Associate - Project Manager Data Centre

Role Overview

Associate - Project Manager Data Centre at Ramboll. This role is based in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, or Africa region, with offices across Dubai, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, China, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Africa.

Company Overview

Ramboll is a global architecture, engineering, and consultancy company founded in Denmark. The organization operates as a people company with more than 1,500 experts across 15 offices in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Africa. Ramboll delivers innovative solutions in Buildings, Transport, Planning & Urban Design, Water, Environment & Health, and Energy. The company is foundation-owned and committed to sustainable change, creating a thriving world for both nature and people.

Role Purpose

Own end-to-end project delivery for large, multidisciplinary data centre and mission-critical facility projects. Manage scope definition, schedule, integrated design quality, client engagement, and commercial success from concept development through detailed design, construction support, commissioning coordination, and project close-out. Lead all technical disciplines, manage resource planning and allocation, track financial performance, and serve as the primary client interface.

Key Responsibilities

Client Engagement

• Act as the primary project interface with clients and senior stakeholders, leading project design review meetings and executive steering committee sessions.
• Continuously engage clients on deliverables, priorities, risks, and schedule and budget performance, proactively surfacing issues and managing expectations.
• Resolve scope ambiguities, change requests, and conflicts between client needs and project constraints.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships through clear communication, demonstrated progress, and reliable delivery.

Design Management & Lifecycle Delivery

• Initiate and setup the project, tools, schedule, introduce teams, create workstreams, draft and monitor the Work Breakdown Structure.
• Lead and oversee all technical disciplines: Mechanical (HVAC, cooling, fire protection), Electrical (MV/LV systems, UPS, generators), ELV/IBMS (controls, security, monitoring), Architecture (planning, compliance), Structural (foundations, loads), and Civil (site development, utilities).
• Manage and coordinate third-party consultants and stakeholders. Establish communication processes and ensure the highest level of quality and coordination between disciplines.
• Establish and maintain a structured coordination process.
• Identify and resolve complex cross-discipline conflicts at early design stage (concept and schematic) before they become costly rework.
• Ensure all discipline outputs (Single Line Diagrams, Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams, layouts, specifications) are coordinated, integrated, and constructible before client submission.
• Review design for buildability and operability.

Risk & Schedule Management

• Identify and assess technical, schedule, budget, and commercial risks at project inception and continuously throughout delivery.
• Develop mitigation strategies for identified risks and track mitigation status.
• Manage change requests and scope variations using formal change control process and quantify impact.
• Communicate schedule status and risks to client.
• Develop and maintain the master project schedule incorporating all disciplines, design stages, client reviews, and permitting milestones.
• Track schedule performance, identify delays early, and implement corrective actions.

Technical Oversight & Design Quality

• Review key design deliverables across all disciplines to ensure compliance with TIA-942, Uptime Tier standards, ASHRAE, NFPA/NBC fire codes, and local UAE regulations.
• Guide multidisciplinary teams in solving complex technical challenges and ensuring design solutions are optimal, integrated, and aligned with project objectives.
• Manage BIM coordination workflow.
• Ensure quality standards are maintained across all project stages.

Financial & Resource Management

• Provide information to the project manager regarding monthly reporting on project budget versus actual, timesheets, and utilization.
• Produce monthly Earned Value Management reports.
• Monitor resource utilization efficiency.
• Provide all related input for monthly Profit & Loss reports.

Team Leadership

• Lead and motivate the multidisciplinary project team.
• Create a collaborative team culture.
• Mentor engineers and develop high-performing teams.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Building Services (or equivalent).
• 8+ years of project management or design management experience, with at least 5 years managing data centre or mission-critical facility projects.
• Hands-on experience in hyperscale or mission-critical data centre projects.
• Proven track record of delivering large, multidisciplinary projects on schedule and within budget.
• Experience managing teams of engineers across multiple disciplines and geographies.
• Experience with global project delivery across multiple geographies and time zones.
• Knowledge of UAE regulatory landscape and authority approval processes (DEWA, ADDC, Civil Defence).

Skills & Competencies

• Strong working knowledge across multiple disciplines: HVAC and mechanical systems, electrical power systems, ELV/IBMS, architecture, and structural design.
• Understanding of data centre design processes and current data centre requirements, AI infrastructure, and construction methods.
• Ability to review and understand design outputs: Single Line Diagrams, Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams, system layouts, BIM models, equipment schedules, and technical specifications.
• Understanding of how design decisions cascade across disciplines.
• Familiarity with data centre standards and requirements: TIA-942, Uptime Institute Tier III/IV, ASHRAE 90.4, fire codes, and UAE regulatory landscape.
• Demonstrated ability to identify schedule and budget risks early and implement corrective actions.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication in English.
• Ability to communicate with C-suite clients, internal senior leadership, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Accountability and decision-making skills.
• Client-facing skills and managing senior stakeholder relationships.
• Experience with BIM workflows and coordination (Revit, Navisworks, or equivalent).

Additional Information

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP (Project Management Professional) or equivalent certification (strongly preferred).
• Familiarity with Uptime Institute certification processes (ATD, ATS, CAP, ICCA).
• Experience with integrated project delivery (IPD) or collaborative design methodologies.

What Ramboll Offers

• Investment in your development and long-term thinking of a foundation-owned company.
• Leaders you can count on, guided by Ramboll's Leadership Principles.
• Valued as a unique person in an inclusive environment.
• Continuous learning through colleagues, clients, and diverse projects.
• Challenging and interesting work characterized by opportunities to develop and influence your own area of responsibility.
• Opportunity to work on varied tasks across the organization at the heart of sustainable change.
• Open and curious culture that embraces diverse and innovative perspectives.