GDA

Job Title: Senior Architect / Architectural Design Manager – Mission Critical / Data Centers

Location: Houston, Texas

Experience: 5+ years professional experience; 8+ years preferred; Data center experience preferred

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Architect / Architectural Design Manager to support

the design and delivery of major data center developments in the United States.

The role will be based in Houston, Texas, working closely with the local client development team

while forming part of a wider international design and engineering team.

The successful candidate will provide local architectural, design coordination and localization

support across design development, permitting, procurement and construction. The role

requires strong knowledge of US and Texas building requirements, relevant data center or

mission-critical experience, and strong capability in Revit/BIM-based multidisciplinary design

coordination.

This is a technically hands-on architectural role rather than a purely managerial or

BIM-management position.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Provide architectural and multidisciplinary design support for hyperscale, AI and other

mission-critical data center developments in the United States.

2. Act as a local architectural and design coordination interface between the client team,

design consultants, EPC contractors, vendors and other project stakeholders. 

3. Review and develop architectural design documentation including general arrangements, plans, sections,

elevations, details, schedules and technical documentation. 

4. Advise and client teams on localization of designs for applicable US, Texas and local building codes, regulations and authority requirements.

5. Support architectural code reviews including occupancy, egress, accessibility, fire and

life-safety interfaces, spatial requirements and other applicable building-code matters. 

6. Support coordination with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), local consultants and

permitting teams as required.

7. Review consultant, EPC and vendor architectural designs for compliance with project

requirements, design intent, applicable codes and good professional practice. 

8. Identify design risks, coordination issues, code concerns and material deviations and

communicate these clearly to the wider project team.

Senior Architect - USA

9. Coordinate architectural requirements and interfaces with electrical, mechanical,

structural, civil, fire/life-safety, security, controls and BIM disciplines.

10. Lead or support multidisciplinary model and drawing coordination, including review of

Revit models and federated BIM information.

11. Support the development and coordination of data halls, plant areas, support spaces,

offices, operational areas, logistics routes and other mission-critical building

requirements.

12. Participate in design reviews, value engineering, technical workshops and

multidisciplinary coordination meetings.

13. Review technical submittals, shop drawings, RFIs and other construction-stage

information where required.

14. Undertake site visits, surveys, inspections and construction support as required. 

15.Provide direct technical and design support to the Houston-based client development

team on day-to-day project matters.

16. Coordinate closely with architectural and multidisciplinary design leadership based

internationally, maintaining clear communication of decisions, risks and actions. 

17. Contribute to the development and improvement of US architectural standards, BIM

processes, design guidelines and technical documentation.

Qualifications and Experience

● Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Architecture from an accredited institution. 

● 5+ years of relevant professional architectural experience, with 8+ years preferred. Data center experience preferred.

● Meaningful experience in data center, mission-critical, industrial or technically

complex building design, with hyperscale data center experience strongly preferred.

● Experience working on projects in the United States.

● Strong working knowledge of US building codes, standards and architectural practice. 

●Good understanding of fire/life-safety, accessibility, egress, occupancy and permitting

requirements.

● Strong experience with Revit and BIM-based multidisciplinary design coordination. 

●Experience working within multidisciplinary consultancy, owner-side, EPC, design-build or

contractor environments.

● Ability to review complex technical designs and identify material compliance, spatial and

coordination issues.

● Experience supporting projects through design development and construction stages. 

●Strong written and verbal communication skills.

● Ability to operate effectively and independently within a geographically distributed

design team.

Professional Registration

● Registered Architect in Texas is strongly preferred.

Senior Architect - USA

● Candidates registered in another US jurisdiction who are suitably qualified and able to

obtain Texas registration will also be considered.

Preferred Experience

● Hyperscale, colocation or AI / high-density data center projects.

● Large-scale industrial or mission-critical campuses.

● Data hall and support-space planning.

● Fire and life-safety coordination.

● Texas permitting and AHJ processes.

● EPC and design-build project delivery.

● Technical due diligence and owner-side design review.

● Advanced Revit capability and multidisciplinary BIM coordination.

● Construction administration and site-stage architectural support.

Reporting and Working Structure

The position will be based in Houston and work closely with the local client development team.

The architect will form part of a wider design team, with functional technical management

provided by senior architectural/design leadership based internationally. The role therefore

requires an individual capable of managing day-to-day design and coordination matters

independently while maintaining effective coordination with the wider team.