Electrical Technical Manager - Data Centres

Role: Electrical Technical Manager - Data Centres
Location: Madrid, Spain (regular travel to sites)
Salary: Competitive 

The Electrical Technical Manager will lead the electrical engineering and technical design of our clients data centre developments in Spain.

The role will be responsible for electrical systems within the data centre campus and buildings, from the interface with the site/substation power infrastructure through to the IT load and all supporting critical systems.

The Electrical Technical Manager will ensure that electrical solutions are reliable, resilient, scalable, energy-efficient and suitable for hyperscaler, colocation and high-density AI/HPC requirements.

The role will coordinate closely with the Infrastructure & Utilities Technical Manager for grid and substation interfaces and with the Mechanical and Civil & Structural teams for all multidisciplinary design requirements.

1. Data Centre Electrical Design

• Lead electrical design and technical review from concept through detailed design, construction and commissioning.
• Develop electrical design criteria and technical requirements for Design Director approval.
• Develop and review electrical system architecture, single-line diagrams and power distribution philosophy.
• Review electrical distribution from the site/substation interface through to IT and critical loads.
• Review system capacity, redundancy, resilience and maintainability.
• Ensure electrical design supports phased development and future campus expansion.
• Ensure designs are practical, buildable and suitable for operation and maintenance.

2. Critical Power Systems

• Lead technical review of critical electrical systems serving the data centre.
• Review MV/LV distribution systems, transformers, switchgear, UPS systems, batteries and power distribution equipment.
• Review standby generation systems, including generators, fuel systems and associated electrical interfaces.
• Review Static Transfer Switch (STS), Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS), busway/busduct, PDU and rack power distribution solutions as applicable.
• Review electrical redundancy and resilience strategies in line with project and customer requirements.
• Review protection, selectivity, short-circuit, load-flow and other relevant electrical studies.
• Ensure electrical systems support required availability while avoiding unnecessary overdesign.

3. IT Power & AI/HPC Requirements

• Develop electrical solutions suitable for hyperscale and high-density AI/HPC environments.
• Review IT power distribution from UPS systems through to rack level.
• Assess electrical requirements for increasing rack densities and future technology changes.
• Coordinate electrical requirements for high-density and liquid-cooled IT environments with the Mechanical Technical Manager.
• Develop flexible electrical solutions where final customer or IT requirements are not yet confirmed.
• Support technical discussions with potential hyperscaler, AI and colocation customers.

4. Building Electrical Systems

• Lead technical review of electrical systems within data centre buildings and associated facilities.
• Review normal and emergency power distribution, lighting and emergency lighting systems.
• Review earthing, bonding and lightning-protection systems.
• Review electrical requirements for mechanical plant, cooling equipment, pumps and other building systems.
• Coordinate electrical requirements for fire/life-safety, security, ICT and other specialist systems.
• Ensure electrical rooms, equipment layouts, access and replacement routes are properly coordinated with the building design.

5. Controls, Monitoring & Integration

• Coordinate electrical requirements and interfaces with Electrical Power Monitoring System (EPMS), Building Management System (BMS) and Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) platforms.
• Ensure appropriate monitoring, metering and power-quality requirements are incorporated into the design.
• Review electrical control philosophies and system interfaces.
• Coordinate electrical integration with mechanical controls and other critical systems.
• Ensure electrical systems support effective operation, maintenance and energy-performance monitoring.

6. Infrastructure & Multidisciplinary Interfaces

• Coordinate the electrical interface with the Infrastructure & Utilities Technical Manager at the site/substation connection point.
• Define downstream electrical requirements required from the external power infrastructure and substation.
• Coordinate electrical interfaces with substations, transformers and incoming power systems.
• Coordinate electrical design with mechanical cooling systems and other major technical equipment.
• Coordinate equipment loads, foundations, cable routes, trenches, openings and penetrations with the Civil & Structural Engineering Manager.
• Identify and resolve electrical/MEP/building interfaces early in the design process.

7. Design Optimization & Energy Efficiency

• Review electrical designs from reliability, constructability, CAPEX and lifecycle-cost perspectives.
• Support optimization of electrical topology and equipment configuration.
• Challenge unnecessary redundancy, specifications and overdesign while maintaining required reliability.
• Support electrical contribution to overall data centre PUE targets.
• Review equipment efficiency, electrical losses and power-quality considerations.
• Assess technical alternatives and new technologies relevant to data centre electrical systems.

8. Consultant, Contractor & Procurement Support

• Review electrical scopes of work and consultant/contractor technical submissions.
• Support technical evaluation of Owner’s Engineer and electrical design consultant proposals.
• Monitor electrical design deliverables and technical coordination.
• Review contractor technical proposals, design submissions and value-engineering alternatives.
• Support technical evaluation and selection of transformers, switchgear, UPS, generators, batteries, busway and other critical electrical equipment.
• Support procurement strategy for critical and long-lead electrical equipment.
• Participate in technical discussions with major equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

9. Construction, Testing & Commissioning

• Provide electrical technical support during construction and resolve design and interface issues.
• Attend project site visits and monitor electrical installations from a technical and quality perspective.
• Resolve technical issues arising during construction with contractors and consultants.
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) of major electrical equipment.
• Support development and review of electrical commissioning procedures.
• Participate in functional testing and Integrated Systems Testing (IST).
• Support energization and phased commissioning of electrical systems.
• Review as-built documentation, test records and handover requirements.

Experience & Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical Engineering or a relevant engineering discipline.
• Typically 10–12+ years of relevant electrical engineering experience.
• Strong experience in data centres, mission-critical facilities or other power-intensive technical projects.
• Strong knowledge of MV/LV distribution, UPS, generators, transformers, switchgear, batteries and critical power systems.
• Experience with electrical redundancy and resilience design for mission-critical facilities.
• Experience with hyperscale, colocation and/or high-density AI/HPC data centres is strongly preferred.
• Experience coordinating electrical systems with mechanical and building disciplines.
• Experience reviewing and managing engineering consultants and contractors.
• Experience with commissioning and integrated systems testing of mission-critical electrical systems is strongly preferred.
• The position is not a design-office-only role and will require regular site visits during construction, testing, energization and commissioning.
• Knowledge of Spanish/EU electrical regulations and standards is highly desirable.
• Fluent Spanish and English

Key Competencies
Strong data centre electrical engineering knowledge, strong understanding of critical power and resilience, practical and commercial mindset, ability to challenge consultants and contractors, understanding of hyperscaler and AI/HPC power requirements, strong multidisciplinary coordination skills and ability to develop flexible solutions where final customer requirements are still evolving.

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.