{"id":1388657,"url":"https://alion.io/job/ghd-mechanical-technical-director-mission-critical-data-centres","title":"Mechanical Technical Director – Mission Critical (Data Centres)","company":{"id":1821071,"name":"GHD","domain":"ghd.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/ghd-com","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Oracle","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":79,"open_postings":123,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.854,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":30,"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"}},"role":"Leadership","role_family":"Leadership","seniority":"head","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates"],"countries":["AE"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":59000,"max_usd":133000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":3940},"experience_years_min":15,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-09T07:00:25Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-07-09","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T08:53:11Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":107,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":106},"description":"Who we are\nWith over 14,000 professionals globally, GHD is a leading multidisciplinary professional services company delivering engineering, design, and advisory solutions across water, energy, resources, environment, property & buildings, and transportation sectors.\nAbout the Role\nWe are seeking an experienced Mechanical Technical Director to join our Global Data Centre Design Team (Mission Critical), based in our UAE offices. This is a senior leadership role for a highly accomplished engineer with extensive experience in the design, technical leadership, and delivery of hyperscale, AI, and mission-critical data centre facilities.\nYou will provide technical leadership across a portfolio of complex data centre projects, guiding multidisciplinary teams through all stages of delivery while shaping the future direction of mechanical engineering within our global data centre practice.\nThis role offers the opportunity to influence some of the world's most advanced AI and hyperscale data centre developments. You will act as a trusted advisor to clients, support business development initiatives, help secure new opportunities, drive innovation, and ensure the consistent delivery of technically excellent, resilient, sustainable, and commercially successful solutions.\nIn addition to project leadership, you will play a key role in developing engineering capability across the business, mentoring senior engineers, promoting technical excellence, and contributing to the growth of our rapidly expanding mission critical sector.\nKey Responsibilities\nProvide technical leadership and governance across multiple mission critical and data centre projects globally.\nDefine and oversee mechanical engineering strategies for hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, and AI-driven data centre developments.\nLead the development and review of cooling architectures, including chilled water systems, liquid cooling solutions, direct-to-chip cooling, CDUs, heat rejection systems, and high-density thermal management strategies.\nDrive technical excellence through peer reviews, design assurance processes, and the development of engineering standards, best practices, and quality procedures.\nAct as the senior technical authority for mechanical engineering matters, providing guidance and support to project teams throughout all project phases.\nSupport the development, adaptation, and optimisation of global standard reference designs, modular data centre solutions, and bespoke engineering approaches.\nInterface directly with clients, operators, contractors, technology providers, and other stakeholders, acting as a trusted technical advisor and subject matter expert.\nLead technical workshops, value engineering exercises, feasibility studies, master planning activities, and technical due diligence assignments.\nEnsure designs achieve the required performance, resilience, maintainability, energy efficiency, sustainability, and operational objectives.\nSupport project delivery teams in managing technical risks, programme requirements, budgets, and quality objectives.\nMaintain strong client relationships and proactively identify opportunities for repeat business and long-term partnerships.\nSupport business development activities, client engagement, and strategic growth initiatives across the Mission Critical sector.\nLead and support pursuits, proposals, bids, interviews, and technical presentations to help secure new project opportunities.\nCollaborate with regional and global leadership teams to develop and execute growth strategies for the Data Centres and Mission Critical business.\nMonitor emerging technologies, market trends, and client requirements to ensure GHD remains at the forefront of data centre engineering.\nMentor and develop Lead Engineers and other team members, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.\nExperience & Qualifications\nBachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Building Services Engineering.\nChartered Engineer status (CEng, PE, RPEQ, or equivalent) preferred.\nMinimum 15 years of relevant engineering experience, including significant experience within mission critical and data centre environments.\nProven track record leading the design and delivery of hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, and AI-focused data centre facilities.\nExtensive knowledge of data centre cooling systems, including chilled water plants, CRAH/CRAC systems, liquid cooling technologies, CDUs, cooling towers, dry coolers, and advanced control strategies.\nStrong understanding of resilience and redundancy philosophies, including N+1, 2N, and concurrent maintainability principles.\nStrong understanding of mechanical-electrical integration, controls and BMS systems, commissioning, integrated systems testing, and operational readiness.\nExperience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams across international projects and geographically distributed delivery environments.\nDemonstrated experience undertaking technical reviews, design assurance, engineering governance, and quality management activities.\nFamiliarity with CFD modelling, thermal analysis, energy modelling, digital engineering, and BIM delivery processes.\nStrong commercial awareness with experience supporting business development, client management, and project pursuits.\nExperience with hyperscale and AI data centre cooling strategies is highly desirable.\nUptime Institute Accredited Tier Designer (ATD) certification is highly desirable.\nExcellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills.\nWhy Join Us?\nWork on globally significant projects, influencing the next generation of AI and hyperscale data centre design.\nBe part of a globally recognised, fast-growing mission critical team delivering projects that blend technical excellence, sustainability, and commercial success.\nCollaborate in a multi-disciplinary, innovative environment where your input shapes both standardised and bespoke solutions.\nJoin a team that values knowledge-sharing, mentorship, and professional excellence.\nBe part of a workplace that combines collaboration, flexibility, and connection. Join us in the office three days per week to contribute, connect and excel in our vibrant environment.\nOur Pledge to You\nAt GHD, we don’t just believe in the power of commitment, we live and breathe it every day.\nThat’s why we pledge to empower our people to make a positive impact. Combining our deep technical expertise with the capabilities of our clients and partners, we respond to some of the most complex challenges facing our planet today.\nSee where your commitment could take you.\nThat’s the #PowerOfCommitment","description_format":"text","description_chars":6670,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":15,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Continuous learning"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Arab Emirates","iso":"AE","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Energy & Utilities","Professional Services","Construction"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-28T11:07:33Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":11,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.383,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":106,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:2","stale_co","velocity","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/ghd-mechanical-technical-director-mission-critical-data-centres","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/ghd-mechanical-technical-director-mission-critical-data-centres.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-24T10:34:02Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":15283,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-25T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1821071},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1821071"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fghd-mechanical-technical-director-mission-critical-data-centres"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fghd-mechanical-technical-director-mission-critical-data-centres"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fghd-mechanical-technical-director-mission-critical-data-centres"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/ghd-mechanical-technical-director-mission-critical-data-centres\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fghd-mechanical-technical-director-mission-critical-data-centres"}]}