Position Overview
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Project Director to manage the Industrial Automation scope of a large Data Centre project in Malaysia. The ideal candidate will be responsible for effectively overseeing all aspects of project delivery, with a strong emphasis on managing the triple constraintsscope, schedule, and costwhile maintaining a primary focus on quality and building strong customer relationships. You will provide strategic oversight and ensure seamless execution.
Key Responsibilities
Project Management (End-to-End Delivery)
- Lead the full DC/BMS project lifecycle from initiation to completion
- Develop and manage comprehensive project plans (scope, schedule, budget, resources)
- Manage triple constraints: scope, schedule, and cost, with strong emphasis on quality
- Track schedule progress, cost-to-complete, and delivery milestones
- Manage project documentation and reporting requirements
Stakeholder & Customer Management
- Maintain strong customer relationships and spend significant on-site time with customers in Malaysia
- Coordinate with internal teams, customers, vendors, manufacturers, and construction partners
- Facilitate collaboration across geographically dispersed and cross-functional stakeholders
- Maintain high customer satisfaction through transparency, quality delivery, and responsiveness
Strategic Management & Project Governance
- Provide strategic guidance and hands-on leadership across all phases of industrial automation for Data Centre projects
- Act as the single point of responsibility and the face of the company to the customer
- Host monthly governance calls with senior management, providing executive-level visibility on KPIs (schedule, cost, resources, risks)
- Align project execution with organizational and customer objectives
- Champion continuous improvement and adoption of emerging automation trends
Team Leadership & People Management
- Lead, mentor, and inspire a large, diverse team (50 engineers and managers)
- Foster a high-performance, innovative, and inclusive culture
- Drive accountability, performance management, and professional development
- Provide leadership across multi-country and multicultural teams
Regional & Site Coordination
- Regular travel across the Asia-Pacific region to coordinate with teams and partners
- On-site engagement with customer design teams, construction teams, and commissioning teams
- Manage multi-location execution complexities in large-scale data centre projects
Risk Management (Changes & Scopes)
- Proactively manage scope creep and formal change management processes
- Identify, assess, and maintain an up-to-date risk register
- Plan and execute risk mitigation strategies for complex automation solutions
- Anticipate project risks across engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning phases
Contract & Commercial Management
- Oversee contract negotiations and vendor agreements
- Manage procurement activities related to automation and BMS scope
- Coordinate with vendors, manufacturers, and customer sub-vendors
- Ensure commercial compliance and alignment with project objectives
Quality Assurance & Compliance
- Supervise quality assurance processes specific to data centre automation projects
- Ensure adherence to industry standards and relevant Malaysian regulations
- Ensure compliance with reporting, documentation, and audit requirements
- Maintain high delivery quality across design, construction, and commissioning phases
Health, Safety & Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure the highest level of Health & Safety standards, especially in construction and commissioning environments
- Enforce strict compliance with safety regulations and best practices
- Promote a strong safety culture across all project teams and partners
Key Skills Required Include
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial Automation, Project Management or related field
- Min 15 years experience in project management, with at least 5 years serving as Project Director on large and complex industry such as Oil & Gas, Aerospace, Discrete Manufacturing, Data Centres, or related industries
- Strong knowledge in automation systems, project management methodologies, and industry best practices
- Knowledgeable in electrical, mechanical, and HVAC systems in data centre environments
- Qualified PMP, PRINCE2, SCRUM Master or similar certification preferred
- Practice leader of PMI/Prince2/ Scrum project management principles
- Excellent leadership in leading and managing geographically dispersed teams of approximately 50 resources
- Proved financial acumen and a solid track record of managing substantial project budgets.
- Hands-on knowledge in managing technology project involving PLCs, SCADA, Networking devices, IoT devices, Building Information Modelling (BIM 3D designs) and cybersecurity
- Experience with power distribution, cooling systems and fire suppression systems on IT delivery & commissioning experience
- Experienced on complete project life cycle from sales to engineering transfer, basic design, detailed design, manufacture, testing (FAT), Site Installation, construction, commissioning and closeout/handover to customer
- Experience in managing large projects in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills to liaise with teams, clients, and vendors.
Further Key Skills
- Proactive and resourceful problem-solver.
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
- Collaborative mindset with ability to work across diverse teams.
- Negotiation and cost-optimization focus.
- Detail-oriented yet able to keep a big-picture perspective
