Senior Technical Program Manager, Data Center Construction & Delivery – Digital Infrastructure

Invenergy•Chicago, IL

1d•$200,000 - $235,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Invenergy is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager to join its Digital Infrastructure business line. The role serves as the owner-side construction and delivery representative for assigned data center projects, leading execution from preconstruction through construction, commissioning, turnover, and closeout. Projects may include individual facilities or multi-building campuses, including greenfield and adaptive-reuse developments, ranging from tens of megawatts to campuses with hundreds of megawatts of capacity. Invenergy delivers projects primarily through external architects and engineers, general contractors, commissioning providers, equipment manufacturers, and specialty partners. This is not a self-perform design or construction role: the Senior Technical Program Manager leads and holds those partners accountable on Invenergy’s behalf, with responsibility for construction strategy, partner performance, schedule, cost, quality, risk, commissioning, and successful project turnover. The position requires significant direct data center delivery experience and working knowledge of mechanical, electrical, controls, utility, fire/life-safety, and commissioning systems. The role works across Invenergy and directly with customers to translate technical, energization, commissioning, and turnover requirements into executable delivery plans. It will help establish Invenergy’s data center delivery platform and repeatable practices as the Digital Infrastructure portfolio grows. The role follows a hybrid schedule: in-office Monday through Thursday and remote on Fridays if work permits. Regular travel to project sites and partner locations is required as needed.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive capital-project delivery experience, including at least 5 years of direct data center construction, program management, or project delivery experience.
Demonstrated experience delivering technically complex data center projects from preconstruction through construction, energization, commissioning, and turnover.
Significant experience leading external AEC firms, general contractors, commissioning providers, equipment manufacturers, and specialty contractors.
Strong understanding of data center construction sequencing and integration of mission-critical mechanical, electrical, controls, utility, and commissioning systems.
Demonstrated experience managing complex project schedules, critical-path activities, cost performance, change management, commercial risk, and long-lead equipment.
Ability to independently assess project performance, challenge contractor and consultant assumptions, identify risks early, lead recovery efforts, and drive complex issues to resolution.
Strong leadership, judgment, and communication skills, including the ability to influence multidisciplinary teams and translate complex construction issues into clear recommendations for senior and executive leadership.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly to project sites and partner locations as required.
Eligible to work in the United States without employer visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
Experience delivering large-scale hyperscale, wholesale colocation, AI/HPC, or multi-building data center campus projects.
Experience working for or with a hyperscale cloud provider, colocation provider, data center developer/operator, mission-critical general contractor, EPC organization, or major technology company.
Experience in an owner/developer construction management, technical program management, or project delivery role.
Experience managing projects through permanent power, energization, integrated systems testing, operational readiness, and customer turnover.
Experience with utility infrastructure, substations, medium-voltage distribution, or other large-scale mission-critical infrastructure.
Familiarity with scheduling, project-controls, document-management, and construction-management platforms such as Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, or comparable systems.
PMP, CCM, or similar certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as the owner-side construction and delivery lead for assigned data center projects from preconstruction through commissioning, turnover, and closeout.
Lead external AEC firms, general contractors, commissioning providers, equipment manufacturers, specialty contractors, and consultants, setting expectations, responsibilities, milestones, and accountability.
Lead preconstruction and execution planning, including contracting and packaging strategy, constructability, logistics, phasing, procurement, baseline schedule validation, long-lead equipment strategy, commissioning planning, and construction readiness.
Drive the integrated owner schedule across design, permitting, procurement, utilities, construction, energization, commissioning, and turnover; challenge contractor schedules, identify critical-path risks, and lead mitigation and recovery plans.
Maintain owner-side accountability for cost performance, working with Project Controls, Finance, Supply Chain, and Legal on budgets, forecasts, contingency, change control, claims, contractor performance, and commercial exposure.
Apply working knowledge of data center electrical, mechanical, controls, utility, fire/life-safety, and commissioning systems to understand sequencing, identify interfaces, challenge project teams, and recognize when specialized engineering review is needed.
Coordinate with Data Center Design & Engineering to ensure construction aligns with approved design intent, Basis of Design requirements, technical standards, and customer requirements.
Integrate design, procurement, utilities, construction, controls, commissioning, operations, and customer teams, resolving scope, responsibility, sequencing, or milestone gaps before they affect delivery.
Coordinate long-lead equipment and infrastructure milestones—including fabrication, factory testing, delivery, installation, permanent power, startup, and commissioning—with the overall project schedule.
Maintain sufficient site presence to independently assess actual progress, construction quality, staffing, sequencing, coordination, and contractor recovery plans.
Establish owner expectations for construction quality and monitor partner QA/QC, punch-list management, deficiency closure, testing documentation, and turnover readiness.
Drive integration of construction completion, energization, equipment startup, L1-L5 or equivalent commissioning activities, controls integration, integrated systems testing, deficiency closure, operational readiness, and final turnover.
Provide concise, decision-oriented reporting to senior leadership, presenting issues, business impact, options, recommended action, and decisions required; capture lessons learned to improve future delivery.