Construction Contracts Director – EMEA - Data Center

Job Description

Overview

Microsoft Cloud Operations and Innovation (CO+I) is the team behind the cloud. We are responsible for delivering over 200 Microsoft web portals, Live and Online Services around the world including infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide. We are looking for a passionate, high energy individual to help build the network that powers the world’s largest online services.

Within CO+I, the Global Supply Chain team is responsible for establishing a supply chain that can meet the ever-growing growth of the Cloud and our customers. We support a portfolio of complex, multi-disciplinary, multi-billion, multi-year datacenter construction and lease projects. Furthermore, we support the Operations team that manages and runs the cloud assets. We are looking to fill a critical role of Execution Oversight Team Construction Contracts Director on our Supply Chain Execution team to lead a program of build projects in Dublin, Ireland.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

As part of the regional EPC Execution Oversight Team, the key responsibilities are to work cross functionally with other Execution Oversight Team members to provide oversight on the consistent implementation of the project SLA and functional governance, perform project health analysis against the approved SLAs/scope/execution plan/cost/schedule, assist with the project setup, evaluate the site resource effectiveness, conduct spot audits, assist with onboarding and training of the site based team. Team will be dedicated to this scope and will not be assigned to specific projects or other functional/regional activities. The project reviews and assessment will be as per the Execution Oversight Team roadmap and/or managed by exception should a critical priority is raised within the region. Team will be based in hub location and will travel together to the site as per the roadmap and business critical priorities.

Responsibilities

Procurement and Contracts

• Project Procurement:

• Monitor site sourcing activities for various professional services, such as General Contractors, Architect Engineers, Commissioning Agents, Cost & Project Management

• Assess sourcing and negotiation strategies to meet project objectives.

• Contract Review and Compliance:

• Attest that contract site teams are verifying contract requirements are met according to the terms and conditions.

• Audits site procurement contracting strategies for data center construction projects and/or purchasing opportunities to achieve optimal cost and continuity of supply and services.

• Change Order Management:

• Detailed understanding of contractual conditions regarding order management.

• Audit and ensure compliance of change orders to the project, and partners cross-functionally to resolve/escalate accordingly.

• Execution Coordination & Communication:

• Assesses and advise on the site team’s post-award contract execution and commercial decision making.

• Travel to site when challenges arise related to the project/contract and implement strategies to mitigate the risk.

• Provide regular status reports on issues, risks and mitigations to leadership.

• Assess mitigation process of site contract managers when significant contractual issues arise

• Effectively document and communicate improvement recommendations after site audit completion

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Drives significant business engagement in partnership with the Execution Oversight Team team and cross-functional teams including Planning, Strategic Sourcing, Cost Management, Engineering, Quality, Construction and Project Managers.

• Drives commercial compliance and problem resolution with General Contractors, Subcontractors and Suppliers.

• Actively partners with suppliers to identify and drive continuous improvement and risk management opportunities by evaluating procedural, operational, and/or environmental factors, analyzing root causes of issues, sharing insights with key stakeholders, and influencing the adoption of needed improvements.

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying or related field

• Experience in Project Management, Procurement, Supply Chain, and/or Operations

• Proven experience in contract management, preferably in construction, real estate, or infrastructure projects.

• Willingness to travel from job site to job site regularly.

Preferred Requirements

• Hyperscale data center or large building construction experience in an owner or general contractor capacity

• Experience developing negotiating contract terms and conditions specifically for contracts related to services, construction, engineering, materials and equipment installation.

• Strong understanding of contracting principles and legal terms and conditions

• Broad understanding of the construction industry and contract language associated engineering, procurement, fabrication, and construction/construction management (EPFC/CM)

• Excellent negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills.

• Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple contracts simultaneously.

• Proficiency in contract management software and tools.

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 every two years thereafter.

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Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.