Project Manager - Data Center Delivery & Liquid Cooling

About the role

Astreya is a global consulting firm with entrepreneurial, action and results-oriented professionals. We take a hands-on approach to solving our clients problems and assisting them in reaching their potential. Our culture celebrates independent thinkers and doers who positively impact our clients and shape our industry. The collaborative environment and engaging work, guided by Astreya's core values of Integrity, Quality, Objectivity, Fun, Personal Reward, and Inclusive Diversity, are why our people love working at Astreya.

We are hiring a Director, Digital Infrastructure – Data Center Delivery & Liquid Cooling to join our Power & Utilities (P&U) practice in Dubai, UAE. The region is building AI-ready, high-density data center capacity at pace, and liquid cooling is now on the critical path of most of those builds. You will be the senior Astreya lead on the ground for clients delivering these facilities, from investment case and design decisions through construction, commissioning and handover, with particular depth in direct-to-chip and immersion cooling systems and the heat-rejection plant that supports them.

• Lead data center delivery on the ground. Run the day-to-day delivery of major data center build workstreams or smaller engagements. Act as the senior client counterpart in Dubai and keep the program moving without waiting for direction.
• Own the liquid cooling agenda. Advise on cooling strategy for high-density and AI/HPC halls, including direct-to-chip (cold plate), rear-door heat exchangers, single- and two-phase immersion, and hybrid air/liquid designs. Translate rack-density and IT roadmaps into practical cooling architecture choices.
• Bridge technical performance and economics. Connect cooling design decisions (CDUs, secondary fluid networks, chillers, dry coolers, heat rejection, water use) to PUE, WUE, capex, opex, schedule and risk. Keep that link visible to investors, operators and executives.
• Structure ambiguous problems. Set the analytical path across site selection, design reviews, technology selection, capacity phasing, and power and water availability in a hot, arid climate. Lead the team to a clear answer.
• Build the fact base. Develop business cases, cost and schedule benchmarks, value bridges, cooling option appraisals and implementation plans that make the financial and operational implications clear.
• Drive the build through to handover. Stand up delivery governance, PMO or control-tower disciplines across design, procurement, construction, integrated systems testing and commissioning. Track long-lead cooling equipment, vendor and EPC performance, interfaces between MEP and IT fit-out, and value capture.
• Manage contracts and claims. Support EPC, design-and-build and OEM contracting strategy, performance guarantees, change control and claims positions, especially where cooling scope crosses multiple contractors.
• Stay close to the client. Lead working sessions and steering meetings with developers, hyperscale and colocation operators, utilities and investors. Handle difficult conversations well and produce concise materials that make the decision and next action clear.
• Grow the practice. Spot follow-on needs, shape proposals, develop points of view on liquid cooling and AI-ready infrastructure in the Middle East, and contribute to account plans and pursuits.
• Integrate expertise. Bring in Astreya specialists and external experts (thermal engineering, commissioning agents, energy and water) when needed so the client receives one integrated answer.
• Own quality and economics. Own project quality, scope, schedule, team performance and engagement economics. Coach Managers and junior team members and help build Astreya's digital infrastructure capability in the region.

Education and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical or Building Services (MEP) Engineering; master's degree or PMP a plus.
• 10+ years in mission-critical facilities, with at least 5 years on hyperscale, colocation or enterprise data center builds.
• Delivered at least one data center build or retrofit that deployed liquid cooling at scale, ideally for AI/GPU or HPC halls above 40 kW per rack.
• Recent project experience in the UAE or wider GCC, including work with local authorities, utilities and contractors.

Data center build and delivery

• Full build lifecycle: site selection, concept and detailed design reviews, procurement, construction, fit-out, commissioning and handover to operations.
• MEP coordination across power (MV/LV, UPS, generators), cooling, fire protection and BMS/EPMS, and the interface with IT and white-space fit-out.
• Commissioning Levels 1–5 and integrated systems testing (IST), including witness testing of cooling plant and failure scenarios.
• Program controls: master schedules, critical path, long-lead equipment tracking, cost and change control, RFIs and risk registers.
• Managing EPC, MEP and OEM contractors, including contract structures, performance guarantees, variations and claims.
• Health, safety and quality management on live construction sites.

Liquid cooling (core technical skills)

• Direct-to-chip (cold plate) systems: coolant distribution units (CDUs), technology cooling system (TCS) loops, manifolds, quick disconnects and rack integration.
• Immersion cooling, single- and two-phase: tank layouts, dielectric fluids, fluid handling and service procedures.
• Rear-door heat exchangers and hybrid air/liquid designs for mixed-density halls.
• Facility water systems (FWS) and heat rejection: chillers, dry coolers, adiabatic and evaporative systems, cooling towers, and free-cooling limits in high ambient temperatures (45°C+).
• Fluid quality and reliability: water treatment, filtration, leak detection, flushing and pressure testing, and redundancy design (N+1, 2N).
• Thermal and energy performance: supply/return temperatures, ASHRAE TC 9.9 liquid cooling classes (W17–W45), PUE and WUE modelling, and heat reuse options.
• Working knowledge of GPU platform cooling requirements (e.g. NVIDIA GB200/GB300 NVL72-class racks) and OEM specifications.
• Familiarity with leading liquid cooling vendors and their products (e.g. Vertiv, Schneider Electric/Motivair, CoolIT, nVent, Submer, GRC).

Commercial and leadership

• Building business cases and cooling option appraisals that link capex, opex, PUE/WUE, schedule and risk.
• Leading multidisciplinary teams of engineers, contractors and client staff through ambiguity and fast-moving priorities.
• Presenting technical trade-offs clearly to executives, investors and operators, and turning them into decisions.
• Client relationship management, proposal development and negotiation.

Nice to have

• Uptime Institute (ATD/ATS), CDCP/CDCS, BICSI or LEED certifications.
• Knowledge of Uptime Tier, TIA-942 and Open Compute Project (OCP) standards.
• Experience with Dubai Municipality, Civil Defence and DEWA approvals.
• Arabic language capability.

Location and travel

• Based in Dubai, UAE, working on client sites across the UAE.
• Willingness to travel across the GCC, wider Middle East and Africa as engagements require.