Modular Design Manager

Atlantic Constructors•Richmond, VA

About The Position

The Modular Design Manager leads the design and drafting function for a broad portfolio of modular buildings and engineered modular solutions, including modular data centers, control rooms, MCC buildings, electrical and instrumentation buildings, power houses, E-houses, switchgear buildings, industrial enclosures, and custom prefabricated structures. The role translates client requirements, project specifications, engineering criteria, and equipment information into coordinated, accurate, fabrication-ready design packages that support procurement, manufacturing, inspection, transportation, and installation. The manager provides technical and organizational leadership to multidisciplinary design teams and manages resources, priorities, schedules, and design quality. The role coordinates with project management, engineering, VDC/BIM, procurement, fabrication, quality, vendors, clients, and third-party reviewers. It is accountable for design execution, constructability, standardization, and continuous improvement while balancing scope, schedule, cost, and technical requirements. The position oversees design packages from proposal and concept through design development, IFA/IFR, IFC, fabrication, and as-built stages, as applicable. It maintains CAD/BIM standards, manages design schedules and deliverables, supports estimating and project engineering, coordinates engineering and code reviews, and ensures design information is complete, controlled, and suitable for fabrication and construction.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
Typically 7 or more years of experience in modular buildings, industrial facilities, prefabricated construction, data centers, or a related design/engineering environment.
Typically 3 or more years of experience leading designers, CAD/BIM personnel, or multidisciplinary design teams.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple disciplines and deliver design packages for fabrication and construction.
Strong understanding of modular building systems, structural framing, building envelopes, equipment integration, MEP coordination, and manufacturing/installation requirements.
Proficiency with AutoCAD and Revit.
Ability to interpret specifications, design criteria, engineering drawings, equipment submittals, and applicable codes.
Strong leadership, communication, organization, problem-solving, and schedule-management skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with modular data centers, mission-critical facilities, control rooms, MCC/switchgear buildings, E-houses, and power houses.
Experience with data center cooling, hot/cold aisle containment, CDUs, PDUs, UPS systems, switchgear, generators, and critical power infrastructure.
Experience supporting PE-sealed drawing packages, state modular approvals, third-party inspections, certification programs, and AHJ reviews.
Knowledge of structural steel fabrication, panelized/volumetric construction, skid bases, lifting and rigging interfaces, shipping constraints, and field installation.
Experience creating design standards, Revit families, CAD libraries, BIM execution plans, and department workflows.
Familiarity with BOM development, material takeoffs, procurement coordination, fabrication travelers, FAT, and production quality processes.
Experience with Navisworks, Bluebeam, and Autodesk Construction Cloud/BIM 360.

Responsibilities

Lead, supervise, mentor, and develop multidisciplinary designers across architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and BIM/CAD disciplines.
Assign personnel and balance workloads according to project priorities, complexity, skill sets, and deliverable dates; establish responsibilities, review expectations, accountability, and communication practices.
Conduct design coordination meetings, workload reviews, and performance discussions; identify resource constraints and resolve bottlenecks.
Support recruiting, onboarding, training, performance feedback, and professional development, and coordinate department capacity with engineering and operations leadership.
Oversee design packages through applicable proposal, concept, design development, IFA/IFR, IFC, fabrication, and as-built stages.
Coordinate architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, controls, fire protection, and vendor information within modular building envelopes.
Lead coordination of equipment placement, access and maintenance clearances, cable and conduit routing, HVAC/cooling systems, piping, penetrations, lifting points, shipping splits, and field connections.
Coordinate data center systems when in scope, including hot/cold aisle layouts, containment, cooling distribution, CDUs, PDUs, UPS, switchgear, busway, and generators.
Ensure designs account for transportation dimensions, module weight, center of gravity, lifting and rigging interfaces, shipping restraints, field assembly, and installation sequence.
Resolve design clashes and constructability issues before packages are released for procurement or fabrication.
Establish and maintain CAD/BIM standards for templates, title blocks, layers, model coordinates, file naming, revision control, and deliverable formats.
Oversee design platforms and coordinate with VDC/BIM teams on model integrity, shared coordinates, model federation, clash detection, and model-to-shop-drawing workflows.
Develop reusable details, Revit families, CAD libraries, typical assemblies, design checklists, and modular design standards.
Develop and maintain design schedules, staffing plans, and deliverable trackers aligned with master project schedules.
Coordinate project milestones, monitor progress, identify late inputs and schedule risks, and communicate recovery plans to project management and leadership.
Review contract scope, proposal assumptions, specifications, and client changes; identify design impacts and support change-order documentation.
Coordinate design completion with Project Engineer Leads and PEs, tracking engineering comments, drawing revisions, and approvals through final release.
Ensure drawing and model revisions are controlled and communicated to procurement, fabrication, quality, and site teams, and that deliverables are reviewed, traceable, and issued through document-control procedures.
Work with structural and MEP fabrication teams to ensure designs are practical, buildable, and aligned with shop capabilities and production methods.
Resolve shop questions, field dimensions, material substitutions, fabrication conflicts, and installation constraints; use production and field feedback to reduce rework, waste, and manufacturing delays.
Coordinate with procurement and material control on bills of material, takeoffs, long-lead items, and purchasing requirements.
Participate in production-readiness reviews and verify current approved drawings and technical information are available before release.
Support factory acceptance testing, quality inspections, punch-list resolution, and installation or commissioning clarification as needed.
Coordinate design documentation and review packages with licensed Professional Engineers, third-party reviewers, certification agencies, inspectors, and authorities having jurisdiction, as applicable.
Manage inputs and packages for PE review/seal, state plan review, modular building approvals, product certification, and project permitting.
Track applicable building, structural, fire/life safety, electrical, mechanical, energy, accessibility, and modular construction requirements.
Coordinate design criteria, including wind, snow, seismic, roof and floor live loads, equipment loads, thermal performance, hazardous-area classifications, and transportation/lifting loads.
Ensure calculations, code interpretations, and sealed documents are completed or approved by appropriately qualified professionals where required, and maintain records of comments, responses, approvals, deviations, and assumptions.
Participate in project kickoffs, design reviews, client coordination meetings, and project status meetings; obtain and verify design information with clients, consultants, vendors, subcontractors, and internal stakeholders.
Communicate design status, technical concerns, required decisions, and schedule impacts; support project management with technical input for RFIs, submittals, change orders, design clarifications, and client presentations.
Maintain coordination among design, engineering, VDC, procurement, fabrication, quality, and field installation teams.
Implement design quality-control procedures, including discipline checks, interdisciplinary reviews, and formal approval gates.
Identify risks such as incomplete criteria, late vendor data, equipment changes, code conflicts, long-lead constraints, and scope gaps; track errors, rework, RFIs, and revision impacts and establish corrective actions and lessons learned.
Maintain organized, controlled, and retrievable project records, models, drawings, calculations, and revisions; improve processes through standard details, automation, libraries, checklists, training, and manufacturing feedback.
Work with Project Engineer Leads and PEs to coordinate design requirements, resolve technical questions, and drive project design packages to completion.
Support estimating during quotation and proposal phases by developing and updating estimate drawings with available project information, preliminary layouts, equipment footprints, and design assumptions; return drawings and supporting information for project handoff.
Develop and maintain Revit-based bills of material, schedules, and quantity information using coordinated model data, with consistent parameters, families, and extraction practices.
Coordinate Revit model content and BOM requirements with design disciplines, Project Engineer Leads, procurement, and estimating; identify discrepancies between estimate drawings, awarded scope, engineering design, and BOM quantities and support resolution before procurement or fabrication release.
Assign and prioritize design resources, establish department CAD/BIM standards, conduct design reviews, and recommend workflow improvements within the role's authority; route changes affecting scope, cost, schedule, engineering basis, code compliance, or sealed documents through company approval and change-management procedures.