Associate Director Site Engineering & Design – Data Center Construction

Turner & Townsend•San Francisco, CA

4d•Remote

About The Position

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Associate Director Site Engineering & Design to join a large-scale data center development program as an embedded member of the program team. This role will focus on managing the Request for Information (RFI) process, coordinating multidisciplinary design activities, tracking design issues and action items, and supporting overall program governance. The successful candidate will serve as a key liaison between design, construction, and program management teams, ensuring efficient management of RFIs, design deliverables, and documentation while upholding established design authority and governance protocols. This position demands strong organizational, technical writing, and stakeholder management skills, complemented by experience in supporting complex capital projects within mission-critical environments.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
8+ years of experience in project engineering, design management, construction administration, or technical project coordination on large capital projects.
Experience supporting multidisciplinary design teams through design development, construction documentation, and construction phases.
Strong knowledge of RFI, submittal, and design change management processes.
Experience working within design-build, EPC, or traditional delivery models.
Proficiency with project information management platforms such as: Procore, Aconex, Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360, or similar project collaboration systems.
Strong technical writing and documentation skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting data center, mission-critical, industrial, or large infrastructure projects.
Familiarity with data center design fundamentals, including: Electrical distribution systems, Mechanical cooling systems, Building controls systems, Reliability and redundancy concepts.
Experience operating within sophisticated program management and governance environments.
Exposure to commissioning, design validation, or construction quality processes.

Responsibilities

Manage and maintain the project RFI register, ensuring all RFIs are logged, categorized, prioritized, and tracked through resolution.
Review, triage, and classify RFIs according to established project protocols and escalation criteria.
Draft proposed responses for routine RFIs using existing contract documents, drawings, specifications, and approved project precedents.
Coordinate review and approval of drafted responses with designated client design representatives before formal issuance.
Escalate RFIs involving design changes, code interpretations, schedule impacts, cost implications, or technical ambiguities to the appropriate design authority.
Monitor RFI status, due dates, and turnaround times to support project schedule objectives.
Maintain accurate audit trails documenting authorship, review, approval, and issuance of all RFI responses.
Coordinate design deliverables, review cycles, and comment resolution activities across architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, controls, and specialty disciplines.
Track design-related risks, open issues, and action items, ensuring timely follow-up and resolution.
Facilitate design coordination meetings, including agenda preparation, meeting documentation, and action item management.
Identify and communicate design process bottlenecks that may affect project execution or construction activities.
Support document management efforts, including maintenance of: Design basis documentation, RFI registers, Submittal logs, Design issue logs, Lessons learned databases.
Promote cross-functional collaboration between project stakeholders, consultants, contractors, and client teams.
Prepare and deliver regular program reports on RFI metrics, design status, issue resolution, and project risks.
Analyze RFI trends and recurring issues to identify opportunities for process improvement and enhanced design clarity.
Support development and continuous refinement of RFI management protocols and governance procedures.
Ensure compliance with project documentation standards, approval workflows, and established authority boundaries.
Adhere to SOX control responsibilities where applicable.