Regional Data Centre Director

Job Description

Role Purpose

The Head of Data Centres is responsible for defining and executing Egis UAE's data centres strategy, building and leading a specialist team, winning and directing major data centre commissions, and ensuring technical excellence and delivery assurance across all data centre projects. The role carries full accountability for the growth, profitability and reputation of the data centres business line in the UAE.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Business Leadership

• Define and execute the growth strategy for Egis's data centres practice in the UAE, aligned with the wider Middle East Buildings sector strategy.
• Own the P&L for the data centres business line, including revenue growth, margin, utilisation and profitability targets.
• Identify and prioritise target markets and client segments – hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, government/sovereign and edge.
• Represent Egis at industry forums, conferences and summits to build market presence and thought leadership.

Business Development & Client Relationships

• Build and maintain senior relationships with hyperscale cloud providers, colocation operators, telecom operators, free zone authorities, developers and government entities.
• Lead capture strategy, teaming arrangements and bid/proposal development for major data centre pursuits, working with Egis's international data centres network where relevant.
• Develop and convert Egis UAE's data centres pipeline into signed commissions.
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients on data centre strategy, site selection, capacity planning and resilience/sustainability requirements.

Technical Leadership & Assurance

• Provide technical leadership and assurance across data centre design and delivery commissions, spanning master planning, architecture, structural, electrical (power, standby generation, UPS), mechanical (cooling, including air and liquid/immersion cooling for AI/HPC workloads), fire & life safety, security and controls.
• Ensure designs meet appropriate resilience/availability standards (e.g., Uptime Institute Tier ratings, TIA-942) and align with client-specific and hyperscaler design standards.
• Champion sustainability and energy-efficiency best practice (PUE/WUE optimisation, renewable integration, waste-heat recovery) in line with UAE net-zero and green building requirements.
• Provide senior technical review and assurance (design review, HAZOP/FMEA, commissioning strategy) on major projects.

Project Delivery Oversight

• Oversee delivery of data centre commissions across design, tender, construction supervision, and testing & commissioning stages, ensuring quality, programme and budget are maintained.
• Ensure appropriate resourcing, governance and risk management are in place on all live data centre commissions.
• Support project teams through key stages including authority approvals (Civil Defence, DEWA/Etihad Water & Electricity, and relevant free zone authorities), procurement strategy and contractor/vendor selection.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Recruit, lead, mentor and develop a specialist data centres team – design leads, MEP/critical facilities engineers and project managers – as the practice scales.
• Establish standards, tools, templates and quality processes specific to data centre design and delivery.
• Foster collaboration with Egis's global data centres expertise and other regional/sector teams (Buildings, Energy, Digital) to bring best-in-class solutions to UAE clients.

Governance, Risk, HSE & Quality

• Ensure all data centre commissions comply with Egis's HSE, quality and ethics standards and relevant UAE regulatory requirements.
• Manage commercial and contractual risk on data centre commissions, working with legal and commercial teams as required.
• Report regularly on business performance, pipeline, risk and delivery status to Middle East leadership.

Key Working Relationships

Internal: Middle East Buildings Sector Director, UAE Country Director, other Sector/Business Line Heads (Transport, Energy, Water, Urban Development), Egis Group's international data centres network, and the bid/proposal, HSE, legal and finance teams.

External: Hyperscale cloud providers, colocation and enterprise data centre operators, telecom operators, developers, free zone authorities (e.g., Masdar City, DIFC, ADGM), government/regulatory bodies, utility providers (DEWA, Etihad Water & Electricity), main contractors, MEP contractors and specialist vendors.

Qualifications

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (Master's preferred) in Electrical, Mechanical, Building Services Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Chartered/professional engineering status (e.g., CEng, PE, or equivalent) preferred.
• Industry certifications such as Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Designer/Specialist (ATD/ATS), CDCP/CDCE, or equivalent data centre credentials are highly desirable.

Experience

• 20+ years of overall engineering/consultancy experience, including a minimum of 8–10 years focused specifically on data centre design, engineering and/or delivery.
• Demonstrable track record leading and growing a data centres business line, practice or major account within a consultancy, engineering firm, hyperscaler, colocation operator or main contractor.
• Proven experience delivering hyperscale, colocation and/or enterprise data centre projects, ideally including experience in the UAE/GCC region.
• Strong record of business development, client relationship management and P&L ownership.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary technical teams and interfacing with authorities, utilities and free zone regulators in the UAE is highly advantageous.

Skills & Competencies

• Deep technical credibility in mission-critical facilities: power resilience, cooling (including liquid cooling for AI/HPC), fire & life safety, security and controls/BMS.
• Strong commercial acumen: P&L management, bid strategy and contract negotiation.
• Excellent stakeholder management and executive presence with C-suite clients and government entities.
• Strategic thinker, able to translate market opportunity into an executable growth plan.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to build a team and culture from the ground up.
• Working knowledge of relevant standards and frameworks (Uptime Institute Tiers, TIA-942, ASHRAE thermal guidelines, ISO 27001/22301 as they relate to data centre operations) and the UAE-specific regulatory/utility landscape.
• Fluent English essential; Arabic language skills an advantage.

Company Description

Egis is an international player active in architecture, consulting, construction engineering and mobility services. We create and operate intelligent infrastructures and buildings that respond to the climate emergency and contribute to more balanced, sustainable and resilient territorial development. Operating in 100 countries, Egis puts the expertise of its 19,500 employees at the service of its clients and develops cutting-edge innovations accessible to all projects. Through its wide range of activities, Egis is a key player in the collective organization of society and the living environment of citizens all over the world.

With 3,500 employees across 8 countries in the Middle East, Egis has delivered over 700 complex development projects, stimulating economic growth and enhancing quality of life. Ranked among the top ten firms in the Middle East by Engineering News Record (ENR), Egis is committed to sustainable development. The Group’s operations in the Middle East are built on strategic acquisitions and a deep understanding of local market conditions. Egis’ long history of providing comprehensive engineering, consulting, and project management services makes it a trusted partner for regional governments, investors, and developers.