About CTS Group

CTS Group is a fast-growing international design and build company specialising in data centre development across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). We combine engineering excellence, innovation, and digital transformation to deliver high-performance, sustainable, and future-ready data centre solutions.

With over 40 nationalities represented across our teams, CTS fosters a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance culture where innovation and technical precision drive every project. Beyond construction, CTS develops digital systems and standardised modular data centre units to meet the evolving needs of hyperscalers, colocation providers, and enterprise clients.

Our proven track record and strong partnerships have established CTS as a trusted industry leader delivering large-scale, complex data centre facilities with speed, efficiency, and excellence.

Role Overview

The Design Manager independently owns the design management process for a data centre or mission-critical construction project, or a major workstream on a larger campus. They manage the design programme, coordinate the multidisciplinary consultant team, and ensure the design is buildable, compliant, coordinated in BIM, and delivered on time and within budget.

The role is the key day-to-day interface between the client, the design consultants, and the construction delivery team, driving design packages from concept through detailed design and into construction support and handover, across CTS's EMEA project portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and manage the design programme, aligning design deliverables with procurement and the construction sequence, and reporting progress against milestones.
• Manage and coordinate the multidisciplinary design consultant team (architectural, structural, civil, MEP, and specialist vendors), chairing design coordination meetings.
• Manage the design deliverables register and information-release schedule to ensure timely, complete, and coordinated issue for procurement and construction.
• Oversee BIM coordination and clash detection, ensuring models comply with the project's BIM Execution Plan and are construction-ready.
• Review designs for quality, code/standard compliance, alignment with CTS's and the client's technical requirements, and buildability.
• Lead value-engineering and design-optimisation initiatives, balancing cost, programme, redundancy/resilience, and operational requirements.
• Manage design risk and the design change process, maintaining logs and assessing programme/cost impact of changes.
• Liaise with clients, contractors, and planning/permitting authorities, including the câmara municipal, on licensing and approvals.
• Manage the design budget/fees and consultant scope, flagging commercial risks.
• Direct and review the work of Junior Design Managers.

Required Skills and Experience

• Degree in Architecture, Civil/Structural or MEP Engineering, or Construction Management.
• 5–10 years of experience in design management or design coordination, with delivery experience across the full design lifecycle.
• Demonstrable experience on data centre, mission-critical, industrial, or large-scale infrastructure projects; understanding of MEP systems, power/cooling topology, and redundancy concepts (N+1, 2N, Tier ratings) is highly valued.
• Strong command of Revit, Navisworks, AutoCAD, and a common data environment (BIM 360 / ACC, Aconex).
• Proficiency in programme management with MS Project and/or Primavera P6.
• Good working knowledge of Portuguese/EU construction regulations, the RJUE permitting process, câmara municipal licensing, and Eurocodes.
• Membership of, or eligibility for, the Ordem dos Engenheiros or Ordem dos Arquitectos (or equivalent chartered status) is advantageous.
• Fluent Portuguese and strong English.
• Proven ability to manage consultants, resolve coordination conflicts, and drive a design to a fixed programme with limited supervision.
  
  

  What We Offer

  CTS Group provides the opportunity to work on distinguished international data center projects within a structured, high-performance environment. The company supports progressive career growth and exposure to recognized engineering and construction teams across EMEA.

  If you have the profile we’re looking for, apply for the opportunity to join an excellent team and contribute to the success of a fast-growing international company.