Sr Release Manager, Design Engineering

Amazon • Columbus, OH

9d • Onsite

About The Position

AWS Infrastructure Services is responsible for the design, planning, delivery, and operation of all AWS global infrastructure. This role focuses on the Basis of Design (BOD) and Programmatic Design Change Management (PDCM) programs, requiring deep technical expertise across multiple engineering disciplines to evaluate complex design changes for over 300 in-flight projects. The Design Change Manager will act as a technical expert, evaluating design change requests for electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, architectural, controls, plumbing, fire protection, and thermal systems. This involves conducting feasibility analyses, coordinating technical reviews with principal engineers, and managing the entire lifecycle of design changes from initiation to implementation. Collaboration with Design Engineering, Construction Management, Procurement, Finance, and Product teams is essential to ensure design changes are properly vetted, funded, and executed.

Requirements

• 6+ years of data center design, construction, operations, or facility maintenance experience
• 6+ years of industrial or commercial engineering in mission critical facilities including but not limited to: data centers, power generation or oil and gas facilities experience
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field
• Knowledge of critical data center mechanical and electrical equipment
• Experience in data center design, construction, operations, or facility maintenance
• Experience in industrial or commercial engineering in mission critical facilities including but not limited to: data centers, power generation or oil and gas facilities
• Experience researching new designs, technologies, and construction methods of data center equipment and facilities

Nice To Haves

• Professional Engineering or Architectural License
• Knowledge of building codes and regulations for your region
• Experience carrying design concepts through exploration, development, and into deployment or mass production
• Experience reading, interpreting, and creating construction drawings, specifications, and submittal documents

Responsibilities

• Evaluate complex design changes across multiple engineering disciplines including electrical power distribution, mechanical cooling systems, structural loads, civil site work, architectural layouts, controls systems, plumbing infrastructure, and fire protection systems.
• Analyze technical specifications, construction drawings, equipment datasheets, and system integration requirements to assess design change feasibility and impact.
• Understand and explain the complexity of data center designs including power distribution from utility to rack level, cooling system architectures, backup power systems, and building infrastructure.
• Identify technical dependencies and cross-discipline impacts when evaluating proposed design changes.
• Assess constructability, maintainability, and operational implications of design modifications.
• Review and validate technical calculations including electrical load calculations, cooling capacity requirements, structural load analysis, and hydraulic calculations.
• Manage portfolio of design changes across multiple in-flight projects, ensuring alignment with business priorities and technical requirements.
• Conduct feasibility analyses and production readiness assessments for proposed design changes, evaluating technical risk, schedule impact, and cost implications.
• Coordinate technical reviews with principal engineers across mechanical, electrical, structural, civil, architectural, controls, plumbing, and fire protection disciplines.
• Develop and maintain implementation plans, tracking design change execution from approval through site deployment.
• Present design change recommendations and cost implications to senior leadership, clearly articulating technical complexity and business impact.
• Evaluate design improvements and innovations, assessing their applicability across the global portfolio.
• Partner with Electrical Engineers on power distribution design, generator sizing, UPS configurations, switchgear specifications, and high-voltage systems.
• Collaborate with Mechanical Engineers on cooling system design, HVAC configurations, piping layouts, and thermal management strategies.
• Work with Structural Engineers on foundation design, seismic requirements, equipment support structures, and building loads.
• Engage with Civil Engineers on site grading, stormwater management, utility routing, and site infrastructure.
• Coordinate with Architectural teams on building layouts, space planning, and building envelope design.
• Interface with Controls Engineers on building management systems, monitoring systems, and automation strategies.
• Partner with Fire Protection Engineers on fire suppression systems, detection systems, and life safety requirements.
• Partner with Design Management teams to understand project-specific requirements, constraints, and technical challenges.
• Collaborate with Finance teams on cost validation, funding strategies, and budget tracking for design changes.
• Work with Construction Management and Procurement teams to assess schedule impacts, supply chain constraints, and constructability.
• Engage with Product and Solutions teams to evaluate new equipment, emerging technologies, and design approaches.
• Coordinate with Commissioning teams to ensure design changes support testing and startup requirements.
• Identify opportunities to streamline design change workflows and reduce execution timelines while maintaining technical rigor.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation including standard operating procedures, design standards, technical specifications, and RACI matrices.
• Contribute to automation initiatives and tooling improvements for design change management.
• Support integration of cost validation frameworks and bulk funding mechanisms.
• Drive continuous improvement in technical review processes and design quality standards.
• Track and report on design change metrics including approval timelines, cost avoidance, implementation status, and technical quality.
• Maintain design change databases and dashboards for cross-functional visibility.
• Support BOD release planning and coordination to minimize redesign impacts.
• Participate in weekly leadership reviews presenting program status, key decisions, and technical recommendations.

Benefits

• health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage)
• 401(k) matching
• paid time off
• parental leave
• sign-on payments
• restricted stock units (RSUs)

What This Job Offers

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