name: data-center-design-execution-lead
description: |
Guides data center design and build execution—site and tier selection, capacity and density
planning (kW/rack, floor loading), power and cooling architecture, physical layout and containment,
network meet-me and carrier connectivity, standards alignment (TIA-942, Uptime tiers), contractor
coordination, commissioning, and operational handoff (DCIM, monitoring).
Use when planning a new or expanded colo/on-prem facility, reviewing MEP and rack layouts,
sizing power/cooling for GPU or HPC density, running DC build phases, or accepting a hall from
design—not for cloud VPC/IaC (infrastructure-engineer), K8s deploy (cluster-deployment-engineer),
ADRs (senior-system-architecture), GRC-only (cybersecurity), compute utilization
(data-center-compute-supply-efficiency), DC portfolio (data-center-portfolio-planning-execution-lead),
or capacity delivery schedule (senior-data-center-capacity-delivery-manager).
Data Center Design Execution Lead
When to Use
- Define requirements for a new data hall, cage, or colo deployment
- Compare build vs colo vs cloud extension for a workload footprint
- Size power, cooling, and rack count for current and 3–5 year growth
- Review mechanical/electrical single-line diagrams and rack elevations
- Plan hot/cold aisle, containment, and cable pathways
- Specify network demarc, cross-connects, and latency to cloud regions
- Run design → procurement → install → commissioning → handoff
- Prepare acceptance tests and operations runbooks for facilities team
When NOT to Use
- Terraform, cloud networking, managed Kubernetes →
infrastructure-engineer
- Helm, cluster add-ons, pod troubleshooting →
cluster-deployment-engineer
- Application integration ADRs →
senior-system-architecture
- Multi-team software program RAID →
technical-program-manager
- SOC 2 control catalog without facility scope →
compliance-engineer
- Physical security policy program only →
cybersecurity, information-security-engineer
- Executive comms for launches →
communication-lead
- Utilization, GPU supply forecast, consolidation, refresh →
data-center-compute-supply-efficiency
- Multi-site roadmap, portfolio funding, steering →
data-center-portfolio-planning-execution-lead
- Delivery schedule, rack-ready gates, construction RAID →
senior-data-center-capacity-delivery-manager
Related skills
| Need | Skill |
|---|
| Hybrid on-prem virtualization patterns | infrastructure-engineer |
| Workloads hosted in on-prem K8s | cluster-deployment-engineer |
| Large build program coordination | technical-program-manager |
| Physical/logical security controls | cybersecurity, information-security-engineer |
| Compliance evidence for facilities | compliance-engineer |
| Stakeholder and exec updates | communication-lead |
| Rollout of apps into new site | deployment-strategist |
| Compute supply and resource efficiency | data-center-compute-supply-efficiency |
| Enterprise DC portfolio planning | data-center-portfolio-planning-execution-lead |
| Capacity delivery program | senior-data-center-capacity-delivery-manager |
| On-site install, labeling, acceptance | field-services-engineer |
Core Workflows
1. Requirements and site strategy
Capture:
- Workload type (enterprise IT, HPC/GPU, edge)
- Availability target (tier intent, RTO/RPO for facility)
- Growth: racks, kW, network ports by year
- Constraints: geography, latency to users/cloud, sustainability, budget
Decide: own build, colo cage, or cloud-only with small edge.
See references/facility_requirements.md.
2. Power and cooling
- Design power chain: utility → ATS/STS → UPS → PDU → rack
- Size for peak kW/rack (air vs liquid, GPU trays)
- Cooling: CRAC/CRAH, containment, setpoints per ASHRAE class
- Target PUE and measurement points
See references/power_cooling.md.
3. Physical layout
- Rack rows, aisle width, floor load (lbs/sq ft)
- Hot/cold containment; overhead vs underfloor delivery
- Cable trays, fiber pathways, ladder rack
- Staging, spares, and restricted zones
See references/physical_layout.md.
4. Network and connectivity
- Meet-me room, carrier diversity, cross-connect model
- Core/distribution/toR switching for facility (distinct from app network design in cloud)
- Latency and bandwidth to primary cloud region for hybrid
See references/network_connectivity.md.
5. Execution and commissioning
| Phase | Deliverables |
|---|
| Design | BoM, drawings, capacity model sign-off |
| Procure | Long-lead gear tracked (switching, PDUs, genset) |
| Install | MEP fit-out, rack/stack, labeling standard |
| Commission | IST/FAT, red-tag clearance, integrated tests |
| Handoff | DCIM, monitoring, as-built, ops training |
See references/execution_commissioning.md.
6. Operations handoff
- DCIM asset records match labels and diagrams
- Environmental and power alarms to NOC
- Maintenance windows and vendor SLAs documented
- Runbooks: escort, smart hands, emergency power-down
See references/operations_handoff.md.
Output standards
- Capacity table: rack ID, kW design, weight, network Uplinks
- One-line diagram summary (power and cooling) with margins noted
- Commissioning checklist with pass/fail and owner
- Risks: single points of failure, lead-time items, permit dependencies
When to load references
- Site, tier, capacity →
references/facility_requirements.md
- Power, UPS, cooling, PUE →
references/power_cooling.md
- Racks, aisles, containment →
references/physical_layout.md
- Carriers, MMR, hybrid links →
references/network_connectivity.md
- Build phases and commissioning →
references/execution_commissioning.md
- DCIM and ops →
references/operations_handoff.md