Senior Associate, Data Center Design Management, North America

Ares Operations•Bellevue, WA

About The Position

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. As the Senior Associate, Data Center Design Management (North America), you will lead the coordination and management of external architect and engineering consultant teams to deliver fully integrated data center designs that meet customer requirements. This role focuses on driving alignment across disciplines, ensuring seamless integration of all building and critical systems, and maintaining high-quality deliverables under compressed timelines. You bring a strong understanding of data center systems and design processes, with the ability to manage complexity, competing priorities, and fast-paced project demands. You will partner closely with internal development, construction, and commercial teams to ensure designs are coordinated, feasible , and aligned with project objectives . Knowledge of planning, zoning, and entitlement processes is to support our site development team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture , Engineering, or related field.
7+ years of progressive experience in design management of data center or similarly complex technical projects.
Proven experience managing architect and engineering consultant teams and coordinating multi-disciplinary design efforts.
Demonstrated ability to lead the delivery high-quality design packages under compressed schedules.
Working knowledge of planning, zoning, and entitlement processes and their impact on design and development.
Strong understanding of data center design principles and integrated building systems (MEP, structural, etc.).
Excellent communication and collaboration skills across diverse stakeholder groups.
Highly organized and detail-oriented with a focus on execution and accountability.
Proficiency in relevant design and project management tools .

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Architecture or Engineering .
Experience working on hyperscale or high-density data center projects.
Exposure to modular or prefabricated construction approaches.
Experience supporting client-facing technical discussions and solution development.

Responsibilities

Design manage external consultant teams including architects, engineers, and specialty consultants to produce coordinated, high-quality data center designs.
Define and manage scope, deliverables, and performance expectations for consultants, ensuring adherence to schedule, budget, and quality standards.
Lead coordination across all design disciplines to ensure fully integrated building and infrastructure solutions that meet our project objectives and customer requirements.
Drive delivery of design and engineering packages within aggressive timelines, maintaining a high level of quality and completeness.
Partner with development teams to support planning, zoning, and entitlement efforts, ensuring design alignment with jurisdictional requirements and approval processes.
Support responses to customer requests for proposals (RFPs) by contributing to technical narratives, design approaches, and solution development.
Collaborate with internal stakeholders across sales, development, EH&S, security, construction , and operations to ensure stakeholder requirements are coordinated with customer requirements.
Monitor consultant performance and proactively manage risks related to coordination, schedule, and deliverable quality.
Support budget tracking and management of consultant contracts and invoicing.