Senior Advisor, Data Center Architecture & Engineering (Global)

EVOCS OVERVIEW

EVOCS’s journey began with a mission to empower businesses with advisory expertise, empowered with idealtechnologies to provide them with comprehensive solutions to grow and prosper.

Founded by a team of passionate experts, EVOCS has grown into a trusted partner to a growing number of leaders across their respective industries. Our roots in employee-managed operations reflect our commitment to quality, consistency, and client success.

If you enjoy working in a hyper-fast-growing company, are eager to be part of an agile team, and want to be part of our success story, then let’s talk!

🎯 Role Overview

The Senior Advisor, Data Center Architecture & Engineering is a senior-level owner’s representative and strategic advisor responsible for shaping and governing the technical definition of large-scale data center and mission-critical infrastructure projects—from early site evaluation through design, procurement readiness, construction integration, and closeout. This role bridges site acquisition/development, engineering, procurement, construction, and operations to ensure designs are site-informed, buildable, and delivered with complete, accurate record documentation.

This role is accountable for advising on the subject of early collaboration with site acquisition and development teams prior to the start of full engineering, and for ongoing partnership with the downstream Construction team during the design process. The Senior Advisor will develop procurement and general contractor (GC) requirements, manage design changes driven by field execution, and ensure engineering documents are updated to reflect approved changes—resulting in high-quality as-built documentation for turnover to Operations.

Preferred location proximity: Denver, CO; Northern Virginia; Phoenix, AZ; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; London, England; Frankfurt, Germany; Singapore; or Sydney, Australia
Travel: Domestic and international travel required, approximately 25%

 

🧩 What you will do

Site Acquisition & Early Development Advisory (Pre-Engineering)

• Partner with real estate, site acquisition, and development teams to evaluate prospective sites and translate due diligence findings into actionable engineering inputs (constraints, risks, cost/schedule implications, and mitigations).
• Advise on site feasibility and development strategy, including grading/drainage concepts, access/logistics, environmental and geotechnical considerations, floodplain/wetlands constraints, and phased build approaches.
• Support utility strategy and early coordination (power, water, sewer, telecom), including capacity validation, routing concepts, right-of-way considerations, and high-level interconnection/lead-time risk.
• Define early permitting and entitlement considerations with development teams and external stakeholders (AHJs, utilities, landowners), ensuring the engineering approach aligns with local code and regulatory paths.
• Contribute to site selection decision packages with clear tradeoffs, risk registers, and recommendations to inform executive decisions and commercial negotiations.

Architecture & Engineering Governance

• Establish and maintain the project’s technical foundation (basis of design, design criteria, performance requirements, and standards) aligned to reliability, availability, maintainability, and security objectives.
• Lead or advise the integrated design process across civil, structural, architectural, MEP, electrical, controls, fire/life safety, and network/low-voltage disciplines; ensure interface alignment and clear ownership of boundaries.
• Oversee design consultants (A/E) and specialty engineers, including scope definition, deliverable requirements, milestone planning, and quality expectations.
• Conduct design reviews at key milestones (concept, schematic, design development, IFC) to validate constructability, code compliance, operational intent, maintainability, and long-term lifecycle performance.
• Guide value engineering and alternatives analysis to optimize cost and schedule while protecting reliability and operational outcomes.

Construction Collaboration During Design (Design-to-Build Integration)

• Partner with Construction leaders and field teams during design to validate means/methods assumptions, sequencing, logistics, temporary works needs, and site safety considerations (safety-in-design).
• Facilitate structured constructability reviews and resolve conflicts early (layout, access, prefabrication opportunities, equipment handling paths, commissioning boundaries, and shutdown/energization planning).
• Align design packages to construction phasing and turnover strategy, supporting partial beneficial occupancy, phased commissioning, and operational readiness milestones.
• Ensure early incorporation of commissioning requirements and integrated systems testing needs into design documents, scopes, and schedules.

Procurement Strategy, Bid Package Development & GC Requirements

• Develop procurement-ready engineering deliverables (technical specifications, equipment schedules, single-line diagrams, sequences of operation, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria) to support competitive bidding and on-time purchasing of long-lead equipment.
• Define bid package structure and contracting approach with Procurement and Construction (early works, site/civil, shell/core, MEP fit-out, electrical yard/substation interfaces, commissioning scope boundaries).
• Draft and review technical exhibits and GC requirements, including design deliverable lists, BIM/model requirements, submittal and RFI expectations, QA/QC requirements, and record drawing/as-built obligations.
• Support evaluation of A/E, equipment vendors, and GC proposals by providing technical/commercial risk assessments, clarifications, and alignment to project standards and operational intent.
• Identify and manage procurement and supply-chain risks (lead times, alternates, qualification plans, factory testing, and logistics) in close coordination with project controls and construction planning.

Change Control, Engineering Document Updates & As-Built Documentation

• Establish and enforce a disciplined design change control process that integrates field-driven changes (RFIs, submittals, substitution requests, and constructability changes) into the engineering record in a timely and auditable manner.
• Partner with the GC and trade partners to define and execute redline/record drawing workflows, including frequency, responsibility matrix, and quality checks for accuracy and completeness.
• Coordinate with Document Control to maintain a single source of truth for design and record documents, including revision logs, transmittals, and approved-for-construction (AFC/IFC) sets.
• Drive closeout deliverables for operations handover: as-built drawings and specifications, O&M manuals, equipment data sheets, warranties, test reports, asset tags, and turnover packages that support CMMS and lifecycle management.
• Ensure that final as-built documentation reflects all approved changes made during construction and commissioning, and is delivered in the required formats (PDF/CAD/BIM/data exports).

Risk, Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Identify technical and delivery risks early and guide mitigation plans (site constraints, permitting, utility delivery, constructability, schedule logic, commissioning complexity, and interface risk).
• Promote high standards for engineering quality, specification clarity, and code compliance; ensure critical systems are designed to meet reliability targets and operational requirements.
• Champion safety in design and support project teams in meeting applicable health, safety, and environmental requirements throughout design and construction.

Executive & Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a trusted advisor to executives and cross-functional stakeholders, communicating complex technical topics clearly and enabling timely decisions.
• Coordinate effectively across Real Estate/Development, Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Commissioning, IT, and Operations to maintain alignment on scope, standards, budget, schedule, and risk posture.
• Support issue resolution and escalation management, including negotiations with external stakeholders (AHJs, utilities, consultants, and contractors).

Digital Engineering & Information Management (Optional / Value-Add)

• Advance practical use of BIM, common data environments (CDE), and digital turnover workflows to improve coordination, reduce rework, and strengthen as-built accuracy.
• Define data requirements for asset handover (equipment attributes, spatial data, tagging, and documentation) to support operational analytics and future digital twin initiatives.

🧠 What you will bring

• 12+ years of progressive experience in data center architecture/engineering, mission-critical design, or comparable critical infrastructure programs (e.g., healthcare, semiconductor, industrial power).
• Demonstrated experience partnering with site acquisition and development teams on pre-engineering site evaluation, due diligence, and early development strategy.
• Proven expertise in leading or advising multi-discipline design teams and managing technical governance through design milestones to Issued-for-Construction deliverables.
• Hands-on experience collaborating with construction teams during design, including constructability reviews, phasing/turnover planning, and aligning design deliverables to field execution.
• Demonstrated ability to develop procurement-ready documentation and GC technical requirements (bid packages, technical exhibits, specifications, scopes, and acceptance criteria).
• Strong command of engineering document control and change management practices that ensure field changes are incorporated into updated engineering documents and complete as-built documentation is delivered at closeout.
• Deep understanding of data center systems and interfaces (site development, structural/architectural, electrical power distribution, cooling systems, controls, and life safety).
• Ability to influence without authority—credible advisor who can align diverse stakeholders across real estate, engineering, procurement, construction, and operations.
• Excellent communication skills (executive-ready written and verbal) and comfort operating in fast-moving, ambiguous environments.
  
  

Ideally you have…

• Global project experience across multiple regions (North America, EMEA, and/or Asia-Pacific) and familiarity with differing codes, permitting processes, and delivery models.
• Experience with design-build, EPC, or fast-track delivery approaches for hyperscale data centers.
• Demonstrated use of digital design and delivery tools (BIM coordination workflows, PMIS/CDE platforms, document control systems, and structured turnover data).
• Relevant certifications (preferred, not required): Professional Engineer (PE), Registered Architect (RA), Chartered Engineer, PMP, CCM, LEED, or regional equivalents.

 

📚 Core Competencies

• Strategic advisor mindset with deep technical credibility
• Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder influence
• Excellent risk management and practical problem-solving under pressure
• High standards for engineering quality and documentation discipline
• Constructability-focused design leadership and delivery mindset
• Operational empathy: reliability, maintainability, and lifecycle thinking
• Global collaboration and cultural effectiveness

 

🌏 Work Location & Travel

• Role is flexible/hybrid depending on proximity to preferred hubs and project needs.
• Travel is expected (~25%) to project sites, partner offices, and key suppliers/contractors.

👥 Our Values

We are privileged to serve our loyal customer base in our mission to build lasting relationships with our clients based on trust and mutual success. We strive to deliver exceptional quality and consistency through a white-glove approach. By empowering businesses with tailored solutions and insights, we help them achieve their goals and navigate the ever-evolving tech landscape.

The values we live by:

• Customer-centric Solutions
• Innovation & Excellence
• Integrity & Transparency
• Data-driven Decision Making