Requirements
The Data Center Program Governance Lead must have a Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline, with a Master's degree or Chartered Engineer status being an advantage. A minimum of 10-12 years of engineering and program experience, with a substantial part in mission-critical or data center facilities, is required. Proven owner's engineer, PMC, or client-assurance experience on at least one mission-critical program is essential, along with a demonstrated record of owning quality gates and QA/QC across the full data center lifecycle, including commissioning, the Integrated Systems Test, and handover.
Description
This position is on-site based in Damascus Governorate, Syria.Position Objective:The Data Center Program Governance Lead will be responsible for the governance and technical assurance of a national data center program on behalf of the Client, from requirements and design through procurement, commissioning, and handover. Acting as the Owner's Engineer and Project Management Consultant lead for this mission-critical program, hold each facility to its quality gates, applicable standards, and target availability tier, and represent the Client into its technical committees. The ideal candidate should bring proven owner's-engineer or client-assurance expertise on mission-critical data center facilities in the Middle East market.Job Description & Responsibilities:Establish and maintain the governance model, responsibility assignment matrix, escalation matrix, and change control for the data center workstream.Own the lifecycle stage-gate framework and chair the gate reviews that release each stage.Line-manage the Design Governance Lead and Field Assurance Lead and set the acceptance criteria their teams apply.Verify that the high-level design meets the Client's capacity, availability-tier, security, and resilience requirements, including critical power and cooling.Hold each site to its target tier of Tier III or Tier IV per the requirements document, and confirm the design satisfies it against TIA-942 and EN 50600.Treat the Uptime Institute Tier Certified Design Documents and Tier Certified Constructed Facility certifications as deliverables the build must achieve.Govern the technical RFP packages, bid evaluation, and vendor recommendations so that selection rests on defensible criteria.Assure the QA/QC and commissioning regime across Levels 1 to 5, witnessing the Level 5 Integrated Systems Test rather than executing it.Confirm that handover documentation and operational-readiness gates are met before any site is accepted from the contractor.Close out every Non-Conformance Report and verify resolution before final acceptance.Screen all in-scope vendor introductions for sanctions exposure and allow nothing to proceed without written clearance.Prepare and issue monthly quality and progress reports to the Client's committees and senior leadership.Qualifications & Experience:Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline; a master's degree or Chartered Engineer status is an advantage.Minimum 10 to 12 years of engineering and program experience, with a substantial part in mission-critical or data center facilities.Proven Owner's Engineer, PMC, or client-assurance experience on at least one mission-critical program, not solely contractor delivery.Demonstrated record of owning quality gates and QA/QC across the full data center lifecycle, including commissioning, the Integrated Systems Test, and handover; familiarity with Inspection and Test Plans and Non-Conformance Reports.Working command of the Uptime Institute Tier classification and the Tier Certified Design Documents and Tier Certified Constructed Facility audit processes; an Accredited Tier Designer credential is valued.Command of TIA-942, BICSI 002 and 009, and EN 50600, with awareness of NFPA, ASHRAE, and ISO/IEC 27001; PMP certification is preferred.Solid grounding in data center electrical and mechanical building services, critical power, and DCIM and BMS monitoring, sufficient to challenge designs and witness commissioning.Strong written and spoken English is required for governance papers; Arabic is an advantage, as is familiarity with the Syrian and wider Middle East market.Open to international and Syrian candidates, subject to eligibility to work in Syria and applicable sanctions compliance.