Data Center Director | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

We are currently supporting a well-established and highly respected Saudi-based Engineering and Infrastructure group with the appointment of a Data Center Director.

This is a business-building opportunity, rather than a traditional technical or sales leadership role.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to establish and lead the Group’s Data Centre business, shaping its strategy, developing key customer and technology partnerships, building the team and taking ownership of growth and profitability across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.

The Opportunity

You will be responsible for:

• Assessing the Group’s current organisation, resources, capabilities and gaps and defining what is required to establish and grow the Data Centre EPC business.
• Developing the overall Data Centre EPC strategy and implementation roadmap.
• Defining the required organisational structure, engineering capabilities, resources, processes, partners and supply chain.
• Building and leading the team required to execute the strategy.
• Establishing the EPC delivery methodology across design, engineering, procurement, construction, MEP, integration, testing and commissioning.
• Supporting opportunity assessment, tendering, technical proposals, costing, value engineering and project risk evaluation.
• Developing strong relationships with OEMs, consultants, subcontractors, technology partners and other key stakeholders.
• Leading the implementation of the Data Centre EPC strategy and developing the capability to deliver major projects.
• Taking responsibility for the successful delivery of Data Centre EPC projects across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.

What We're Looking For:

We are looking for a senior Data Centre EPC / Design & Build leader with:

• 20+ years of relevant engineering, construction or infrastructure experience.
• Significant experience within Data Centre / Mission Critical environments.
• Strong hands-on experience across Data Centre EPC, Design & Build or turnkey project delivery.
• A strong understanding of Data Centre design, engineering, MEP, procurement, construction, integration, testing and commissioning.
• Proven experience establishing, developing or significantly expanding an EPC capability or business.
• Experience building and leading multidisciplinary engineering, project and delivery teams.
• Strong understanding of tendering, costing, technical proposals, project risk and commercial considerations.
• Established relationships with Data Centre OEMs, consultants, contractors and technology partners.
• Strong Saudi Arabia / GCC market knowledge and industry relationships.
• The ability to combine technical EPC expertise with business and organisational leadership.

Commercial and business development capability is important, but this is not a pure sales, business development or colocation role.

The successful candidate must understand how to build the EPC capability within the organisation and then lead its execution.

Uptime Institute, CDCP, CDCS or equivalent certifications would be advantageous.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to join an established Saudi organisation with a strong regional presence and play a key role in one of the fastest-growing areas of the infrastructure market.

You will have significant autonomy and visibility with senior leadership, with the opportunity to build and lead the Group’s Data Centre EPC capability, develop strategic partnerships and have a direct impact on the Group’s long-term growth strategy.

For senior Data Centre EPC professionals interested in exploring the opportunity, please feel free to get in touch for a confidential discussion.