Financial Services - Data Center Development & Modernization, Technology Consulting

EY is the only professional services firm with a separate business unit (“FSO”) that is dedicated to the financial services marketplace. Our FSO teams have been at the forefront of every event that has reshaped and redefined the financial services industry.  If you have a passion for rallying together to solve the most complex challenges in the financial services industry, come join our dynamic FSO team! 

The business problems our clients are facing today are not the same problems they have faced in the past. The rapid pace of development in Artificial Intelligence and the technology that enables it has created an urgent need to innovate and adapt to the new global business paradigm. Financial institutions are looking to build smarter and more efficient ways to operate their business, create new revenue streams, and better manage risk, through new opportunities uncovered by their data. We believe that to fully unlock the potential of Artificial Intelligence, we need to look not only at its application, but also at the strategy level for how best to transform the enterprise into one that is technology and data focused and ready for the new age. Our clients’ problems are becoming increasingly complex while at the same time the need to automate and streamline is rising.

The opportunity

We are seeking a manager who has directly led significant portions of data center development (including co-lo) and Cloud, expansion or modernization programs. The individual must operate as an owner-side advisor across technical site evaluation, facility requirements, design governance, construction controls, commissioning and turnover, while understanding how facility decisions affect technology capacity, resiliency and migration timing. EY will coordinate with real estate advisors, developers, utilities and other specialists rather than act as the land broker, acquisition agent or utility applicant. This is not a general construction PM role and is not limited to reviewing consultant reports.

The work is focused primarily on banking, capital markets, insurance, and payment clients. Selected assignments may include other highly regulated or mission-critical organizations where resilience, control, and disciplined execution are central to the client's agenda.

Your key responsibilities

• Lead technical site and facility workstreams for multiple concurrent data center and Cloud builds, expansions, retrofits or colocation deployments.

• Lead technical evaluation of candidate sites using information developed by real estate advisors, developers, utilities and specialist consultants; translate findings into data center requirements, risks and executive decisions.

• Translate IT load, rack density, growth, availability and recovery requirements into facility capacity and performance requirements.

• Lead owner-side review of civil, structural, architectural, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, security, controls and telecommunications packages.

• Challenge basis-of-design assumptions, single points of failure, maintainability, phasing, temporary conditions, equipment lead times and commissioning strategy.

• Manage integrated baselines for scope, schedule, cost, risk, decisions, procurement, design maturity and operational readiness across concurrent projects.

• Lead technical diligence and evaluation of developers, colocation providers, designers, contractors, commissioning agents and key suppliers; coordinate with CBRE or comparable real estate advisors without assuming brokerage, land-acquisition or direct utility-application responsibilities.

• Oversee constructability, procurement readiness, change control, quality, FAT/SAT, commissioning, integrated systems testing, turnover, and closeout.

• Coordinate with IT and migration leadership so facility, rack, network and transition milestones remain aligned.

• Lead client meetings, team output, engagement economics, quality and executive recommendations.

Required experience and qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, construction management, architecture, or related technical discipline.

• At least 7 years of relevant experience, including direct leadership on data center Cloud transformation comparable mission-critical facility programs.

• Experience on more than one data center build, major expansion or modernization effort through multiple lifecycle phases.

• Practical experience reviewing design and construction information and managing decisions across owner, designer, contractor, commissioning and operator teams.

• Strong knowledge of critical power and cooling topologies, controls, maintainability, commissioning, and turnover.

• Experience presenting complex scope, schedule, cost and risk issues to executives and technical leaders.

• Public-cloud migration experience is relevant and is a substitute for data center infrastructure migration, consolidation and exit experience although experience with both is preferred

Required software and delivery tooling

• Hands-on use of Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project to review and challenge logic-linked schedules, critical paths, procurement activities and commissioning sequences.

• Hands-on use of Procore or Autodesk Construction Cloud/BIM 360 for submittals, RFIs, drawing control, issues, changes and field documentation.

• Ability to review and markup technical drawings using Bluebeam Revu or equivalent; familiarity with Revit and Navisworks coordination outputs is expected, although this is not a production design role.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel for cost, change, procurement, capacity, risk and decision analysis, with the ability to translate analysis into executive PowerPoint reporting.

• Working exposure to commissioning and turnover platforms, DCIM, BMS, EPMS or CMMS data sufficient to evaluate readiness, test evidence, asset information and handover completeness.

• Power BI or comparable dashboarding experience is preferred for portfolio-level schedule, cost, risk and readiness reporting.

AI-enabled delivery

• Experience applying Microsoft Copilot or comparable enterprise AI tools to accelerate review of technical documents, schedules, risk registers, design information, commissioning records and executive reporting is preferred.

• Ability to validate AI-assisted outputs against source documents and apply professional engineering, construction or operational judgment.

Preferred experience

• Financial services or another environment with stringent availability, change-control and recovery requirements.

• Experience working effectively with real estate advisors, developers and utility specialists; direct land acquisition or utility account management experience is not required.

• Owner-representative, developer/operator, engineering, construction-management, commissioning or critical-facilities experience.

• Multi-region or multi-site delivery and work with colocation or build-to-suit providers.

• Experience translating high-density compute, liquid cooling, network and workload requirements into facility design and phasing.

• Relevant credentials such as PE, PMP, CCM, Uptime Institute credentials, Certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCDP), DCD Academy Data Center Practitioner (DCP), BICSI Data Center Design Consultant (DCDC), commissioning credentials or LEED accreditation are preferred but not required. Demonstrated delivery experience carries greater weight than certification alone.

Skills and attributes for success

• Ability to connect facility, infrastructure and business requirements throughout the data center lifecycle.

• Strong understanding of critical-facilities design, resiliency, maintainability and operational-readiness principles.

• Ability to identify and work through risks across planning, design, construction and commissioning activities.

• Experience coordinating owners, designers, contractors, operators and third-party providers.

• Clear communication and the ability to make complex technical decisions understandable to senior stakeholders.

• Sound judgment in balancing scope, schedule, cost, risk, and long-term operational objectives.

What we offer you
At EY, we harness our collective strength to empower you to shape your future with confidence through professional growth, personal fulfillment and an inclusive culture. Learn more at ey.com/us/careers.

• We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to the business.  The base salary range for this job is: 
• • New York City, Boston, and Washington DC Metro Areas, Washington State, and Southern California offices – $166,900 to $278,100
  • Bay Area California offices – $173,800 to $289,700
  • All other offices locations in the US, including Sacramento – $139,100 to $254,900 
• Individual salaries within these ranges are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, skills and geography.  In addition, our Total Rewards package includes medical and dental coverage, pension and 401(k) plans, and a wide range of paid time off options.
• Under our flexible vacation policy, you’ll decide how much vacation time you need based on your own personal circumstances. You’ll also be granted time off for designated EY Paid Holidays, Winter/Summer breaks, Personal/Family Care, and other leaves of absence when needed to support your physical, financial, and emotional well-being.

Are you ready to shape your future with confidence? Apply today.                                              

• To make the most of your application experience, please limit yourself to two applications within a six-month period.
• EY accepts applications for this position on an on-going basis.
• For those living in California, please click here for additional information.
• At EY, our values set the foundation for how we work and the behaviors we expect of our people. Any misrepresentation or falsification of information or lack of integrity at any point in the recruiting process may result in withdrawal of your candidacy, revocation of an offer or immediate termination of employment.

EY  |  Building a better working world

EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.

Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.

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All in to shape the future with confidence.

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