Power & Utilities Manager - Data Centres

Infrastructure & Utilities Technical Manager – Data Centres

Location: Madrid, Spain, with regular travel to project sites Department Data Centre Development & Delivery
Reports to: Design Director – Data Centres

The Infrastructure & Utilities Technical Manager will lead the technical development and coordination of utility infrastructure for our client's data centre developments in Spain.

The primary responsibility will be electrical power infrastructure, including grid connection, HV transmission/distribution interfaces and coordination of substations from the grid connection point to the data centre site. The role will also coordinate all other external utilities required for the development, including telecommunications/fiber, water supply, wastewater, drainage interfaces, water treatment and storage infrastructure. The Infrastructure & Utilities Technical Manager will work closely with utility providers, grid operators, external engineering consultants, permitting advisors and the internal project team to ensure that utility infrastructure is available in line with the project programme and future campus expansion.

1. Power Infrastructure & Grid Connection

• Lead technical development and coordination of electrical grid connections for data centre projects.
• Manage the technical interface from the utility/grid connection point through to the project substation and data centre campus.
• Review grid connection concepts, HV transmission/distribution routes, connection capacity and technical requirements.
• Coordinate with electricity utilities, grid operators and relevant authorities on connection requirements and technical approvals.
• Review grid studies, connection studies and other technical documentation required for securing and developing power capacity.
• Identify grid connection risks, constraints and dependencies early and support mitigation strategies.
• Ensure power infrastructure planning considers initial project phases and future campus expansion.

2. Substation & HV Infrastructure

• Lead technical coordination of utility and project substation design.
• Review substation concepts, layouts, voltage levels, transformer requirements, switchgear and associated HV infrastructure.
• Coordinate interfaces between utility/grid substations, transmission/distribution infrastructure and the data centre electrical systems.
• Review HV cable and overhead-line routes, duct banks, trenches and associated infrastructure.
• Coordinate substation requirements with civil, structural and electrical design teams.
• Support development of technical requirements and scopes for substations and grid connection works.
• Monitor substation and grid infrastructure design progress against the overall data centre programme.

3. Utility Infrastructure

• Lead technical coordination of all external utilities required for the data centre campus.
• Coordinate water supply, wastewater/sewage, telecommunications/fiber and other utility connections.
• Assess water demand and availability considering data centre cooling requirements and future campus expansion.
• Coordinate requirements for water reservoirs, pumping systems and associated infrastructure where required.
• Coordinate water treatment and wastewater treatment solutions where connection to public infrastructure is unavailable or insufficient.
• Ensure utility corridors, routes and capacities are coordinated with the overall campus masterplan.
• Identify utility capacity constraints and develop alternative solutions where required.

4. Telecommunications & Fiber

• Coordinate external telecommunications and fiber connectivity requirements.
• Work with telecom providers to establish diverse and resilient fiber routes to the data centre campus.
• Review external fiber routes, entry points, duct infrastructure and associated site interfaces.
• Coordinate requirements for multiple telecom providers and physically diverse connections where required.
• Ensure external telecom infrastructure is aligned with customer and data centre resilience requirements.

5. Utility Providers & External Stakeholders

• Act as the main technical interface with electricity utilities and other infrastructure providers.
• Coordinate technical discussions with ENDESA and other relevant grid/utility stakeholders.
• Manage technical information, submissions, comments and approvals between utility providers and project designers.
• Coordinate utility requirements with municipalities, authorities and permitting advisors.
• Track key utility dependencies and ensure required actions are progressed in line with the development programme.

6. Design Coordination & Interfaces

• Develop utility and infrastructure design criteria and technical requirements for Design Director approval.
• Coordinate external infrastructure with the campus masterplan and individual data centre phases.
• Manage interfaces between power infrastructure, substations, civil works, mechanical systems and data centre buildings.
• Coordinate utility routes, connection points and infrastructure reservations with the Civil & Structural Engineering Manager.
• Coordinate downstream electrical requirements and interfaces with the data centre electrical design.
• Ensure infrastructure solutions are scalable and do not restrict future campus expansion.

7. Consultant, Contractor & Procurement Support

• Prepare and review scopes of work for grid, substation, power infrastructure and utility engineering consultants.
• Support technical evaluation of Owner’s Engineer and specialist infrastructure consultant proposals.
• Monitor consultant deliverables, technical coordination and design progress.
• Review contractor and supplier technical proposals for utility and infrastructure works.
• Support technical evaluation of substations, transformers, HV switchgear, cables and other major infrastructure equipment.
• Support procurement strategy for critical and long-lead power infrastructure.
• Review technical alternatives and value-engineering proposals considering reliability, programme and CAPEX.

8. Permitting, Programme & Construction Support

• Support permitting and approval requirements for grid connections, substations, power lines and other utility infrastructure.
• Coordinate relevant infrastructure content for DIGA/PIGA and other project permitting submissions.
• Identify utility approval and connection milestones and integrate them with the overall project programme.
• Monitor grid and utility infrastructure development against required data centre energization dates.
• Provide technical support during construction and resolve utility and infrastructure interface issues.
• Attend project site visits and monitor power infrastructure, substations and utility installations from a technical and quality perspective.
• Support testing, energization and handover of utility infrastructure.
• Review as-built documentation and final utility connection records.

Experience & Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical Engineering or a relevant engineering discipline.
• Typically 12–15+ years of experience in power infrastructure, utilities or major infrastructure projects.
• Strong electrical engineering background is required.
• Significant experience with HV grid connections, substations and power transmission/distribution infrastructure.
• Experience coordinating utility companies, grid operators and external authorities.
• Experience with large power consumers, data centres, industrial facilities, renewable energy or other power-intensive developments is strongly preferred.
• Good understanding of utility infrastructure beyond power, including water, wastewater and telecommunications.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary infrastructure consultants and contractors.
• Experience with large-scale and phased developments is strongly preferred.
• The position is not a design-office-only role and will require regular site visits during infrastructure construction, testing, energization and handover.
• Knowledge of Spanish electrical/grid requirements, utility processes and permitting is highly desirable.
• Fluent in Spanish and English.

Key Competencies
Strong power infrastructure and electrical engineering knowledge, good understanding of HV grid connections and substations, ability to manage multiple utility interfaces, practical and commercial mindset, strong stakeholder-management skills, understanding of programme-critical utility dependencies and ability to coordinate complex infrastructure across multiple technical disciplines.

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.