Data Center Project Manager

Project Manager

This Project Manager leads major data center and telecom construction initiatives, including high-visibility infrastructure programs. The role oversees the full project lifecycle and applies disciplined project management, safety, quality, cost-control, scheduling, and operational standards to deliver reliable results across field operations and cross-functional teams.

Position Details

Location: On-site daily at the client site in DeKalb, IL.

Standard Site Hours: Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., with after-hours and weekend support as needed.

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership and Execution

Lead day-to-day data center field operations across capacity, network services, and physical-layer work.

Develop and maintain detailed schedules; manage execution against scope, timeline, budget, staffing, and resource requirements.

Identify and manage change events using established change-control practices, with clear stakeholder alignment and communication.

Measure service quality against defined service-level agreements and key performance indicators.

Serve as the on-site escalation and coordination point for planning, scheduling, work prioritization, ticket resolution, and cross-functional delivery.

Set priorities, build roadmaps, hold owners accountable, track progress, and drive adoption.

Safety, Quality, Compliance, and Improvement

Enforce site safety protocols, procedures, environmental health and safety requirements, building codes, and industry standards.

Own quality assurance and quality control for physical-layer work, including structured cabling, project intake reviews, documentation, tracking, reporting, and post-acceptance plant ownership.

Manage incidents and escalations, coordinate updates, close action items, and provide concise leadership reports.

Identify project risks and blockers early and lead cross-team mitigation efforts and timely conflict resolution.

Develop and standardize operating procedures, implement best practices at scale, and adapt to evolving tools and processes.

Use data and analytics to improve decisions, service quality, efficiency, and project performance.

Financial and Contract Management

Apply project accounting practices to forecasting, budget reviews, and financial reporting.

Manage lump-sum, cost-plus, guaranteed maximum price, design-build, fixed-price, and time-and-material contract and delivery models.

Monitor vendor performance, approve invoices, and track project expenditures.

Stakeholder Communication and Service Delivery

Act as the primary customer-facing contact for internal teams, clients, subcontractors, cross-functional partners, site teams, and senior leadership.

Communicate project status, milestones, priorities, risks, mitigation plans, roadmap updates, and critical changes on a regular cadence.

Prepare presentations and lead briefings, planning sessions, reviews, and incident-response forums for small and large groups.

Monitor communication portals and coordinate timely responses.

Manage resource utilization, onboarding, training, and accountability to service and operational standards.

Build trusted stakeholder relationships and represent field needs to improve tools, processes, and service delivery.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Project Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

At least five years of construction or project management experience in a leadership role, with a focus on data centers or telecom construction.

Experience managing large data center or structured-cabling construction projects.

Knowledge of data center infrastructure, emerging technologies, low-voltage systems, fiber, cable management, and cable audits.

Strong knowledge of construction safety protocols, regulatory requirements, estimating and engineering principles, construction methods, change management, construction accounting, cost forecasting, and budgeting.

Proficiency in using data and analytics to support decisions and solve problems.

Strong leadership, communication, presentation, stakeholder-management, organizational, and decision-making skills.

Ability to work independently, remain detail-oriented and self-directed, and adapt to changing project needs, tools, and processes.

Experience supporting teams of 40–70+ resources, including technicians, project administrators, safety personnel, and construction managers.

Union and Project Delivery Experience

Experience working in union environments, particularly with IBEW technicians.

Experience supporting both direct-hire and subcontractor teams.

Experience with multiple contract and delivery models, including guaranteed maximum price, design-build, fixed-price, lump-sum, cost-plus, and time-and-material arrangements.

Exceptional leadership skills and the ability to guide diverse teams.

Technical Proficiency: Microsoft Office, Primavera P6, Scheduling Performance Index (SPI), Cost Performance Index (CPI), Bluebeam, Procore, Textura, and other construction technology platforms.

Preferred Certifications

OSHA 30; candidates who do not already hold this certification must obtain it within 60 days of starting.

BICSI RCDD

BICSI RTPM

PMI PMP

Pay: $62.00 - $65.00 per hour

Work Location: In person