Overview

The Metro Construction Director, leads the safe, predictable, and integrated delivery of large-scale data center construction programs across an assigned metro, country, campus, or subregional portfolio. The role is accountable for safety, security, quality, schedule, cost, risk, capacity delivery, and overall delivery predictability.

The Metro Construction Director oversees site-based Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Project Controls, Cost, Commissioning, and Turnover activities, ensuring these functions operate as one delivery organization. The role leads Construction Managers, project delivery teams, vendors, general contractors, and internal stakeholders to meet agreed business need dates, service-level agreements, budgets, quality standards, and operational-readiness requirements. It combines hands-on delivery leadership with financial and commercial accountability, risk and compliance ownership, vendor governance, continuous improvement, and people management. The Metro Construction Lead represents metro construction delivery to subregional, regional, and global leadership and serves as the primary on-site escalation and decision-making authority.

This role is accountable for end-to-end construction delivery across the assigned metro portfolio, from detailed design and procurement integration through commissioning and Turnover to Operations. Success is measured by safe execution, predictable capacity delivery, cost and schedule performance, quality outcomes, and operational readiness.

Responsibilities

Metro, Program & Project Delivery Leadership

• Lead delivery of multiple large-scale, campus-based, new-build data center projects across the assigned metro or country portfolio.

• Provide a unified leadership and oversight model across all site-based Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Project Controls, Cost, Commissioning, and Turnover functions.

• Own execution against approved scope, schedule, budget, quality, capacity-delivery commitments, service-level agreements, and project-delivery objectives.

• Set goals for internal and external project teams, delegate responsibilities, and assess performance against contracted Key Performance Indicators.

• Ensure on-schedule delivery through timely and accurate reporting of scope, schedule, cost, resources, risks, forecast milestones, and delivery commitments.

• Provide visible field leadership through regular site walks and direct review of safety, security, quality, progress, logistics, risk, and vendor performance.

• Ensure effective coordination between construction, engineering, procurement, project controls, commissioning, operations readiness, and Turnover to Operations.

• Escalate issues to subregional and regional leadership when milestones, service-level agreements, business need dates, or project outcomes are at risk.

Safety, Security, Quality, Compliance & Risk

• Champion an Environmental, Health, Safety, Security, Quality, and wellbeing culture across all construction sites.

• Hold general contractors, suppliers, and vendors accountable for compliance with organizational standards, security policies, non-disclosure agreements, contract requirements, audit findings, and regulatory obligations.

• Establish, review, approve, and communicate risk-mitigation goals, supported by metrics, dashboards, and scorecards that drive timely action.

• Analyze safety, security, quality, schedule, and risk performance data and use the findings to guide project action, vendor correction, and staff development.

• Ensure quality standards are embedded in design, material selection, construction execution, commissioning, and final product delivery.

• Ensure non-conformances, root causes, audit findings, and corrective actions are tracked, remediated, and verified, with lessons learned incorporated into future planning and execution to prevent recurrence.

• Review relevant legislation, prior audit results, and industry requirements to recommend and manage ongoing compliance.

• Promote a security-first mindset throughout project documentation, design, planning, execution, and turnover.

Engineering, Procurement, Construction & Turnover Integration

• Work closely with engineering functional leads on design development, constructability, Requests for Information, shop drawings, design changes, construction means and methods, and technical decision-making.

• Collaborate with procurement teams on contracting strategies, general-contractor procurement, supplier integration, and owner-furnished contractor-installed long-lead equipment commitments and forecasts.

• Align construction input, prefabrication, preassembly, modularization and offsite fabrication, logistics, and schedule integration to improve quality, cost performance, and delivery predictability.

• Integrate commissioning, start-up, testing, troubleshooting, readiness, and Turnover to Operations into the construction-delivery strategy from project planning through completion.

• Communicate construction milestones and forecasts accurately, including integrated systems testing, ready-for-network-integration, ready-for-service, and Turnover to Operations dates.

• Drive adoption of delivery solutions, standards, and lessons learned that can be applied across other metro, regional, and global projects.

Budget, Project Controls & Commercial Management

• Maintain direct fiscal responsibility for approved project and metro-level budgets.

• Develop, manage, and report project scope, schedule, budget, cash flow, forecasts, change exposure, and commercial performance.

• Oversee project-control activities including Project Expenditure Requests, Professional Service Requests, change orders, pay applications, estimates, and invoice validation.

• Review cost and Key Performance Indicator metrics and hold project teams and vendors accountable for accurate and timely reporting.

• Oversee the application of good practices to identify and implement cost-effective strategic and tactical delivery solutions.

• Evaluate delivery alternatives using financial analysis, cost-benefit considerations, risk exposure, and schedule impact while maintaining safety, quality, and delivery commitments.

• Influence the development and implementation of organizational policies and processes that improve cost performance, customer service, asset management, or schedule predictability.

Vendor, Contract & Resource Management

• Direct and oversee general-contractor and vendor performance against contracted deliverables, Key Performance Indicators, cash-flow expectations, budget summaries, audit commitments, and milestone dates.

• Manage the preparation and governance of Requests for Proposals, scopes of work, Project Expenditure Requests, approval tools, design reviews, change orders, and invoices.

• Provide timely direction and corrective action to vendors and internal support teams when commitments or standards are not being met.

• Participate in the selection, contracting, integration, and performance management of multiple vendors and professional-service partners.

• Review resource procurement, allocation, human-capital requirements, equipment inventories, material requirements, and storage arrangements for current and future projects.

• Ensure vendor and internal-resource plans are sufficient to support forecast construction, commissioning, and turnover workloads.

Stakeholder Engagement, Communication & Change

• Serve as the single point of contact for metro construction-development status, delivery commitments, escalations, and decision-making.

• Engage, advise, and collaborate with Security, Information Technology, Legal, Engineering, Procurement, Operations, Project Controls, Business Risk Management, Corporate Communications, and other internal partners.

• Lead coordination with vendors, cost managers, designers, owner/architect/contractor teams, and project stakeholders.

• Lead owner/architect/contractor meetings, vendor reviews, staff meetings, listening sessions, project reporting, and executive updates.

• Influence and coach internal and external partners to resolve complex, critical issues that may significantly affect project or global construction outcomes.

• Apply negotiation, decision-making, and conflict-resolution skills to identify options and recommend solutions aligned with Safety, Security, Quality, Schedule, and Cost priorities.

• Ensure accurate and timely weekly reporting covering safety, quality, schedule, cost, risk, forecast, capacity delivery, and required leadership decisions.

• Drive continuous improvement, change adoption, and integration of lessons learned into project planning and execution.

People Leadership & Culture

• Lead, coach, and develop Construction Managers, project delivery professionals, and site-based teams.

• Build a positive, inclusive, collaborative, and accountable culture in which all site personnel operate as one delivery team.

• Set clear team objectives and outcomes, enable success across functional boundaries, and help teams adapt and learn.

• Provide performance and developmental feedback in collaboration with regional and subregional functional leaders.

• Support talent management, succession planning, career development, employee growth, reward processes, and retention.

• Hold regular staff meetings, listening sessions, and cultural conversations to support operational and growth excellence.

• Understand individual capabilities and aspirations and invest in the growth of team members.

• Model organizational values and leadership principles through empowerment, accountability, coaching, and care.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Required/minimum qualifications
  • Bachelor's Degree in Construction Project Management, Architecture, Engineering, or related field AND 20+ years related OR equivalent experience.
  • Additional or preferred qualifications
  • Bachelor's Degree in Construction Project Management, Architecture, Engineering, or related field AND 15+ years related experience OR equivalent experience.
  • 15+ years experience working on data center projects.
  • 10+ years project management experience.
  • 10+ years people management experience

While not required, we also look for the following Preferred Qualifications:

• Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering Degree

• PMP certification

Background Check Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

#COICareers | #EPCCareers | #DCDCareers

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

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Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.