Senior Director, Data Center Design & Engineering – AI Data Centers

About the role

CleanSpark is a data center developer with a portfolio of more than 1.8 GW of power, land and data centers across the United States. The Senior Director, Data Center Design & Engineering – AI Data Centers acts as the owner-side engineering authority, setting standards and technical direction for power, cooling, resilience and facility performance from design through commissioning and handover. Reporting to the VP, Projects, the role partners with project and construction leadership on cost, schedule and contractual matters.

Key responsibilities

• Maintain AI data center engineering standards, Basis of Design and design criteria across electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, controls, telecom and site disciplines
• Define and approve system architecture for MV/LV distribution, generation and backup power, UPS and air and liquid cooling, including redundancy targets (N, N+1, 2N)
• Lead engineering interfaces with utilities and substations: load studies, interconnection, substation and switchyard design, protection and coordination, metering and energization sequencing
• Review and approve technical studies, calculations, single-line diagrams, equipment selections and design deliverables
• Lead constructability, value engineering and design-for-schedule reviews, and resolve technical issues, RFIs and design conflicts
• Own the owner-side commissioning program and operational readiness, including handover documentation, as-builts and O&M requirements
• Evaluate vendor options and long-lead procurement specs, and assess engineering risk across the portfolio
• Support tenant and customer technical requirements and drive standardization across sites
• Build and mentor the in-house engineering team

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline
• 15+ years of progressive experience in data center, mission-critical or large-scale power and industrial facilities, including at least 5 years in a senior technical leadership role
• Proven ability to lead consultants, contractors and internal staff and to defend technical decisions with executives and customers
• Ability to communicate complex trade-offs clearly to non-technical stakeholders

Required skills

• Deep knowledge of data center electrical and mechanical infrastructure for high-density compute
• Utility interconnection, substation design and energization planning
• Commissioning (Levels 1-5) and facility turnover
• Preferred: PE license, experience with AI/HPC/hyperscale design, owner-side experience with a hyperscaler, and familiarity with Uptime Institute tiers, ASHRAE TC 9.9, NEC/NFPA 70 and 70E, IEEE power standards and energy codes