Senior Director Data Center Delivery and Quality Assurance

Strategic Leadership Responsibilities

The Senior Director will define and lead the strategic direction for data center delivery and quality assurance across the portfolio. This includes establishing enterprise-wide delivery standards, governance processes, quality expectations, escalation models, and performance metrics that improve delivery certainty and reduce execution risk.

This leader will be responsible for building a scalable organization that can support complex data center construction and colocation programs across multiple sites, providers, and geographies. The role will drive alignment between business capacity needs, technical standards, construction execution, quality management, and operational readiness.

Key strategic responsibilities include:

• Work with Business Operations and the PMO to establish and lead the enterprise strategy for data center delivery and quality assurance and define the operating model, governance structure, decision rights, and escalation paths for data center delivery programs. 

• Build and scale a high-performing delivery and QA organization. 

• Align data center delivery activities with business objectives, capacity requirements, cost expectations, quality standards, and operational needs. 

• Drive cross-functional leadership across architecture, design, engineering, construction, staging, installation, integration, commissioning, operations, vendors, and colocation providers. 

• Identify systemic delivery gaps and lead organizational improvements that strengthen consistency, accountability, and execution maturity. 

• Ensure lessons learned are captured and incorporated into future delivery standards and best practices. 

Organizational Leadership Scope

The Senior Director will lead and mature a functional organization that includes the following capability areas:

Delivery Strategy and Portfolio Governance

Responsible for coordinating with Business Operations and PMO on portfolio-level delivery strategy, governance forums, operating models, executive reporting, business reviews, performance metrics, and cross-functional decision-making processes.

Data Center Delivery Leadership

Responsible for oversight of construction execution, colocation delivery, regional and site delivery teams, tenant fit-out, white space delivery, schedule performance, field execution, and construction coordination.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Responsible for establishing QA/QC standards, quality gates, inspection and validation processes, design quality requirements, installation standards, integration standards, site acceptance standards, defect management, rework reduction, and corrective action tracking.

Engineering, Standards, and Technical Integration

Responsible for aligning solution architecture, design standards, site engineering, staging requirements, installation specifications, integration specifications, constructability reviews, and technical issue resolution.

Risk, Controls, and Delivery Assurance

Responsible for independent project risk assessment, schedule and cost risk visibility, risk register governance, mitigation tracking, delivery readiness assessments, escalation management, and corrective action governance.

Site Acceptance and Operational Handoff

Responsible for commissioning readiness coordination, site acceptance criteria, closeout documentation, operational readiness checklists, project handoff standards, lessons learned capture, and transition to operations.

Provider, Vendor, and Stakeholder Management

Responsible for colocation provider performance management, vendor oversight, provider scorecards, stakeholder engagement, executive escalation support, and coordination with procurement, legal, finance, contractors, consultants, and delivery partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Data Center Delivery and Quality Assurance Organization, providing strategic direction, executive oversight, and organizational accountability across all functional areas. 

• Cross functional collaboration to establish and mature an enterprise delivery and quality assurance center of excellence with embedded execution authority across data center construction and colocation programs. 

• Cross-functionally define delivery standards, QA/QC frameworks, quality gates, operating mechanisms, escalation paths, performance metrics, and governance models that improve consistency and predictability across the portfolio. 

• Lead cross-functional alignment across Solution Architecture, Design Engineering, Site Engineering, Construction, Staging, Installation, Integration, Commissioning, Operations, Procurement, Finance, Legal, vendors, and colocation providers. 

• Oversee large-scale data center construction and colocation infrastructure projects, ensuring alignment with business goals, delivery commitments, schedule requirements, budget expectations, quality standards, and operational readiness. 

• Build, mentor, and lead a team of Directors, managers, project managers, engineers, construction professionals, quality assurance leaders, technical specialists, and delivery assurance personnel. 

• Review and evaluate complex data center construction projects delivered by colocation lease providers, including base building, civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, controls, plumbing, MEP infrastructure, commissioning, tenant fit-out, and data hall white space scopes. 

• Independently assess project risk profiles and identify gaps in schedule, cost, quality, technical readiness, provider performance, construction execution, commissioning readiness, and operational handoff. 

• Provide clear executive visibility into project health, delivery risks, quality issues, milestone performance, budget exposure, provider performance, and business impacts. 

• Develop and implement long-term construction oversight models, delivery standards, QA/QC programs, and strategic execution plans to improve delivery certainty across data center and colocation projects. 

• Lead the development and enforcement of design, installation, integration, site acceptance, quality control, and project handoff standards and best practices. 

• Ensure technical requirements and business objectives are translated into clear, executable delivery plans from early planning through final acceptance. 

• Partner with Solution Architecture and Design Engineering to ensure design standards, solution requirements, constructability considerations, and long-term operational needs are incorporated into project execution. 

• Coordinate across Site Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Operations, integration teams, and external providers to ensure seamless execution from design intent to field installation and operational readiness. 

• Oversee construction execution by colocation providers and delivery partners to ensure work is completed on time, within budget, and in accordance with approved design specifications, technical requirements, industry standards, and operational expectations. 

• Ensure project schedules are realistic, integrated, and aligned across design, procurement, construction, staging, installation, integration, commissioning, site acceptance, and operations. 

• Lead quality control management of key deliverables, including design packages, specifications, cost and budget models, staging plans, installation packages, integration documentation, commissioning inputs, site acceptance criteria, closeout packages, and handoff materials. 

• Cross-functionally establish and manage governance forums, including executive delivery reviews, project health reviews, risk reviews, provider performance reviews, quality assurance reviews, site readiness reviews, and operational handoff reviews. 

• Serve as a senior escalation and decision-making leader for critical delivery risks, quality issues, schedule impacts, provider performance concerns, cross-functional dependencies, and readiness gaps. 

• Manage high-stakes relationships with colocation providers, general contractors, vendors, consultants, and strategic delivery partners. 

• Provide structured provider and vendor performance feedback through scorecards, business reviews, corrective action plans, and continuous improvement processes. 

• Ensure construction, installation, integration, commissioning, and acceptance activities comply with applicable regulations, codes, standards, safety expectations, and customer or client-facing requirements. 

• Conduct regular project site reviews to validate schedule progress, construction quality, field coordination, risk mitigation, QA/QC compliance, provider performance, and readiness for site acceptance and handoff. 

• Drive continuous improvement by identifying systemic delivery issues, capturing lessons learned, improving standards, and strengthening execution playbooks across future projects. 

• Support domestic and international project engagement, including participation in meetings across multiple time zones as required. 

Quality Assurance and Delivery Assurance Mandate

The Senior Director will stand up and lead the Quality Assurance capability for data center development and construction. This function will operationalize, and continuously improve quality expectations across the full delivery lifecycle.

This mandate includes:

• Design quality 

• Installation quality 

• Integration quality 

• Leading site acceptance 

• QA/QC inspection and validation 

• Quality gates and readiness reviews 

• Defect, rework, and corrective action management 

• Collaboration on project closeout and handoff documentation standards 

• Implementation of operational readiness checklists 

• Lessons learned and continuous improvement

The role will ensure that projects are not considered complete until they are accepted, documented, integrated, operationally ready, and transitioned with the clarity and quality required for sustainable operations.

Required Skills and Experience

• Significant experience leading large-scale data center construction, colocation, hyperscale, or mission-critical infrastructure delivery programs. 

• Ability to bring in and deliver deep expertise in data center construction, including base building, civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, controls, plumbing, MEP infrastructure, commissioning, tenant fit-out, white space delivery, installation, integration, and operational handoff. 

• Proven ability to lead large, cross-functional organizations in complex, matrixed environments. 

• Experience implementing governance, quality assurance programs, project controls, risk management frameworks, or operational readiness functions. 

• Strong understanding of solution architecture, design standards, construction sequencing, site engineering, staging, installation specifications, integration requirements, commissioning readiness, site acceptance, and handoff requirements. 

• Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex project risk, identify delivery threats, assess schedule and cost impacts, and drive mitigation strategies. 

• Excellent leadership capability with experience building, mentoring, and inspiring Directors, managers, project managers, engineers, construction managers, technical specialists, and quality professionals. 

• Strong executive communication skills, with the ability to translate technical, construction, quality, schedule, cost, and risk issues into clear business impacts and recommended actions. 

• Experience managing relationships with colocation providers, general contractors, vendors, consultants, engineering teams, design teams, construction teams, operations teams, and senior leadership. 

• Strong project and program management capabilities, including schedule management, budget oversight, vendor coordination, reporting, issue resolution, governance, escalation management, and executive stakeholder engagement. 

• Strong business judgment with the ability to balance speed, cost, quality, risk, scope, operational readiness, and long-term infrastructure performance. 

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, and decision-making skills in fast-paced, high-growth, high-complexity environments. 

• Ability to drive continuous improvement across the delivery lifecycle. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in large-scale construction, data center delivery, colocation delivery, hyperscale infrastructure, or mission-critical program leadership. 

• Significant leadership experience managing construction, delivery, engineering, project management, QA/QC, or infrastructure teams. 

• Proven track record of delivering complex infrastructure programs while improving standards, governance, quality, risk management, stakeholder alignment, and operational readiness. 

• Experience working with colocation providers, hyperscalers, general contractors, engineering firms, design teams, construction teams, commissioning teams, vendors, and operations stakeholders. 

• Ability to travel regularly to project sites and participate in meetings across multiple time zones. 

Preferred Profile

The ideal candidate is a senior data center infrastructure leader who combines deep construction and technical delivery expertise with strong strategic leadership, organizational design capability, and executive influence.

This leader is not only a manager of projects, but an alignment leader across multiple functions. They hold providers accountable, and ensure quality is embedded throughout the delivery lifecycle.

They are comfortable operating in ambiguity, resolving complex cross-functional issues, influencing senior stakeholders, and making decisions that balance business urgency, technical risk, cost, schedule, quality, and long-term operational outcomes.

Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured by the organization’s ability to improve delivery certainty, quality performance, risk visibility, provider accountability, and operational readiness across the data center portfolio.

Key success measures include:

• Achievement of major delivery milestones. 

• Improved schedule predictability. 

• Reduction in preventable delays and rework. 

• Improved QA/QC compliance and quality gate performance. 

• Early identification and mitigation of project risks. 

• Improved provider and vendor performance. 

• Increased consistency across design, construction, installation, integration, acceptance, and handoff processes. 

• Reduction in post-handoff defects and readiness gaps. 

• Stronger cross-functional alignment and stakeholder accountability. 

Leadership Expectations

The Senior Director is expected to:

• Operate with an enterprise-wide perspective. 

• Lead through influence across matrixed teams. 

• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 

• Make decisions based on data, risk, quality, and business impact. 

• Communicate clearly with both technical and executive audiences. 

• Drive accountability while enabling collaboration. 

• Identify systemic issues and implement scalable improvements. 

• Foster a culture of ownership, transparency, quality, urgency, and continuous improvement. 

• Ensure that every project is delivered with the clarity, discipline, quality, and readiness required to support long-term business growth.