Summary / Objective:The Design Manager leads the design and drafting function for a broad portfolio of modular buildings and engineered modular solutions, including modular data centers, control rooms, MCC buildings, electrical and instrumentation buildings, power houses, E-houses, switchgear buildings, industrial enclosures, and custom prefabricated structures. The position translates client requirements, project specifications, engineering criteria, and equipment information into coordinated, accurate, fabrication-ready design packages that support procurement, manufacturing, inspection, transportation, and installation.
This role provides technical and organizational leadership to multidisciplinary design teams; manages resources, priorities, schedules, and design quality; and coordinates with project management, engineering, VDC/BIM, procurement, fabrication, quality, vendors, clients, and third-party reviewers. The Design Manager is accountable for design execution, constructability, standardization, and continuous improvement while balancing scope, schedule, cost, and technical requirements.
Product and Project Types:- Modular data centers, data halls, IT / white-space modules, and supporting infrastructure buildings.
- Control rooms, electrical control buildings, PLC / DCS / instrumentation buildings, and operator shelters.
- MCC buildings, switchgear buildings, E-houses, PDU / UPS / battery rooms, and electrical equipment enclosures.
- Power houses, generator enclosures, utility buildings, and power distribution modules.
- Industrial process buildings, compressor / pump buildings, analyzer shelters, and packaged equipment enclosures.
- Skid-mounted, panelized, volumetric, prefabricated, and custom modular structures for energy, industrial, and mission-critical applications.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:- Lead, supervise, mentor, and develop multidisciplinary designers across architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and BIM / CAD disciplines.
- Assign personnel and balance workloads based on project priorities, complexity, skill sets, and required deliverable dates.
- Establish clear responsibilities, review expectations, accountability, and communication practices within the design team.
- Conduct design coordination meetings, workload reviews, and performance discussions; identify resource constraints and resolve bottlenecks.
- Support recruiting, onboarding, training, performance feedback, and professional development.
- Coordinate with engineering and operations leadership to align department capacity with business and project needs.
Design Development and Multidiscipline Coordination- Oversee design packages from proposal / concept and design development through IFA / IFR, IFC, fabrication, and as-built stages, as applicable.
- Ensure drawings and models reflect approved project criteria, specifications, equipment layouts, structural requirements, architectural details, and discipline interfaces.
- Coordinate architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, controls, fire protection, and vendor information within the modular building envelope.
- Lead coordination of equipment placement, access and maintenance clearances, cable and conduit routing, HVAC / cooling systems, piping, penetrations, lifting points, shipping splits, and field connections.
- Oversee integration of data center systems where in scope, including hot / cold aisle layouts, containment, cooling distribution, CDUs, PDUs, UPS, switchgear, busway, and generators.
- Confirm design considers transportation dimensions, module weight, center of gravity, lifting / rigging interfaces, shipping restraints, field assembly, and installation sequence.
- Resolve design clashes and constructability issues before packages are released for procurement or fabrication.
CAD, BIM, and Design Standards- Establish and maintain CAD / BIM standards for templates, title blocks, layers, model coordinates, file naming, revision control, and deliverable formats.
- Oversee design platforms such as AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks, Bluebeam, BIM 360 / Autodesk Construction Cloud, and other project-specific tools.
- Coordinate with VDC / BIM teams on model integrity, shared coordinates, model federation, clash detection, and model-to-shop-drawing workflows.
- Develop reusable details, Revit families, CAD libraries, typical assemblies, design checklists, and modular design standards.
- Promote repeatable, standardized design solutions while accommodating project-specific requirements.
Schedule, Scope, and Deliverable Management- Develop and maintain design schedules, staffing plans, and deliverable trackers aligned with the master project schedule.
- Coordinate milestones such as kickoff, design criteria confirmation, equipment layout approval, IFA / IFR, BOM development, client review, PE review, state submissions, IFC release, production release, and as-builts.
- Monitor progress, identify late inputs and schedule risks, and communicate recovery plans to project management and leadership.
- Review contract scope, proposal assumptions, specifications, and client changes; identify design impacts and support change-order documentation.
- Coordinate design completion with Project Engineer Leads and PEs, tracking engineering comments, drawing revisions, and required approvals through final release.
- Ensure drawing and model revisions are controlled and communicated to procurement, fabrication, quality, and site teams.
- Confirm deliverables are complete, reviewed, traceable, and issued through established document-control procedures.
Manufacturing, Fabrication, and Constructability- Work directly with structural and MEP fabrication teams to ensure designs are practical, buildable, and aligned with shop capabilities and production methods.
- Resolve shop questions, field dimensions, material substitutions, fabrication conflicts, and installation constraints.
- Use feedback from production and field installation to reduce rework, material waste, and manufacturing delays.
- Coordinate with procurement and material control on bills of material (BOMs), takeoffs, long-lead items, and purchasing requirements.
- Participate in production-readiness reviews and verify that current approved drawings and technical information are available before release.
- Support factory acceptance testing (FAT), quality inspections, punch-list resolution, and installation / commissioning clarification as needed.
Engineering, Code, and Certification Coordination- Coordinate design documentation with licensed Professional Engineers (PEs), third-party reviewers, certification agencies, inspectors, and authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), as applicable.
- Manage design inputs and packages required for PE review / seal, state plan review, modular building approvals, product certification, and project permitting.
- Track applicable building, structural, fire / life safety, electrical, mechanical, energy, accessibility, and modular construction requirements.
- Coordinate design criteria including wind, snow, seismic, roof and floor live loads, equipment loads, thermal performance, hazardous-area classifications, and transportation / lifting loads.
- Ensure calculations, code interpretations, and sealed documents are completed or approved by appropriately qualified professionals where required.
- Maintain records of review comments, responses, approvals, deviations, and design assumptions.
Client and Internal Coordination- Participate in project kickoffs, design reviews, client coordination meetings, and project status meetings.
- Coordinate with clients, consultants, vendors, subcontractors, and internal stakeholders to obtain and verify design information.
- Communicate design status, technical concerns, required decisions, and schedule impacts clearly and promptly.
- Support project management with technical input for RFIs, submittals, change orders, design clarifications, and client presentations.
- Maintain effective coordination among design, engineering, VDC, procurement, fabrication, quality, and field installation teams.
Quality, Risk, and Continuous Improvement- Implement design quality-control procedures, including discipline checks, interdisciplinary reviews, and formal approval gates.
- Identify risks early, including incomplete criteria, late vendor data, equipment changes, code conflicts, long-lead constraints, and scope gaps.
- Track design errors, rework, RFIs, and revision impacts; establish corrective actions and lessons learned.
- Maintain organized project records and ensure models, drawings, calculations, and revisions are controlled and retrievable.
- Improve processes through standard details, automation, libraries, checklists, training, and manufacturing feedback.
Project Engineering and Estimating Coordination- Work closely with Project Engineer Leads and Professional Engineers (PEs) to coordinate design requirements, resolve technical questions, and drive each project's design package to completion.
- Coordinate design deliverables, engineering reviews, PE comments, drawing updates, and approval milestones with Project Engineer Leads and the responsible PE to maintain alignment with project schedules and submission requirements.
- Support the estimating team during the quotation and proposal phase by developing, coordinating, and populating estimate drawings with available project information, preliminary layouts, equipment footprints, and design assumptions.
- Return completed or updated estimate drawings and supporting design information to the estimating and project teams so scope, quantities, assumptions, and design intent are clearly communicated during project handoff.
- Develop and maintain Revit-based Bills of Material (BOMs), schedules, and quantity information using coordinated model data; establish consistent parameters, families, and extraction practices to improve accuracy and traceability.
- Coordinate Revit model content and BOM requirements with design disciplines, Project Engineer Leads, procurement, and estimating to confirm that modeled components, quantities, and material descriptions align with the project scope.
- Identify gaps between estimate drawings, awarded scope, engineering design, and Revit BOM quantities; communicate discrepancies early and support resolution before procurement or fabrication release.
Supervisory Responsibility: Yes
Education / Certification / Experience Requirements:- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
- Typically 7+ years of experience in modular buildings, industrial facilities, prefabricated construction, data centers, or a related design / engineering environment.
- Typically 3+ years of experience leading designers, CAD / BIM personnel, or multidisciplinary design teams.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple disciplines and deliver design packages for fabrication and construction.
- Strong understanding of modular building systems, structural framing, building envelopes, equipment integration, MEP coordination, and manufacturing / installation requirements.
- Proficiency with AutoCAD and Revit; Navisworks, Bluebeam, and Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360 experience preferred.
- Ability to interpret specifications, design criteria, engineering drawings, equipment submittals, and applicable codes.
- Strong leadership, communication, organization, problem-solving, and schedule-management skills.
Preferred Qualifications:- Experience with modular data centers, mission-critical facilities, control rooms, MCC / switchgear buildings, E-houses, and power houses.
- Experience with data center cooling, hot / cold aisle containment, CDUs, PDUs, UPS systems, switchgear, generators, and critical power infrastructure.
- Experience supporting PE-sealed drawing packages, state modular approvals, third-party inspections, certification programs, and AHJ reviews.
- Knowledge of structural steel fabrication, panelized / volumetric construction, skid bases, lifting and rigging interfaces, shipping constraints, and field installation.
- Experience creating design standards, Revit families, CAD libraries, BIM execution plans, and department workflows.
- Familiarity with BOM development, material takeoffs, procurement coordination, fabrication travelers, FAT, and production quality processes.
Core Competencies- Team leadership, coaching, and resource planning
- Multidiscipline design and model coordination
- Modular building and industrial construction knowledge
- Constructability, design quality, and attention to detail
- CAD / BIM standards and model management
- Project scheduling, prioritization, and scope control
- Client, vendor, and stakeholder communication
- Technical problem-solving and risk identification
- Process improvement and design standardizat
