Data Center Owner's Representative - Transportation Market (Finance)

We are a creative team of architecture, engineering and design professionals who serve both public and private sector clients. Together, we share one Core Purpose: To plan, design, and consult to create healthy and thriving communities. Our offices are full of genuine, fun, and down-to-earth people who believe in fostering an inclusive culture where all employees feel they belong. Loving where you work, who you're working with, and what you're working on is important to us, which is why we put our people first-they're at the heart of everything we do. From professional growth and development support and opportunities to give back to your community, to flexible work schedules and competitive benefits, we have a genuine interest in the whole you. So, if you're just as passionate about what you do as we are, then we'd love to hear from you!

Our transportation and utility services professionals offer practical, forward-thinking expertise in a wide range of practice areas, including active transportation, bridge design, roadway design and traffic engineering, intelligent transportation systems, utility and broadband services, grant writing, program management and so much more! From interstates and intersections to bridges and bike paths, we invite you to join us in designing transportation systems that connect us to the people and places we care about most.

Our Transportation team is looking for an Engineer responsible for providing Owner's Representative Services to help manage the execution of high-voltage substation projects that support hyperscale data center development. This role ensures alignment between EPC contractors and the owner's internal teams throughout the design-build lifecycle-from early planning and permitting through energization and turnover. The ideal candidate will have deep substation project experience and the ability to lead technical reviews, drive construction progress, and support operational readiness. The location of this position could be Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky or Ohio.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary point of contact between the EPC contractor and the owner's internal campus infrastructure and construction teams.
• Coordinate across internal engineering, operations, and design groups to ensure substation scope integrates with overall campus planning.
• Lead and document multi-disciplinary design review meetings, ensuring design quality, standards compliance, and system compatibility.
• Manage permitting strategy and submittals with EPC and local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), including utility interconnection requirements.
• Facilitate coordination meetings and working sessions with EPC, design consultants, permitting agencies, and internal stakeholders.
• Conduct and coordinate regular site walkdowns to review construction progress, field conditions, and safety compliance.
• Track construction against schedule and budget milestones, proactively identifying and mitigating risks.
• Support and drive punch-list management, coordinating resolution of open items through construction and commissioning phases.
• Oversee project closeout activities including testing and commissioning coordination, documentation handover, and operational readiness.
• Ensure all deliverables and as-builts are received, reviewed, and accepted in alignment with project requirements.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 7-10 years of experience managing complex substation or utility infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated success overseeing EPC contracts in a design-build delivery model.
• Strong working knowledge of HV/MV substation systems including protection, controls, and physical layout.
• Experience with permitting, utility coordination, and regulatory compliance.
• Familiarity with electrical design packages including one-lines, schematics, relay settings, and construction drawings.
• Experience supporting substation infrastructure for data centers or mission-critical facilities is preferred.
• Familiarity with utility interconnection processes, NESC, IEEE, and other relevant codes/standards is preferred.
• PMP or similar project management certification is preferred.
• Experience with commissioning planning, energization procedures, and turnover documentation is preferred.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate. Everyone is invited to apply.

Gresham Smith will not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, headhunters, contract recruiters, search firms, or employment agencies. An executed GRESHAM PLACEMENT SERVICES AGREEMENT (PSA) is required prior to any payment obligation for either a referral or recruiter fee. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously executed PSA, GRESHAM SMITH explicitly reserves the right to recruit and hire those candidate(s) at its discretion, and without any financial obligation whatsoever to the recruiter or agency. Any such unsolicited resume or candidate contact information, including those submitted directly to GRESHAM SMITH'S hiring managers or any other employee, shall become the property of GRESHAM SMITH upon receipt.