Senior Integrated Design Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Integrated Design Manager

Company: Aligned Data Centers

Location: ORD-03, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Operations - Integrated Design Management

Date Posted: May 21, 2026

Experience Level: Senior (9+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic direction and execution of Integrated Design Management (IDM) across multiple complex data center projects, ensuring critical systems and high-cost scope elements are aligned early in the design lifecycle.

• Maintain rigorous accountability for third-party design teams, ensuring adherence to quality standards, project schedules, and decision-making readiness.

• Drive structured design reviews, decision-focused coordination meetings, and technical alignment discussions to foster a collaborative and efficient design process.

• Ensure consistent application of design gating processes, internal Aligned Data Centers (ADC) project requirements (including CDE, CCL, technical bulletins), and robust risk tracking practices.

• Partner closely with Senior Construction Managers to seamlessly integrate design decisions with construction sequencing, constructability, and overall execution strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior Integrated Design Manager," the core responsibilities and required experience strongly align with a specialized role within the broader GTM/Operations umbrella, focusing on the pre-construction and design phases of mission-critical infrastructure. The emphasis on "Integrated Design Management" suggests a need for strong cross-functional collaboration and a holistic view of project development, a key characteristic of advanced operations roles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead Integrated Design Management efforts for multiple projects or entire campuses, ensuring a cohesive and efficient design process from inception through to turnover.

• Champion early stakeholder alignment on critical systems, design assumptions, and significant scope elements to mitigate risks and optimize project outcomes.

• Hold third-party design teams accountable for design quality, schedule adherence, and timely decision-making, fostering a culture of ownership and performance.

• Facilitate and lead structured design reviews, technical alignment discussions, and critical coordination meetings to drive consensus and resolve complex design challenges.

• Enforce the consistent application of design gating processes, internal Aligned Data Centers (ADC) project requirements (e.g., CDE, CCL, technical bulletins), and proactive risk tracking methodologies.

• Oversee the development and ongoing maintenance of comprehensive project risk registers, spanning from land enablement through to operational turnover.

• Collaborate closely with Senior Construction Managers to ensure design decisions are synchronized with construction sequencing, constructability considerations, and execution realities.

• Support the establishment and refinement of standardized design durations, key milestones, and performance metrics to benchmark and improve project delivery.

• Provide essential mentorship, functional guidance, and technical leadership to Integrated Design Managers and Associate Integrated Design Managers, fostering team development.

• Assist in the preparation of critical project dashboards, quarterly leadership updates, and executive communications to ensure transparency and alignment.

• Support customer interface activities during fit-out design and technical integration phases, ensuring client requirements are met effectively.

• Contribute actively to continuous improvement initiatives, KPI development, and the refinement of IDM tools, workflows, and best practices within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities listed are highly strategic and require a deep understanding of the entire project lifecycle from a design and constructability perspective. This role goes beyond simple project management, demanding a leadership presence and the ability to influence multiple internal and external stakeholders. The emphasis on "design gating," "risk registers," and "technical bulletins" indicates a structured, process-driven environment common in large-scale infrastructure operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• A minimum of 9 years of progressive experience managing complex commercial or mission-critical design programs, with a strong emphasis on data centers or similar technical infrastructure.

• Demonstrated success in leading multiple large-scale projects concurrently.

• Proven experience mentoring and guiding junior design and project management professionals.

Required Skills:

• Integrated Design Management (IDM): Proven ability to lead and manage the integrated design process for large-scale, complex projects.

• Design Coordination & System Integration: Expertise in coordinating diverse design disciplines and ensuring seamless integration of critical building systems (e.g., power, cooling, IT infrastructure).

• Constructability Analysis: Strong understanding of construction methods and sequencing to ensure designs are practical and cost-effective to build.

• Project Risk Management: Proficient in identifying, assessing, and mitigating project risks throughout the design and pre-construction phases.