Director, Data Center Electrical Engineering

Keel Infrastructure•New York, NY

9h•$220,000 - $285,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a senior leadership role responsible for defining, owning, and continuously advancing the company's electrical engineering standards across all data center development projects. The individual will serve as the internal authority on power distribution architecture, backup power systems, medium-voltage infrastructure, controls integration, and electrical system reliability. This role partners closely with mechanical engineering, commissioning, construction management, procurement, and utility relations teams to drive coordinated electrical design decisions from site selection and utility engagement through design, construction, and energization. The Director of Electrical Engineering sets the frameworks, specifications, and design standards that govern how the company's portfolio is powered and ensures those standards are consistently applied and continuously improved as the company scales and as customer requirements evolve toward higher-density, AI-driven workloads.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive electrical engineering experience.
Demonstrated experience leading electrical design on hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data center projects.
Experience as a technical owner or discipline lead, not just a contributor, on large capital projects.
Prior experience managing or mentoring engineering staff and external consultants.
Deep knowledge of data center electrical distribution architectures.
Proficiency in medium-voltage system design.
Strong knowledge of UPS systems, battery systems, and static and mechanical transfer switch technologies.
Experience with backup power systems including diesel generator sizing, fuel systems, and generator controls integration.
Experience with electrical system modeling, including arc flash hazard analysis (NFPA 70E), short circuit studies, load flow analysis, and power quality assessments.
Familiarity with SCADA, EPMS, and BMS integration requirements for electrical infrastructure monitoring and control.
Ability to translate complex electrical engineering concepts for non-technical audiences including executives and investors.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities simultaneously.
Excellent written and verbal communication; experience authoring design standards and technical specifications.
Collaborative mindset with experience working cross-functionally in fast-paced development environments.
Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Professional Engineer (PE) license strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications (CDCDP, PMP, ATD, LEED AP, DCEP, or similar) are a significant asset.

Responsibilities

Develop and own the company's electrical engineering design standards, basis-of-design documentation, and technical specifications governing all electrical systems across new data center development.
Establish and enforce electrical design criteria for critical power path systems: utility service entrance, medium-voltage switchgear, unit substation transformers, low-voltage switchgear and switchboards, UPS systems, static transfer switches (STS), PDUs, and IT busway/whip distribution.
Define standards for backup power infrastructure including diesel generator plants, automatic transfer switches (ATS), and battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Drive continuous improvement of power usage effectiveness (PUE) through efficient electrical system design, transformer loss optimization, and power factor management.
Lead evaluation, selection, and standardization of electrical equipment and systems across the portfolio to maximize reliability, reduce spare parts complexity, and improve procurement leverage.
Provide electrical engineering leadership and technical review across all project phases, from site feasibility and schematic design through design development, construction documents, and commissioning.
Review and approve electrical design packages from external engineers of record (EORs), ensuring compliance with company standards, NEC, NFPA 70/75/76, and jurisdictional requirements.
Oversee the development of single-line diagrams, system architectures, and load schedules as living design documents throughout the project lifecycle.
Lead electrical value engineering efforts, balancing first cost, lifecycle cost, equipment lead times, reliability, and schedule across each project.
Support RFP development, bid evaluation, and contractor/vendor selection for electrical scopes of work; review electrical subcontractor qualifications and proposed means and methods.
Oversee electrical construction administration including submittal review, RFI responses, field design changes, and coordination with the commissioning team during startup and energization.
Build, mentor, and lead an internal electrical engineering team as the company's development pipeline grows.
Manage relationships with external electrical engineers of record, specialty consultants (protection and relay, arc flash, power quality), equipment manufacturers, and utility contacts.
Collaborate with mechanical engineering to coordinate power requirements for cooling infrastructure, including chilled water plant electrical loads, VFD integration, and BMS/EPMS power interfaces.
Partner with commissioning to ensure electrical systems are designed for testability, including provisions for temporary load banks, metering points, relay test switches, and isolation capability for IST.
Present electrical design strategies, system architecture decisions, and capital investment recommendations to executive leadership and, where applicable, to customers and investors.
Evaluate and develop the company's strategy for high-density power distribution to support AI/HPC workloads — including 415V busway, direct 480V rack-level distribution, high-ampacity overhead busway systems, and 800VDC integration.
Develop roadmap for integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS) to support grid resiliency, demand response, and sustainability goals.
Monitor and respond to evolving NEC, NFPA, IEEE, and utility interconnection requirements across key development markets; update company standards accordingly.
Participate in relevant industry organizations (7x24 Exchange, NFPA, IEEE, Uptime Institute) and contribute to thought leadership.