Design Lead – Data Centre Civils, Heavy Civils and Groundworks

Overview

Keltbray is seeking an experienced Design Lead with a strong background in delivering complex civil engineering design for data centres, heavy civils, and large-scale groundworks projects. You will lead the design coordination, assurance, and technical development of major mission critical projects, ensuring that design outputs are fully aligned with construction requirements, client expectations, and programme constraints within fast paced data centre environments.

Main Purpose of the Role

Take ownership of the technical design process for data centre civils packages, from early concept and feasibility through to detailed design and construction support. You will bring extensive experience in coordinating multidisciplinary design teams, managing technical interfaces within hyperscale or enterprise data centres, and driving design clarity to support safe, efficient self delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Design Leadership

• Lead and manage all design activities associated with data centre civils and groundworks packages, ensuring quality, buildability, technical accuracy, and compliance with client and statutory requirements.

Data Centre Design Expertise

• Apply in-depth knowledge of data centre design principles, including:
• Substructure and superstructure interfaces
• High volume service corridors and trenching
• External infrastructure and heavy civils elements
• Design considerations for high load, high resilience facilities

Scope and Technical Coordination

• Review and coordinate design packages, IFC drawings, specifications, BIM models, and consultant deliverables to identify clashes, risks, and opportunities that affect cost, programme, or delivery.

Buildability and Construction Integration

• Work closely with construction teams to ensure that design solutions support safe, efficient self delivery and reflect real world construction constraints, sequencing, logistics, and temporary works needs.

Risk and Opportunity Management

• Identify and manage technical risks across design stages and propose value engineering options that improve efficiency, sustainability, or programme certainty.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Engage proactively with clients, hyperscale operators, consultants, supply chain designers, and internal teams to ensure alignment on design scope, assumptions, and deliverables.

Design Governance and Assurance

• Ensure all design work meets Keltbray governance requirements, industry standards, statutory regulations, and digital engineering protocols.

Team Development

• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to growing a high performing technical and design management function with strong capability in data centre delivery.

Reporting

• Provide clear, accurate reports to the Preconstruction Director and Project Director on design progress, outstanding actions, risks, and coordination requirements.

Person Specification

Technical Competence

Essential

• Proven experience leading design delivery for data centres, mission critical facilities, or major heavy civils and groundworks projects.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary design processes covering civil, structural, and infrastructure interfaces.
• Experience working within contractor or design and build environments.
• Proficiency with digital engineering tools, design review platforms, and standard design software.

Desirable

• Professional qualification in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Design Management, or related discipline.
• Chartered status with ICE, IStructE, CIOB, or equivalent professional body.

Diversity and Inclusion

We advocate for difference and champion diversity to foster an inclusive environment that allows our people to bring their true selves to their work every day and enable our people to thrive by promoting health and preventing harm. Keltbray welcomes everyone who shares our values, regardless of their age, belief, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, maternity status, marital status, pregnancy, religion, sex or sexual orientation.