Director, Engineering Strategy

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. Does the thought of joining one of the fastest-growing, privately held data center companies sound exciting to you? Do you enjoy collaborating with team members to drive and operate some of the industry’s leading and most innovative infrastructure solutions? At Aligned Data Centers , not only do we celebrate success across our platform, we celebrate the very teams that drive and support that success! Our culture is founded in passion, engineered from innovation, and driven by the pursuit of operational excellence. We are a company dedicated to driving positive change in the industry through continuous data center innovation, diversity and inclusion, and corporate sustainability. We realize not only is providing a comprehensive benefits package important, but we also provide a generous 401k match with immediate vesting, free membership to Gympass which provides our employees a rich health and wellness benefit and competitive time off plan. Giving back and having fun is important to our team whether it be serving our communities or employee and customer events. Our Aligned DNA is what makes us unique and successful! The Director, Engineering Strategy is a critical technology and engineering executive responsible for the strategic direction, technical excellence, and lifecycle performance of the company’s data center platform. Reporting to the VP, Data Center Engineering, this role oversees engineering innovation, technical standards, system design, and operational reliability across the infrastructure portfolio. This leader will serve as the company’s frontline leader for multidiscipline technical subjects and will lead a high-performing team of architects, engineers and technical specialists. The Director, Engineering Strategy will ensure alignment of engineering practices with business strategy, enhance system resiliency, drive innovation in power and cooling technologies, and enable future-ready infrastructure to meet evolving customer needs. Strategic Technical Leadership: Serve as the executive authority on data center engineering systems, responsible for company-wide mechanical and electrical engineering strategy and execution. Define and enforce technical standards and ensure consistency across all designs, retrofits, and upgrades. Lead early-stage technical visioning, drive conceptual design direction, and validate technical feasibility of new initiatives and innovations. Design Oversight & Governance: Oversee the full lifecycle of electrical , mechanical , and substation design efforts—from initial concepts through design validation, procurement, installation, and commissioning. Review and approve key design deliverables, major equipment selections, and updates to technical standards. Support governance for third-party design consultants and lead internal design reviews and sign-offs at all project stages. Execution & Commissioning Support: Provide technical responsibility for commissioning strategies, testing scripts, and readiness protocols to ensure high-quality delivery and safe project startup. Support project execution through periodic construction site visits to ensure compliance with company standards. Provide executive technical support and problem resolution during project execution, including MOP and CR reviews and critical issue escalation. Reliability & Operations Interface: Drive continuous improvement in uptime, availability, and risk mitigation through post-mortem analysis and operational feedback loops. Innovation & Future-Readiness: Lead the evaluation, piloting, and validation of new power, cooling, and automation technologies, including sustainable energy practices. Stay ahead of market and vendor developments; build strategic relationships with technology partners, suppliers, and thought leaders. Guide technical strategy to align with evolving customer requirements and sustainability goals. Maintain and refresh the company design guidance documentation with current trending technology and construction developments. Cross-Functional & Customer Collaboration: Work closely with Procurement, Platform Delivery, and Sales Engineering teams to ensure engineering designs support commercial objectives and customer customizations. Provide executive technical input during customer pursuits, acquisition evaluations, and site-specific deviations from design standards. Organizational Leadership: Build, mentor, and lead a team of highly skilled engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, excellence, and continuous improvement. Lead internal technical training, knowledge sharing, and communication of engineering strategy across the organization. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering 15+ years of experience in mission-critical infrastructure, data center design, engineering management, or platform development Deep expertise in low and medium voltage power systems and mechanical infrastructure Professional Engineer (PE) license strongly preferred Demonstrated leadership in commissioning oversight, technical governance, and issue resolution Strong understanding of construction, operations, and lifecycle infrastructure planning