Senior Project Director - Data Centres (Site Based)

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together. Project Overview This role supports a major £10 billion hyperscale data centre campus in Northumberland, North East England—one of the largest data centre developments in Europe. The project spans 540,000 sqm across 10 data centre buildings and includes extensive enabling works, substation construction, and environmental remediation. First-phase enabling works commenced in late 2025, with main construction beginning in 2026. The development will create thousands of jobs and represent a transformative investment in the region. Role Overview The Senior Project Director provides strategic leadership and single-point accountability for the Project Management Consultancy service across the campus programme. The role leads governance, assurance, stakeholder management, team leadership, risk, change, reporting, and delivery oversight across data centres, enabling works, substations, and Owner-Furnished Contractor-Installed (OFCI) packages. Key Responsibilities

Lead the Arcadis Project Management Consultancy team across RIBA Stages 3, 4 and 5. Act as the single point of accountability to the client’s construction leadership for project management delivery. Set and govern project-wide processes, systems, and policies including PEP, RACI, governance, IMS, risk, change, cost, EHS, quality, commissioning, procurement, and handover. Lead and mentor the Project Management team and direct reports across multiple data centre workstreams. Lead strategic engagement with senior client stakeholders and external stakeholders including statutory authorities, utilities, network providers, and delivery partners. Champion project culture, transparency, accountability, lessons learned, and continuous improvement. Govern stage gate, procurement, change, risk, quality, commissioning, and handover processes.

Key Interfaces

Client construction leadership and senior leadership team. CSA PM, MEPH PM, EHS Manager, Scheduler, FIDIC Engineer, Project Support, and wider PM team. General Contractors, Enabling Works Contractor, Substation EPC Contractor, and OFCI vendors. Design consultants, planning consultants, cost and commercial teams, principal designer / BRPD, and environmental consultants. Statutory and third-party stakeholders including planning authorities, the Environment Agency, Network Rail, National Grid, utilities, and water authorities.

Experience & Skills Required

Substantial experience leading major or complex construction programmes, preferably hyperscale data centres or mission-critical infrastructure. Strong working knowledge of RIBA Stages 3–5, project governance, reporting, and stage gate control. FIDIC Red Book and major project commercial awareness. Experience leading multi-disciplinary project teams and senior client stakeholder relationships. Strong understanding of risk, change, schedule, quality, EHS, procurement, commissioning, and handover governance.

Key Behaviours

Strategic leader and trusted advisor. Calm under pressure and decisive. Clear communicator with strong governance discipline. Collaborative, transparent, and proactive in approach. Safety-first and quality-led mindset.

What This Role Is Not

Not a day-to-day construction manager or trade contractor lead. Not responsible for contractor means and methods. Not the designer, Engineer of Record, Cost Consultant, Scheduler, EHS Manager, or FIDIC Engineer. Not responsible for routine administration where this sits with Project Support or workstream PMs.

Daily / Weekly / Monthly Deliverables Daily

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