Creative Design Manager Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

 Who We Are  

Our purpose at CloudHQ is to provide flexible, efficient, and resilient data center solutions to businesses of all sizes. Our growing organization was founded by the pioneer of data center REITs. CloudHQ has state-of-the-art data center sites located in two Northern Virginia locations, as well as London, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, and Sao Paulo, and we anticipate exponential growth over the next several years both in the US and abroad.

 What The Role Entails  

The Mechanical Design Manager will lead the design and delivery of mechanical systems for CloudHQ data centers across The Americas. Spanning the full project lifecycle from master planning and concept design through construction, commissioning, and operational handover, this role is accountable for ensuring our facilities meet the highest standards of performance, resilience, and efficiency for both CloudHQ and our customers.

Working closely with customers, architects, engineers, contractors, and CloudHQ’s Preconstruction, Construction, and Operations teams, this role demands a results-driven professional with a strong bias for action. The successful candidate will proactively identify and mitigate risk, drive timely decisions, and push projects to completion with urgency while maintaining sound engineering judgment and technical rigor.

What You Will Get To Do   

Design Management

• Lead (and be the single point of accountability for) the initiation and execution of mechanical systems design, driving a focus on reliability, efficiency, and sustainability.
• Manage third-party consultant teams to develop detailed designs aligned with both customer requirements and CloudHQ objectives, while continuously improving and enhancing CloudHQ’s standard solutions.
• Oversee design deliverables, project specifications, schedules, and task allocations to ensure high-quality, timely output.
• Support campus planning, entitlements, design, and permitting processes from site acquisition through construction document delivery on multiple, simultaneous projects.

Project & Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with customers to translate technical requirements into CloudHQ data center designs that achieve high compliance while maximizing value for all stakeholders.
• Engage cross-functional teams (Preconstruction, Construction, Operations) to inform key design decisions, retaining clear ownership and accountability for final outcomes.
• Proactively translate and communicate design constraints, risks, and impacts to internal leadership stakeholders.
• Collaborate with global design colleagues to share best practices and ensure consistency of standards across all CloudHQ developments.
• Coordinate with the Operations team to ensure designs align with operational best practices and lifecycle cost efficiency. Gather performance feedback from active sites and incorporate insights into updated design standards.

Innovation & Standards Development

• Research emerging mechanical and controls technologies, identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Contribute to CloudHQ’s global design standards, ensuring consistency across regions while adapting to local climate, regulatory, and operational requirements.
• Develop creative solutions and innovations to drive individual and team performance
• Identify and share lessons learned and integrate improvements into future projects

 What You Bring to The Role  

• 5+ years’ experience designing mechanical (cooling, ventilation) systems for data centers or mission-critical facilities, including at least two years in a lead design role. 
• Track record of managing external design consultants and coordinating multidisciplinary teams to deliver mission critical projects.
• Deep knowledge of mechanical systems in mission critical environments.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, able to drive high-stakes technical outcomes with urgency and sound engineering judgment.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively identify, escalate, and mitigate technical, commercial, and schedule risks before they impact project delivery.
• High sense of ownership and accountability, with a track record of driving complex initiatives to closure on aggressive timelines.
• Strong communicator and influencer, able to align cross-functional stakeholders and push issues to resolution without unnecessary delay.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced, high-growth environment while maintaining forward momentum.
• Strategic thinker with a continuous improvement mindset, balancing rapid execution with long-term performance and reliability objectives.
• Flexible and committed, with the ability and willingness to work extended hours when required to meet critical deadlines
• All candidates chosen for consideration must submit to and pass background check
• All employees hired must sign and adhere to CHQ’s Code of Conduct, and Employee Confidentiality Agreement

 Our Ideal Candidate Will Also Possess 

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or architectural engineering or related discipline. 
• Professional Engineer (PE) license strongly preferred.

 Travel: Ability to travel to data center sites, client meetings, trainings or conferences as requested and required. 

What We Offer

CloudHQ’s people and culture are the most enriching aspects that make us a great place to work. We are strengthened by industry experts who bring extensive knowledge, skill, and experience; leaders who bring vision, innovation and commitment to our people; and an expanding team of individuals who believe in that vision, and bring their best to support their customers and team. Our employees enjoy competitive compensation and rewarding incentives, comprehensive benefits (medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability), 401(k) with match, 12 paid holidays, generous PTO, development opportunities, and the ability to closely impact and contribute to the growth of an exceptional organization.  

Equal Employment Opportunity 

CloudHQ is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or other legally protected status.