Principal, Design Lead

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Why Join Us:

This role is an excellent opportunity to join a deeply experienced and high-performing team with the ability to directly impact and contribute to Ada’s development program. Our team combines industry-wide experience and in-country expertise across all our regions.

We are committed to collaborating cross-functionally and partnering to drive efficient and effective solutions that meet the needs of our internal and external stakeholders.

The Team You Are Joining

The Design & Innovation function is part of the Global Design, Development and Delivery organization and is responsible for enabling the delivery of scalable, reliable, and sustainable data center infrastructure across Ada's global portfolio.

The organization operates through a collaborative global and regional model:

• Global Design & Innovation – Accountable for design standards, tools, productization, and innovation across all regions; operates as a center of excellence (CoE) and provides consultative support to regional teams
• Regional Design – Executes and adapts global standards to local codes, customer requirements, and site-specific conditions while piloting innovations for broader global adoption
  
  

Summary

The Design Lead, North America is responsible for leading the design execution function across Ada's North American development portfolio. This role ensures global design standards are effectively adapted into buildable, code-compliant, customer-aligned, and site-specific solutions that support delivery excellence across the region.

Working closely with the Global Design & Innovation team, this leader serves as the primary bridge between global standards and regional execution, ensuring designs are scalable, constructable, cost-effective, and aligned with business objectives.

The role is also responsible for building, leading, and developing a high-performing multidisciplinary design organization that supports Ada's continued growth throughout North America.

Responsibilities

• Lead design execution across Ada's North American development portfolio, ensuring alignment with safety, quality, schedule, cost, constructability, and customer requirements
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary design organization fostering accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Direct the regional and site level adaptation and implementation of global standards, specifications, and requirements to meet codes, permitting requirements, customer needs, and site-specific conditions
• Partner closely with Development and Delivery teams to ensure designs are constructable, cost-effective, scalable, and aligned with project objectives
• Serve as the regional design authority throughout project planning, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and turnover
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure regional design performance, quality, schedule performance of AOR/EORs, budget alignment, change management, and risk mitigation
• Collaborate with the Global Design & Innovation team to support continuous improvement of design standards, engineering specifications, and delivery processes through regional feedback and lessons learned
• Support the evaluation and implementation of new technologies, engineering approaches, and design innovations that improve performance, efficiency, reliability, and scalability
• Partner with Supply Chain to align designs with procurement strategies, equipment standardization initiatives, and vendor capabilities
• Collaborate with Operations and Commissioning teams to ensure designs support long-term operational reliability, maintainability, and lifecycle performance
• Champion digital engineering, BIM, automation, and data-driven design practices to improve design efficiency and project outcomes
• Foster relationships with design consultants, engineering partners, equipment manufacturers, and industry stakeholders to maintain awareness of emerging trends and best practices
• Partner with Development & Delivery teams to provide regular executive-level reporting on project performance, resource planning, design risks, and project level opportunities
• Support customer engagements and strategic initiatives as required, communicating Ada's design capabilities and technical solutions
  
  

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Design or Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, Architectural, or related discipline)
• 12 years of experience in engineering, design, design management, or technical leadership within data centers, mission-critical infrastructure
• Demonstrated success building high-performing team, developing technical talent, and scaling teams through periods of growth
• Strong understanding of data center systems, including mechanical, electrical, controls, commissioning, and operational considerations
• Experience leading design execution across multiple projects while balancing quality, schedule, budget, constructability, and customer requirements
• Experience implementing standardized design approaches while adapting solutions to local codes, permitting requirements, and site-specific conditions
• Strong commercial and operational acumen, including understanding of cost drivers, procurement considerations, project delivery risks, and decision-making tradeoffs
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence technical and executive audiences across a matrixed organization
• Willingness to travel as required to support project sites, regional teams, customers, and business objectives
  
  

Reporting Relationships

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.

$250,000.00 - $275,000.00

The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.

Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more.

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.