Principal, Design Lead
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Overview
Job Description
Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.
Job Description
Why Join Us:
This role is an excellent opportunity to join a deeply experienced and high-performing team with the ability to directlyimpactand contribute to Ada’s development program. Our team combines industry-wide experience and in-countryexpertiseacross all our regions.
We are committed to collaborating cross-functionally and partnering to drive efficient and effective solutions that meet the needs of our internal and external stakeholders.
The Team you are joining:
The Design & Innovation function is part of the Global Design, Development and Delivery organization andis responsible forenabling the delivery of scalable, reliable, and sustainable data center infrastructure across Ada's global portfolio.
The organizationoperatesthrough a collaborative global and regional model:
GlobalDesign & Innovation– Accountable for design standards, tools, productization, and innovation across all regions;operatesas a center of excellence (CoE) and provides consultative support to regional teams
RegionalDesign– Executes and adapts global standards to local codes, customer requirements, and site-specific conditions while piloting innovations for broader global adoption
Summary:
The Design Lead, North Americais responsible forleading the design execution function across Ada's North American development portfolio. This role ensures global design standards are effectively adapted into buildable, code-compliant, customer-aligned, and site-specific solutions that support delivery excellence across the region.
Working closely with the Global Design & Innovation team, this leader serves as the primary bridge between global standards and regional execution, ensuring designs are scalable, constructable, cost-effective, and aligned with businessobjectives.
The role is also responsible for building, leading, and developing a high-performing multidisciplinary design organization that supports Ada's continued growth throughout North America.
Responsibilities:
Lead design execution across Ada's North American development portfolio, ensuring alignment with safety, quality, schedule, cost, constructability, and customer requirements
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary design organization fosteringaccountability,collaborationand continuous improvement.
Direct theregional and site leveladaptation and implementation of global standards, specifications, and requirements to meet codes, permitting requirements, customer needs, and site-specific conditions
Partner closely with Development and Delivery teams to ensure designs are constructable, cost-effective, scalable, and aligned with project objectives
Serve as the regional design authority throughout project planning, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and turnover
Establish andmonitorkey performance indicators (KPIs) to measureregional design performance, quality, scheduleperformance of AOR/EORs, budgetalignment, change management, and risk mitigation
Collaborate with the Global Design & Innovation team to support continuous improvement of design standards, engineering specifications, and delivery processes through regional feedback and lessons learned
Support the evaluation and implementation ofnew technologies, engineering approaches, and design innovations that improve performance, efficiency, reliability, and scalability
Partner with Supply Chain to align designs with procurement strategies, equipment standardization initiatives, and vendor capabilities
Collaborate with Operations and Commissioning teams to ensure designs support long-term operational reliability, maintainability, and lifecycle performance
Champion digital engineering, BIM, automation, and data-driven design practices to improve design efficiency and project outcomes
Foster relationships with design consultants, engineering partners, equipment manufacturers, and industry stakeholders tomaintainawareness of emerging trends and best practices
Partner with Development & Delivery teams toprovide regular executive-level reporting on project performance, resource planning, design risks,and project levelopportunities
Support customer engagements and strategic initiatives as, communicating Ada's design capabilities and technical solutions
MinimumRequirements:
Bachelor's degree inDesign orEngineering(Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, Architectural, or related discipline)
12+ years of experience in engineering, design, design management, or technical leadership within data centers, mission-critical infrastructure
Demonstrated success building high-performingteam, developing technical talent, and scaling teams through periods of growth
Strong understanding of data center systems, including mechanical, electrical, controls, commissioning, and operational considerations
Experience leading design execution across multiple projects while balancing quality, schedule, budget, constructability, and customer requirements
Experience implementing standardized design approaches while adapting solutions to local codes, permitting requirements, and site-specific conditions
Strong commercial and operational acumen, including understanding of cost drivers, procurement considerations, project delivery risks, and decision-making tradeoffs
Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence technical and executive audiences across a matrixed organization
Willingness to travel asto support project sites, regional teams, customers, and business objectives
Reporting Relationships
Compensation
The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.
The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.
Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more.
There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.
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