The successful candidate for the Director of North & South America Data Center Construction will be a key part of the Data Center on-site execution team and will be responsible for the program management of Data Center construction, including coordinating with engineering, procurement, commissioning, Controls, and other on-site execution teams and long lead material providers. This will include the extension of existing facilities and new sites in countries across North and South America. The Construction Leader will play an integral role in the development and implementation of the DC physical plant infrastructure. This role will analyze and evaluate different contracting scenarios in multiple regional jurisdictions, oversee the activities of regional managers in North and South America and evaluate existing designs to improve quality, availability, speed of deployment, and cost. In addition, this candidate will support the standardization of build processes, development of critical construction metrics and reporting the health of the construction organization to appropriate Amazon leadership teams. The successful candidate will need to comfortably perform in an environment that is quickly changing to develop program structure rooted in industry best practices while still adopting the fast-moving nature of the technology sector.
This opportunity is multi-disciplinary; requiring depth of knowledge and experience in construction, cost control, program management, safety, quality control, and site security. It requires a person who can demonstrate proven ability in detailed analysis of DC architecture, including mechanical and electrical designs, and its construction through effective management of general construction contractors, as well as the oversight and management of large teams in multiple time zones. The role will include travel to DC construction sites in North and South Americas and requires up o 25% travel.
Key job responsibilities
On Site Execution
• Responsible for overseeing DC construction efforts, through Regional Construction Managers, on-site teams, and General Contractors.
• Responsible for project construction support on new DC site work, building shells and interior mechanical, electrical and plumbing fit-out works.
Resource Management
• Develop, maintain and report on key performance indicator metrics. Routinely analyze and use data to leverage and propagate successful mechanisms, identify risk areas and mitigate systematically.
• Provide leadership and direction to construction workforce, coaching and mentoring regional managers and new construction managers, guiding all project teams throughout the full project lifecycle.
• Drive span of control discussions and/or complex roles and responsibilities discussions with critical partners to improve the efficiency of construction management interaction with internal Amazon teams.
• Ensure that contracted resources deliver work to meet duration and quality targets, addressing and ensuring the correction of under-performance.
Technical Leadership
• Prepare reports, documents, and physical plant technical analysis to report to executive leadership. Provide recommendations to modify design requirements, equipment and services required.
• Provide technical direction within the construction team in the analysis of site-work, building design, master site layout details, schedules, materials used, including long lead equipment used in DC’s.
• Drive innovative DC construction solutions that reduce cost and cycle time, while improving safety and quality.
• Create an environment for fast moving, iterative continuous improvement.
Cost Ownership
• Oversee the development, competition, and negotiation of contracts with construction vendors and present formal documentation for approval.
• Ensure that contracts are fit for purpose, cost effective, and incorporate appropriate analysis.
• Represent all construction team related activities in executive staff meetings, including funding requests, correction of errors explanations, and staffing support models.
• Align construction cost estimating for future builds (including construction in new regions), construction cost controls, and procurement activities with on-the ground management of physical plant execution
Strategic Planning & Partner Development
• Ensure alignment and collaboration with all partner teams so that a full DC project is completed in an efficient and cost-effective manner, both on the ground execution teams (Controls, Commissioning, Cabling) and outside partner teams (Real Estate, Networking, Software)
• Work with multiple and varied permitting entities, at all governmental levels and in multiple countries, to obtain construction related permissions to build and occupy DC’s
• Align effectively with the Principal Construction Manager to develop a technical strategic roadmap and properly allocate resources to drive innovation.
We are open to hiring candidates to work out of one of the following locations:
Herndon, VA, USA | Seattle, WA, USA
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or an equivalent engineering science plus 15+ years of relevant construction experience.
• 10+ years of experience directly managing, mentoring, leading, and coaching teams of construction professionals.
• Experience hiring, promoting, disciplining, and developing teams of construction professionals.
• Experience in construction management of large, complex projects involving large-scale mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) plants.
• Experience in general contractor and vendor management (request for proposals, bidding, change orders, quality control, and RFI and submittal tracking) associated with construction and project execution.
• Experience managing construction of complex electrical and mechanical engineering systems, including large scale power distribution or generation, and cooling systems.
• Experience working with cross function teams to deliver complex construction projects.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Preferred qualifications
• MS in Construction Management or Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, Structural)
• 15+ years’ experience with Project Management and Vendor Management
• 5+ years’ experience in Data Center system-level architecture and electrical engineering principals
• 5+ years’ experience in Data Center system-level architecture and mechanical engineering principals
• Experience designing data centers or critical MEP infrastructure
• Certified as a Professional Engineer (PE), LEED, or Certified Construction Manager (CCM)
• Prior AWS/Amazon experience
• 5+ Yr. Military Service
• Fully bilingual with spoken and written proficiency in English and [Spanish, Portuguese, French, or other languages] for working at construction job sites across United States, Canada, and Latin American countries.
Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/disability/us.
Pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $218,800/year in our lowest geographic market up to $340,300/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, please visit https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.