JDL Recruitment are delighted to be partnering with a fast-growing hyperscale and AI-ready data centre platform as they look to expand their team with a Head of Engineering in Europe.

This is a permanent, owner-side role sitting within the CTO organisation, spanning the full lifecycle of a data centre asset from concept design through construction, commissioning and into live operations.

The base is versátil across Europe, with the client open to candidates in Spain, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands or another major European data centre market and travel across Europe as required.

Responsibilities:

- Act as a senior technical authority across data centre engineering disciplines, setting and continuously improving engineering standards and reference designs.
- Review and challenge consultant designs to keep them aligned with technical, operational and commercial objectives.
- Provide clear technical guidance to executive leadership and support technical due diligence on new opportunities, acquisitions and customer-led projects.
- Guide the development of a standardised, scalable platform, evaluating emerging technologies such as high-density AI infrastructure and liquid cooling.
- Lead technical design reviews across electrical, mechanical, cooling, civil, structural, ICT, controls and fire and life safety systems.
- Support project teams through construction, resolving technical issues and preserving design intent.
- Shape commissioning strategies and integrated systems testing, supporting the transition from construction into operations.




- Support technical discussions with hyperscale, AI and cloud customers, translating their requirements into practical engineering solutions.
- Contribute technical input to investor, board and partner discussions, presenting complex topics clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
- Own technical risk registers and governance, ensuring critical risks are surfaced early and deviations from standards are documented and approved.

Requirements:

- 15+ years' experience in mission-critical infrastructure, with strong data centre exposure ideally across hyperscale, colocation, cloud or telecoms.
- Experience across more than one stage of the asset lifecycle, whether concept and detailed design, construction, commissioning, operations or technical due diligence.
- Strong grasp of MEP systems, spanning HV/MV/LV power, UPS and generators, air and liquid cooling, BMS and EPMS, data hall design, and integrated systems testing.
- Solid understanding of operational resilience, redundancy, maintainability and reliability engineering.
- Track record managing or constructively challenging external consultants, and supporting construction and commissioning teams.
- Comfortable operating in a client-side or owner-side technical role, credible from boardroom to construction site.
- Pragmatic, commercially aware and confident challenging weak thinking, with clear communication across cultures, countries and project teams.
- Fluent English essential; Spanish highly desirable.

📌 Head of Engineering (Madrid)
🏢 JDL Recruitment
📍 Madrid