Data Center Construction Manager

Job Title: Lease Construction Manager – Data Center Projects

Job Description

This Lease Construction Manager role oversees the full lifecycle delivery of leased data center projects from lease execution through Ready for Service (RFS). The position combines construction project management, data center design and operations understanding, and strong vendor and stakeholder coordination to ensure each site meets established guidelines, standards, and contractual obligations. The Lease Construction Manager drives safety, quality, schedule adherence, and cost management while serving as the primary point of contact for project development and delivery across multiple internal and external teams.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end delivery of leased data center projects from lease execution through Ready for Service (RFS), ensuring all milestones, quality standards, and contractual obligations are met.
• Serve as an advocate for managing a safe worksite, promoting a strong safety culture and adherence to construction health and safety best practices.
• Ensure each project complies with established data center development guidelines and standards, incorporating lessons learned and evolving industry best practices.
• Manage lease providers and associated partners to deliver RFS for each lease site location, holding them accountable to the lease agreement and performance expectations.
• Identify and manage stakeholder dependencies, construction deliverables, and handoffs with internal teams such as End-to-End (E2E), Security, Data Center Engineering, Data Center Operations, Site Selection and Acquisition, and Environmental Health & Safety.
• Coordinate with internal subject matter experts to support the technical, operational, and compliance requirements necessary to achieve RFS at each lease data center site.
• Maintain and enforce requirements stated in lease agreements using best practices, ensuring lease providers comply with all technical, schedule, and quality commitments.
• Drive deployment of construction and delivery solutions that can be standardized and applied across data center development projects globally.
• Facilitate decision-making to drive solutions and schedules, and manage changes as required to keep projects on track.
• Apply influence, negotiation skills, and strategic thinking to identify options, resolve issues, and recommend effective solutions across cross-discipline teams.
• Serve as the single point of contact for project development and delivery, providing clear, consistent communication to stakeholders.
• Coordinate meetings and activities of lease providers and internal subject matter experts, ensuring alignment on scope, schedule, and deliverables.
• Attend owner/architect/contractor (OAC) and other project meetings, providing updates, raising issues, and documenting outcomes as needed.
• Report project progress on scope, schedule, and budget on a weekly basis or as required, following established data center development reporting standards.
• Provide weekly project status reports that clearly communicate risks, issues, and progress against key milestones.
• Independently manage the construction process required to achieve RFS, working in support of the broader data center development project team.
• Track lessons learned across projects, identify process and technical improvements, and share these insights across teams to drive continuous improvement.
• Route RFS approvals to all required stakeholders and regional approvers, ensuring proper documentation and governance.
• Review potential lease sites and support site selection teams by providing feedback on lease providers’ technical and delivery qualifications.
• Support Integration & Technical Infrastructure Managers (ITIM) across regions and local sites, ensuring alignment between construction activities and technical infrastructure requirements.
• Promote and uphold an inclusive, collaborative work environment that aligns with organizational values and supports positive team culture.
• Meet performance expectations by consistently delivering projects that achieve RFS on time, within scope, and aligned with quality and safety standards.

Essential Skills

• At least 10 years of overall professional experience, including 5 years of experience in construction project management for data centers or mission critical facilities.
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Project Management, Architecture, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience managing construction projects for data centers or other mission critical facilities, with strong understanding of their design, engineering, controls, and operational requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple large, multi-faceted construction projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines and deliverables.
• Strong knowledge of construction health and safety practices; familiarity with OSHA 30 or equivalent standards is preferred.
• Ability to read, interpret, and understand commercial lease agreements, especially as they relate to construction and delivery obligations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to coordinate and influence cross-discipline teams and diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, self-direct work, and manage priorities in a fast-paced, project-driven environment.
• Solid organizational skills with the ability to manage complex dependencies, deliverables, and project handoffs.
• Experience with vendor management, particularly managing lease providers and external partners to contractual and performance standards.
• Ability to meet required customer and/or government security screening requirements, including passing periodic cloud background checks as specified for the role.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• PMP (Project Management Professional) certification.
• LEED certification and familiarity with sustainable construction practices.
• Degrees and/or professional licenses in Construction Management or Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, or similar technical experience.
• Formal training or certification in construction health and safety; OSHA 30 or equivalent is preferred.
• Experience applying best practices and lessons learned across multiple construction projects to improve consistency and efficiency.
• Proven ability to influence cross-discipline and cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to identify options, resolve conflicts, and drive decisions.
• Experience in structured reporting of project status, including scope, schedule, budget, and risk tracking.
• Comfort working in a highly collaborative environment with legal, risk management, engineering, operations, and site selection teams.
• Local candidates with the ability to work on site at the designated campus multiple days per week.

Work Environment

This role operates in a hybrid work environment based at a large data center campus in the Phoenix area, with on-site presence required three days per week. The position follows a standard Monday through Friday schedule, averaging 40 hours per week. Work is primarily conducted in a combination of office, meeting room, and active construction site settings. The role uses standard business and project tools, including a laptop, mouse, headset, and Bluebeam software for document and drawing review. Full personal protective equipment (PPE) is required and provided by the supplier for time spent on construction sites. The environment is highly collaborative, involving regular interaction with internal engineering, operations, safety, legal, and site selection teams, as well as external lease providers and contractors. The culture emphasizes safety, quality, schedule adherence, cost management, and inclusivity, with a strong focus on teamwork and continuous improvement in delivering data center capacity.

This is a Contract position based out of Phoenix, AZ.

The pay range for this position is $75.00 - $95.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a hybrid position in Phoenix,AZ.

This position is anticipated to close on May 22, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.

Salary : $75 - $95