ years of relevant engineering/design experience, with significant experience in mission-critical or data center facilities.

• Demonstrated experience leading hyperscale, HPC, high-density, or AI-focused data center white space design.

• Direct experience with high-density rack deployment and GPU/HPC compute environments.

• Strong working knowledge of:

• High-density rack and compute architectures

• Busway, PDU, RPP, and rack-level power distribution

• Direct-to-chip liquid cooling and CDUs

• Air/liquid hybrid cooling and thermal management

• High-density fiber and network infrastructure

• Capacity modeling and utilization

• Rack structural loading and equipment deployment

• Experience delivering projects through concept, detailed design, construction, commissioning, turnover, and operational readiness.

• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and communicate complex technical issues with clients and senior stakeholders.

Ideally, You'll Also Have

• Experience supporting major hyperscale, cloud, colocation, AI, or HPC infrastructure providers.

• Experience with 100 kW+ rack environments and planning for next-generation, higher-density deployments.

• Experience implementing direct-to-chip liquid cooling at scale.

• Knowledge of high-speed AI network environments and their impact on physical data hall design.

• Familiarity with relevant standards and guidance, including ASHRAE TC 9.9, ASHRAE 90.4, NFPA 70/NEC, NFPA 75, TIA-942, and BICSI 002.

• Professional Engineer (PE), Registered Architect (RA), or similar credential.

• Experience with BIM, digital twins, DCIM, BMS, and EPMS.

• Experience with modular, prefabricated, or repeatable multi-MW data center deployments.

What distinguishes this role

We are looking for someone who can operate at the intersection of AI technology, facility engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations. The successful candidate will understand the technology roadmap, challenge requirements where appropriate, and translate them into a safe, scalable, resilient, constructible, and future-ready white space solution.

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Jacobs is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, medical condition, marital or domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression and transgender status, mental disability or physical disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship, low-income status or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law. Learn more about your rights under Federal EEO laws and supplemental language.