Senior Program Manager & Key Client Lead, Data Centers

Ramboll • Houston, TX

17h • $150,000 - $225,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Program Manager & Key Client Lead, Data Centers, owns the integrated relationship, technical direction, and delivery agenda for a priority data center client in North America. The role serves as the senior day-to-day client partner, translates the client’s multi-site development needs into a coordinated account and program plan, and mobilizes capabilities across power systems, substations, interconnection, generation, and other Ramboll service lines. The position has a direct and significant impact on Power Systems, the named account, and the relevant North America market.

The role combines program and project management with technical and key-client leadership. It is accountable for delivery performance, technical and commercial rigor, and account growth. The role develops and executes an annual client plan, maintains a qualified opportunity pipeline, leads priority pursuits, and converts client needs into profitable, repeatable work. It leads complex delivery through other project managers, overseeing mid-sized multidisciplinary projects and a coordinated portfolio of assignments while guiding project managers and technical leads and ensuring consistent scope, schedule, quality, commercial, and client outcomes.

The position works with Ramboll’s North America Power Systems team and specialists in substation engineering, protection and control, transmission, interconnection, power generation, civil/structural engineering, and energy strategy. It also connects the client to Ramboll’s broader global data center and infrastructure capabilities. The work spans account and sales development, multidisciplinary program delivery, technical direction, and collaboration across Ramboll’s service lines.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience across project, program, client, or business management, including success leading multidisciplinary projects or related portfolios and managing scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, and client satisfaction.
• Expertise in a relevant power systems discipline and breadth sufficient to guide multidisciplinary teams.
• Understanding of power availability, utilities, substations, transmission, generation and load interconnection, and how ISO/RTO processes affect schedules and risk.
• Ability to build senior client relationships, develop account plans, win repeat business through proposals and negotiations, and clearly explain technical and commercial issues.
• Ability to work independently, bring together teams across disciplines and locations, coach others, and demonstrate improvement to practices or business results beyond a single project.
• Experience with CRM and project financial systems.
• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, energy, or power systems engineering, construction management, business, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

• Direct work with a data center developer, hyperscaler, or colocation provider; experience with other energy-intensive clients is also relevant.
• Experience with Maconomy or a comparable project financial platform.
• Advanced degree in a technical field or business.
• PMP certification.
• Professional Engineer licensure.

Responsibilities

• Support the account team and help develop and deliver annual account and sales plans.
• Grow net sales from the named account by building a qualified opportunity pipeline and converting opportunities into profitable work; align growth objectives with North America Energy leadership through the annual PDP/KPI process.
• Build relationships across the client’s development, engineering, leadership, procurement, real estate, sustainability, and operations teams.
• Raise Ramboll’s profile through client content, technical publications, workshops, conferences, seminars, and executive forums; share market insights and account lessons to inform data center strategy, planning, and service development.
• Keep CRM account, contact, activity, opportunity, positioning, pipeline, and sales forecast information current, and use agreed metrics to guide decisions and follow-through.
• Lead project managers delivering mid-to-large multidisciplinary data center infrastructure projects.
• Direct project managers, technical leads, subconsultants, and vendors to meet scope, schedule, quality, budget, and commercial goals.
• Use Maconomy and other Ramboll financial systems for project controls, forecasting, and reporting.
• Address delivery and commercial risks early, pursue project opportunities, and resolve uncertainty through decisions, escalation, and corrective action.
• Lead project closeout, client feedback, and lessons learned to improve delivery and repeat business.
• Develop consistent practices, reusable tools, improved processes, and innovative digital deliverables to improve speed, quality, and scalability across the client account and data center portfolio.
• Align internal teams—including Power Systems, Energy, Environment & Health, Water, Buildings, and other Ramboll teams—around client priorities; influence across the matrix and secure resources without direct authority.
• Coach project managers and technical leaders in client development, commercial judgment, risk, and executive communication; mentor disciplines and practice areas to build expertise and support growth.
• Independently deliver or direct complex technical work and develop assignment scopes and budgets.
• Act as a data center power expert, directing complex or specialized power systems, substation, transmission, generation, and interconnection work.
• Review others’ decisions, proposals, and deliverables for quality, technical viability, and achievable commitments.
• Improve engineering standards, reusable methods, and guidance using lessons learned; develop practical solutions that address client objectives, risk, constructability, cost, schedule, permitting, and utility or ISO/RTO requirements.

Benefits

• Flexible work environment
• Investment in your development
• Leaders guided by Ramboll’s Leadership Principles
• A foundation-owned company’s long-term thinking
• Comprehensive benefits package supporting well-being, professional development, and work-life balance
• May be eligible for bonus, overtime, or other forms of compensation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior