Principal ELV & IBMS Engineer – Data centres - Dubai

Role Overview

Principal ELV & IBMS Engineer – Data Centres at Ramboll, Dubai. This role serves as the systems integration authority and technical lead for mission-critical data centre projects at 80+ MW scale with rack densities approaching 100 kW.

Company Overview

Ramboll is a global architecture, engineering, and consultancy company founded in Denmark. The organization has more than 1,500 experts working across 15 offices in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa, including presence in Dubai, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, China, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. Ramboll is building its MENA data centre practice from the ground up with 450+ dedicated data centre MEP engineers globally. The company is foundation-owned and focused on knowledge sharing, collaboration across competence areas and geography, and strong diversity among employees.

Role Purpose

The Principal ELV & IBMS Engineer serves as the systems architect and technical lead responsible for end-to-end ELV system design, IBMS architecture, integration strategy, and commissioning support. This role requires complete lifecycle ownership from system architecture definition through detailed design, vendor evaluation, testing procedures, and live commissioning validation. The engineer will possess working knowledge of electrical systems, mechanical systems, fire safety, security operations, network architecture, and commissioning procedures, and will lead cross-discipline conversations on BMS-electrical interfaces, mechanical coordination, security integration, and IT systems.

Key Responsibilities

Client Engagement & Technical Leadership

• Act as the primary ELV/IBMS technical contact for clients, leading system architecture discussions, integration strategy, and operational readiness with senior engineering and operations teams.
• Directly engage with client-side subject matter experts, security operations centres (SOC), IT teams, global stakeholders, and multidisciplinary design teams.
• Lead technical discussions on system integration philosophy, resilience architecture, protocol strategy, and operational workflows.
• Own preparation of IBMS Design Basis Reports (DBR), system architecture narratives, cause & effect matrices, and integration strategy documentation.
• Participate in proposals drafting and responses to RFP and TQR.

System Architecture

• Define complete ELV/IBMS architecture including BMS/EPMS/DCIM integration, security systems (CCTV/VMS, access control, perimeter protection), fire alarm systems (FAS, VESDA), PA/VA systems, and operational workflows.
• Design integrated systems for hyperscale and colocation facilities in the 10–100 MW IT load range, with security zoning and network architecture scaled to mission-critical requirements.
• Develop multi-layer security architecture.
• Design HVAC monitoring and control integration with electrical power monitoring.
• Establish system redundancy philosophy aligned with uptime requirements and Tier III/IV standards.
• Develop network topology and sequence of operations for integrated system behavior.

Engineering Analysis & System Integration

• Design end-to-end BMS/IBMS solution: PLC architecture, server redundancy, communication protocols (BACnet, Modbus, IEC-61850, OPC UA), and control logic.
• Develop complete I/O lists, control logic, and cause & effect matrices for all integrated systems.
• Coordinate electrical integration, EPMS data flows, power monitoring sensors, emergency shutdown sequences, and load shedding logic.
• Coordinate mechanical integration, HVAC sensor networks, chiller/CDU control loops, and thermal management feedback into IBMS.
• Design security operation centre (SOC) workflows, alarm management strategy, and operator interface logic.
• Validate system protocols and redundancy across all integration points; ensure alignment with TIA-942, ISO 27001 (physical security), and local fire safety standards.

Detailed Design & Documentation

• Lead development of ELV schematics, IBMS architecture diagrams, network topology drawings, and equipment schedules through IFC stage.
• Review and approve AutoCAD & BIM (Revit) models at LOD350 with coordinated multi-discipline integration.
• Prepare technical specifications, equipment BOQs, network schedules, and integration test procedures.
• Develop vendor selection criteria, lead technical evaluations, and conduct submittal reviews ensuring compliance with system architecture.

Construction, Testing & Commissioning Support

• Lead multidisciplinary coordination across Electrical, Mechanical, Structural, Fire Protection, IT, and BIM teams during installation and testing phases.
• Support site installation: equipment staging, network deployment, cable commissioning, and system validation.
• Own testing procedures: Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), Site Acceptance Test (SAT), cause & effect verification, and Integrated System Testing (IST).
• Validate system redundancy, failover logic, and operational workflows through live testing.
• Lead operator training and handover documentation ensuring SOC readiness.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Develop internal design guidelines and lead the DC ELV/IBMS team.
• Mentor ELV engineers, systems integrators, and network specialists.
• Establish design standards and best practices for IBMS architecture and system integration in the region.
• Contribute to the DC Academy and regional thought leadership programme.
• Drive design quality, integration risk management, and technical issue resolution across the team.

Qualifications & Experience

• BE or BTech in Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation, or Telecom Engineering.
• Professional registration or equivalent standing as an engineer.

Good to Have

• OEM certifications in BMS platforms.
• Hands-on experience in hyperscale or colocation data centre commissioning.
• Security operations centre (SOC) design and workflow optimization experience.
• Knowledge of advanced security technologies.
• Familiarity with DCIM platforms and data centre operational analytics.
• Experience with KSA regulatory landscape and Vision 2030 data centre programme security requirements.

Additional Information

• Investment in your development.
• Leaders guided by Ramboll's Leadership Principles.
• Valued for the unique person you are.
• Continuous learning in an environment with colleagues, clients, and projects to draw inspiration from.
• The long-term thinking of a foundation-owned company.
• Challenging and interesting workday characterized by continuous learning.
• Opportunity to work with varied work tasks across the organization.
• Opportunity to develop and influence your own area of responsibility.
• Open, collaborative, and empowering culture focused on sustainable change.
• Inclusive mindset that actively cultivates an environment where everyone can flourish and realize their full potential.