Project Delivery & PMO Lead - Data Centres

Role Purpose

The Project Delivery & PMO Lead Data Centres will be a senior, execution-oriented leader responsible for establishing and driving the project delivery capability for the Data Centre business. The immediate mandate is to lead the first Data Centre project from award through mobilisation, design coordination, procurement, offsite delivery, site execution, integration, testing & commissioning and handover, while progressively building the project delivery organisation around the project. This is a hands-on delivery role, not a planning-only or corporate PMO position. Planning and project controls are core skills within the role. The incumbent is expected to bring strong Data Centre contracting experience, understand integrated MEP delivery, manage offsite and onsite interfaces, and build a scalable delivery model for subsequent projects. Until the Data Centre order book reaches a scale that warrants a dedicated Operations Head, this role will carry the project delivery mandate for the first project and act as the key bridge between Business Development, Design, Procurement, Contracts, Offsite Manufacturing/DFMA partners, Site Execution and Testing & Commissioning.

1. First Project End-to-End Delivery Leadership

• Take ownership of the first Data Centre project post award and lead delivery in close coordination with the Business Head.
• Develop and drive the complete project delivery strategy covering design coordination, offsite execution, procurement, logistics, site mobilisation, installation, integration, testing, commissioning and handover.
• Establish project organisation, responsibilities, interfaces, governance and delivery milestones.
• Lead project kick-off, mobilisation, site readiness, construction sequencing and execution planning.
• Coordinate Design, Procurement, Contracts, Offsite/DFMA partners, Site Execution, MEP, QA/QC, HSE and Testing & Commissioning.
• Drive critical-path activities, interface closure, recovery actions and timely resolution of execution bottlenecks.
• Lead customer / consultant project coordination from the delivery perspective.
• Ensure the project is delivered safely, to required quality standards, within agreed schedule and with commercial discipline.

2. Offsite Delivery, DFMA & Modular Execution

• Lead the offsite delivery strategy for Data Centre packages and coordinate factory-to-site execution.
• Develop and drive DFMA / modularisation opportunities to improve schedule, quality, repeatability and site productivity.
• Coordinate design-for-manufacturing and assembly requirements with engineering, vendors and project teams.
• Manage interfaces between offsite fabrication / assembly and onsite installation.
• Establish quality, inspection, logistics, delivery and installation readiness requirements for modular / prefabricated packages.
• Build and manage a capable DFMA and specialist partner ecosystem.

3. MEP & Liquid Cooling Integration

• Bring strong understanding of integrated Data Centre MEP systems and multidisciplinary interfaces.
• Coordinate electrical, mechanical, HVAC, critical power, utilities, fire protection and associated MEP systems.
• Provide delivery leadership for liquid cooling packages, including CDU / cooling interface, Secondary Fluid Network (SFN), rack-level interfaces, piping, controls and integrated commissioning, where applicable.
• Coordinate specialist liquid-cooling technology partners and ensure their scope is integrated into the overall project delivery programme.
• Drive constructability and interface reviews to ensure MEP systems are execution-ready before site deployment.

4. PMO & Project Controls

• Establish a practical PMO framework for Data Centre projects based on actual delivery requirements.
• Set up project dashboards covering schedule, progress, procurement, design, offsite manufacturing, site execution, commercial, risk and commissioning.
• Establish project review mechanisms and reporting cadence.
• Drive weekly look-ahead planning, milestone reviews and action closure.
• Track project commitments and dependencies and escalate issues requiring management intervention.
• Establish stage-gate reviews from award through handover.

5. Planning Core Skill

• Develop integrated master schedules, baseline programmes and resource-loaded schedules.
• Identify critical path, interfaces and key delivery constraints.
• Prepare 3-week / 6-week look-ahead plans and recovery programmes.
• Link design, procurement, offsite manufacturing, logistics, site execution and commissioning into one integrated programme.
• Track actual progress against plan and drive corrective actions.
• Use Primavera P6 / MS Project or equivalent planning tools.

6. Site Execution & Project Delivery

• Drive site execution through effective coordination of civil, structural, MEP, specialist packages and commissioning activities.
• Maintain strong onsite presence during critical phases and ensure execution priorities are clearly driven.
• Coordinate contractors, subcontractors, vendors and specialist agencies.
• Drive constructability reviews, work-front readiness, productivity and installation sequencing.
• Ensure site issues are identified early and resolved through structured escalation and action ownership.
• Support development of project-specific execution methodologies and standard work practices.

7. Procurement & Vendor Coordination

• Translate project requirements into procurement and manufacturing priorities.
• Track long-lead and critical MEP / specialist packages.
• Coordinate Supply Chain, vendors and DFMA partners against the integrated project programme.
• Monitor vendor commitments, factory readiness, inspections, logistics and delivery to site.
• Support identification, qualification and onboarding of specialist Data Centre subcontractors and technology partners.

8. Commercial & Project Controls

• Monitor project budget versus actuals, commitments and liabilities.
• Support cost-to-complete, cash-flow and forecast reviews.
• Identify execution-driven commercial risks and support margin protection.
• Ensure scope changes, productivity impacts, delays and interface risks are captured and escalated.
• Work closely with Contracts / Commercial and Finance teams to maintain project discipline.

9. Testing, Commissioning & Handover

• Establish integrated Testing & Commissioning strategy and readiness milestones.
• Coordinate specialist T&C agencies and package vendors.
• Ensure progressive systems readiness and integrated testing across MEP and critical infrastructure.
• Drive punch-point closure, documentation, customer acceptance and handover.
• Capture commissioning lessons for subsequent Data Centre projects.

10. Customer & Consultant Interface

• Participate in customer / consultant reviews and represent the company on project delivery matters.
• Build confidence through transparent reporting, proactive issue resolution and clear ownership.
• Translate customer requirements into executable internal actions.
• Maintain strong focus on customer experience, schedule commitments and delivery quality.

11. Team Building & Delivery Capability

• Initially act as the core delivery leader for the first Data Centre project.
• Progressively build the project delivery organisation as the Data Centre order book develops.
• Support hiring and development of Project Management, Planning / Project Controls, Construction, MEP, QA/QC, HSE, T&C, Procurement and Commercial resources.
• Build the organisation around actual project requirements and scale it with the order book.
• Develop standard delivery processes, templates, dashboards and playbooks that can be replicated across future projects.