Senior Project Manager – Data Centre (MEP / Refurbishment / Live Environments)

Location: Europe (travel required)
Sector: Data Centre Delivery / Mission Critical
Employment Type: Full-time

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the end-to-end delivery of complex data centre projects across Europe, with a particular focus on refurbishment, brownfield developments, and live operational environments.

This role requires a technically strong project leader with deep MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) expertise and a proven track record of delivering mission-critical facilities from feasibility through to commissioning and handover.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead full lifecycle project delivery: feasibility, design management, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover
• Manage data centre refurbishment and upgrade projects, including capacity expansion and technology refresh
• Oversee works in live/operational environments, ensuring zero disruption to critical infrastructure
• Coordinate and manage MEP design and delivery, working closely with consultants, contractors, and client teams
• Take ownership of programme, budget, risk, and quality across multiple concurrent projects
• Drive contractor performance and ensure alignment with project milestones and SLAs
• Implement and maintain health & safety standards, particularly within high-risk live environments
• Lead stakeholder engagement across clients, operators, engineers, and supply chain partners
• Manage change control, cost reporting, and project governance processes
• Support commissioning and integration, ensuring systems meet operational and resilience requirements

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Project Manager / Senior Project Manager in data centre or mission critical environments
• Strong MEP background (either from engineering, construction, or technical project management routes)
• Demonstrated experience delivering refurbishment / retrofit projects within existing facilities
• Experience working on brownfield sites and constrained urban environments
• Track record of managing projects in live data centre environments (zero downtime / high availability)
• Full lifecycle delivery experience, including design, construction, and commissioning phases
• Strong knowledge of critical systems (power, cooling, redundancy, resilience)
• Familiarity with European project delivery standards and contractor landscape
• Degree qualified in Engineering, Construction Management, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Professional certifications (e.g. PMP, PRINCE2) advantageous

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and decision-making capability in high-pressure environments
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Commercially astute with strong cost and contract management experience
• Ability to manage complexity across multiple disciplines and geographies
• Detail-oriented with a focus on risk mitigation and operational continuity
• Proactive, solutions-driven mindset

Desirable Experience

• Experience with hyperscale or colocation data centre operators
• Exposure to phased upgrades, capacity expansions, or migration projects
• Knowledge of sustainability initiatives within data centre design and delivery
• Multilingual capabilities (beneficial for pan-European delivery)

Please contact Oli Coote: o.coote@capstone-recruitment.com to find out more