Vice President Data Center Design

Montera · San Francisco

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At Montera, we’re building the future of digital infrastructure. Founder-led with $1.5B backed by Stonepeak, Montera is driven by a future-focused vision: to develop and operate hyperscale data centers essential for tomorrow's technology. Our mission is to deliver strategically located, hyperscale data centers designed for speed, reliability, and scalability. Backed by decades of experience in design, construction, and operations, we don’t just build—we execute with purpose. 

Our Values 

• Client First Alignment: We align every solution to our clients’ goals. 

• Speed with Certainty: Velocity matters. We deliver with urgency and precision. 

• Operational Excellence: Decades of experience drive our high standards. 

• Safety & Integrity: Safety is non-negotiable. We lead with integrity and transparency. 

• Ownership Mentality: We think like owners, because we are. 

The Opportunity 

Montera is seeking a Vice President Data Center Design leads the delivery of Montera’s facility designs across the portfolio. Reporting to the CTO, the VP owns design execution end to end — from reference architecture through IFC and construction support — and is the senior leader of Montera’s Principal Engineering & Architecture Leadership family and its external design and construction partners. 

This is a people-leadership and delivery-accountability role, distinct from the CTO’s external technical and customer-facing mandate. The CTO owns customer requirements capture and is the technical external face of Montera; the VP converts those requirements into buildable, coordinated, on-schedule designs and drives them through the design and construction partner ecosystem (CSA, MEP, design-assist trades, GC/CM, and specialty consultants) to a predictable, commissioned outcome. 

The VP manages the five Principal ICs — Architect & Master Planning, Electrical, Mechanical, Controls, and Network — aligning their reference architectures into a single coherent facility design, resolving cross-discipline conflicts, and holding the integrated design schedule and budget. The role is accountable for design quality, constructability, multi-discipline coordination, and the design inputs to cost, schedule, and availability targets across active projects (currently Eagle and Goldeneye) and the broader pipeline.  

Requirements

What You'll Do 

Design Delivery & Program Execution 

• Own end-to-end design delivery across the portfolio — concept, SD, DD, IFP/IFC, and construction-phase support — against committed schedule milestones (e.g., schematic design and IFC dates) and yield-on-cost targets. 

• Hold the integrated, multi-discipline design schedule and budget; drive the critical path across architectural, electrical, mechanical, controls, and network scopes. 

• Govern design change control, trade studies, and value-engineering decisions, protecting design intent, reliability targets (five-nines availability), and operability. 

• Own the design basis of design (BOD) and its consistent application across projects, and the design deliverables that feed permitting, procurement, and construction. 

Leadership of the Principal Engineering & Architecture Family 

• Directly lead and develop the five Principal ICs (Architect/Master Planning, Electrical, Mechanical, Controls, Network); set objectives, review performance, and build the discipline centers of excellence. 

• Integrate discipline reference architectures into one coherent, coordinated facility design; arbitrate cross-discipline trade-offs (e.g., power vs. cooling vs. space, controls data model vs. network segmentation). 

• Ensure the Controls–Network interlock on customer data exposure is delivered jointly and coherently, consistent with the single-tenant model and the requirements the CTO captures. 

• Enforce portfolio-wide design standards, playbooks, and prototypical modules that enable rapid, repeatable deployment. 

Design Contracts & Partner Governance 

• Define, review, negotiate, and manage design contracts with design partners (CSA and MEP engineers of record, design-assist trades, and specialty consultants) — owning scopes of work, deliverable schedules, standard of care, fee structures, and design responsibility matrices. 

• Establish consistent contracting standards and templates for design engagements across the portfolio; align scope boundaries and interface agreements so multi-discipline coverage is complete with no gaps or overlaps. 

• Manage contract performance through delivery: track deliverables against milestones, administer change and additional-services requests, review and approve design invoicing against progress, and resolve scope and performance issues. 

• Partner with Legal, Finance, and Procurement on design-contract terms, risk allocation, and commercial approvals, engaging qualified counsel on high-stakes terms. 

Design & Construction Partner Leadership 

• Serve as Montera’s senior owner-side leader to external design and construction partners: CSA and MEP engineers of record, design-assist trade partners (e.g., mechanical and electrical), GC/CM, and specialty consultants. 

• Own the design-assist and delivery-model strategy (e.g., design-bid-build vs. design-assist) and the associated partner scopes, deliverables, and interface agreements. 

• Lead design reviews, coordination summits, and constructability reviews; drive partner accountability to quality, schedule, and cost. 

• Support AHJ permitting and entitlement outcomes through the Architect/Master Planning Principal and partner teams. 

Design Oversight Through Construction 

• Own owner-side design oversight through construction with GCs and subcontractors — protecting design intent from IFC through commissioning and turnover. 

• Govern the construction-phase design workflow: RFIs, submittals and shop-drawing review, and coordination/BIM clash resolution across trades, driving timely engineer-of-record responses. 

• Review and disposition field changes, design-related change orders, and value-engineering proposals from GCs and subs; safeguard reliability (five-nines availability), operability, and standards conformance. 

• Lead design representation at OAC meetings and site design reviews; track design-related construction risk and drive resolution with the GC, subs, and design partners. 

• Ensure as-built and design close-out documentation from GCs and subs is complete and fed back into Montera reference designs and standards. 

Constructability, Commissioning & Handover 

• Ensure designs are constructable, coordinated (clash-free), and aligned to procurement lead times and site logistics. 

• Own the design-side inputs to commissioning and integrated systems testing (IST); ensure acceptance criteria and turnover readiness are designed in, not retrofitted. 

• Drive lessons-learned from construction and operations back into reference designs and standards for continuous fleet improvement. 

Cross-Functional & Executive Alignment 

• Translate the CTO-captured customer requirements into a governed design program and report design status, risks, and decisions to the CTO and leadership. 

• Partner with Development, Delivery, Operations, GRC, and Finance on schedule, cost, constructability, and interconnection-driven design constraints (e.g., FRT / utility obligations). 

• Provide design content and technical substantiation to support the CTO’s customer engagements and executive/board materials, without owning the customer-facing relationship. 

Who You Are: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture or Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, or related); professional licensure (PE/RA) preferred. 

• 15+ years of experience in data center or mission-critical design and delivery, including senior leadership of multi-discipline design programs for hyperscale or AI-focused facilities. 

• Proven track record leading design across full delivery lifecycle (concept to IFC to commissioning) with accountability for schedule, cost, and quality. 

• Demonstrated leadership of principal/expert individual contributors and of external design and construction partners (CSA, MEP, design-assist, GC/CM). 

• Proven experience defining, negotiating, and managing design contracts (scope, deliverables, standard of care, fees, change control) and administering owner-side design oversight through construction with GCs and subcontractors (RFIs, submittals, change orders, field changes). 

• Strong command of how architectural, electrical, mechanical, controls, and network scopes integrate, and of delivery models (design-bid-build, design-assist, EPC). 

• Excellent judgment on constructability, value engineering, and design risk; strong commercial and schedule discipline. 

• Exceptional communication; able to represent design internally to the CTO, leadership, and board, and to lead partners externally. 

Why Join Montera? 

At Montera, you’ll shape the next generation of digital infrastructure while being supported by a team that values integrity, collaboration, and long-term partnership. We’re a remote-first company that empowers our people with flexibility, ownership, and meaningful rewards.  

Compensation:  

At Montera, we believe great work starts with investing in great people. That is why we offer a competitive and thoughtful total compensation package designed to recognize the value each team member brings. 

Our compensation ranges are informed by market data and aligned to job level and role. When making hiring and compensation decisions, we consider a variety of factors, including skills, experience, education, training, competencies, and overall business needs. 

The reasonable compensation range for this role is $XXX,000 - $XXX,000. 

Benefits

Our Benefits at a Glance: 

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: We pay 90% of health premiums for employees and their dependents. 

• Generous Time Off: Up to 8 weeks of paid time off per year, which includes holidays, PTO, and sick time. 

• Parental Leave: Up to 8 weeks of paid time off after 6 months of employment. 

• Financial Security: 401(k) plan with immediate eligibility, no vesting requirement, and employer match contributions up to 6%. 

• Learning & Development Reimbursement: Up to $3,500 reimbursed annually for approved courses, certifications, conferences and professional development opportunities. 

• Extra Support: Remote work stipend  to help you stay connected. 

At Montera, you’ll have the autonomy to do great work and the benefits to thrive personally and professionally. 

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