Director, Data Center Delivery at Fermi in Dallas, TX

Job description

Description Role Overview Fermi America is seeking a Director of Data Center Construction to lead owner’s representation and field execution oversight for Fermi’s hyperscale data center program. This role will serve as the primary interface between Fermi, the general contractor, and the tenant’s onsite leadership team—including project executives, construction managers, and commissioning leads—ensuring construction delivery aligns with quality standards, schedule commitments, and budget targets across a multi-building, multiphase campus environment. The Director of Data Center Construction will build and lead a team of data center project managers responsible for shell, core, and site-work execution. This is a high-visibility leadership role requiring deep experience managing large-scale construction programs in mission-critical or hyperscale data center environments, along with a strong command of GMP and EPC contract structures, field operations, and subcontractor management. The role works closely with senior leadership and partners across preconstruction, design integration, technical management, project controls, procurement, safety, quality, and commissioning. Operating in a highly matrixed environment, success will depend as much on influence and partnership as on direct authority. The right leader will build strong, collaborative relationships across every function and foster a culture of transparency, shared accountability, and mutual respect. Key Responsibilities • Serve as the owner’s representative to both the general contractor and the tenant’s onsite leadership team for all data center construction activities, ensuring field execution meets Fermi’s standards for quality, safety, schedule, and cost • Lead and manage a team of DC project managers across concurrent building phases, from site mobilization through substantial completion and turnover • Drive accountability for construction milestones, progress tracking, and schedule adherence across shell, core, MEP rough-in, and building enclosure scopes • Own the relationship with the GC and the tenant’s onsite leadership team at the program level—including project executives, construction managers, and commissioning leads—managing escalations, resolving disputes, and ensuring alignment on priorities, sequencing, and resource loading • Oversee GMP and construction contract administration, including change order management, pay application review, and scope validation • Coordinate with the Sr DC Design Integration Manager and engineering teams to ensure design packages are construction-ready and field issues are resolved without schedule impact • Establish and enforce field quality standards, safety protocols, and inspection programs in partnership with QA/QC and HSE leadership • Implement earned value and progress measurement systems to provide real-time visibility into construction performance across all active buildings • Partner with the Sr DC Preconstruction Manager to ensure smooth transitions from preconstruction into active construction phases • Support commissioning readiness by coordinating construction completion milestones with MEP integration and IT load delivery timelines • Drive continuous improvement in construction delivery—identifying lessons learned, standardizing processes, and reducing cycle times across successive building phases • Build and sustain a strong, collaborative culture across the DC delivery organization—fostering open communication, mutual accountability, and trust with procurement, safety, quality, design, and project controls partners to ensure alignment and shared ownership of delivery outcomes AI-Enabled Execution Philosophy Fermi America integrates artificial intelligence and advanced analytics into its core project delivery workflows. The Director of DC Construction will be expected to embrace and champion this philosophy, including: • Leveraging AI-powered schedule analysis tools to identify critical path risks, forecast delay