Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is seeking a Principal Data Center Construction Lead to provide senior field leadership for the delivery of hyperscale AI data center construction in Shackelford, Texas. This role serves as one of the senior construction leaders on-site, responsible for leading Construction Managers and driving safe, predictable, and high-quality execution across multiple buildings, systems, or major discipline scopes while ensuring alignment with OCI's aggressive delivery milestones.
The Principal Data Center Construction Manager Lead provides strategic field leadership by directing daily construction execution, coordinating multiple contractor organizations, removing execution barriers, driving schedule performance, and ensuring construction activities are executed in accordance with Oracle's safety, quality, commissioning, and operational readiness standards. This position serves as the primary escalation point for complex field issues and partners closely with project leadership, design, commissioning, operations, and contractor leadership to successfully deliver world-class AI infrastructure.
This is a highly visible field leadership position requiring exceptional construction management experience, strong executive communication skills, and the ability to lead large multidisciplinary teams through fast-paced hyperscale construction programs.
This position is based in Shackelford, Texas, approximately 20 miles from the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Abilene AI Data Center. This is an onsite position and does not offer remote flexibility. We are seeking candidates who are local to the area or open to relocating to Abilene. Oracle offers relocation assistance for eligible candidates.
Responsibilities
- Lead field execution across multiple buildings, campus zones, systems, or major discipline scopes throughout all phases of construction.
- Provide direct leadership, coaching, and oversight for Construction Managers responsible for assigned buildings and trade disciplines.
- Drive safe, predictable, and high-quality execution while reinforcing Oracle's culture of safety, accountability, and operational excellence.
- Partner with General Contractors, EPC partners, subcontractors, trade partners, and contractor leadership to ensure alignment on execution strategy and project priorities.
- Lead daily field coordination meetings, execution planning, constraint resolution, and schedule recovery efforts.
- Monitor construction progress, productivity, manpower, workface planning, logistics, sequencing, and milestone achievement across assigned areas.
- Identify execution risks, schedule impacts, resource constraints, and field conflicts while developing proactive mitigation and recovery plans.
- Ensure construction activities align with approved schedules, commissioning milestones, turnover plans, and operational readiness objectives.
- Drive field accountability for quality, installation standards, inspection readiness, and reduction of rework.
- Partner closely with QA/QC, commissioning, engineering, controls, logistics, scheduling, safety, procurement, and operations teams to support integrated project delivery.
- Oversee turnover planning, punch-list completion, system readiness, and successful transition to commissioning and startup.
- Support executive project reporting by providing accurate field status, milestone forecasts, productivity updates, risk assessments, and recovery recommendations.
- Resolve complex field execution issues requiring cross-functional coordination and executive-level decision-making.
- Promote consistent construction management practices, mentoring, and leadership development across the OCI construction organization.
- Maintain a highly visible field presence through daily site walks, contractor engagement, and active leadership of construction activities.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent construction leadership experience.
- 10+ years of experience managing construction execution on large-scale, complex mission-critical or industrial construction projects.
- 5+ years of experience leading Construction Managers, Superintendents, field engineers, or multidisciplinary construction teams.
- Demonstrated experience delivering hyperscale data centers, mission-critical facilities, semiconductor, advanced manufacturing, industrial, energy, pharmaceutical, or other technically complex infrastructure projects.
- Extensive knowledge of construction sequencing, contractor management, workface planning, productivity analysis, schedule execution, and field coordination.
- Proven ability to lead multiple contractors and stakeholders within fast-track, multi-billion-dollar construction environments.
- Strong understanding of commissioning-driven delivery, phased turnover, startup planning, and operational readiness.
- Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, specifications, schedules, commissioning plans, turnover documentation, and contractor execution plans.
- Demonstrated experience identifying project risks, resolving complex construction issues, and driving schedule recovery initiatives.
- Strong understanding of construction safety programs, quality management systems, field inspections, and owner-side construction governance.
- Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and executive presentation skills.
- Ability to work primarily onsite with approximately 90–95% field engagement.
- Proven ability to thrive in fast-paced, rapidly evolving, high-growth construction environments while maintaining strong ownership and accountability.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience leading construction delivery for hyperscale cloud or AI data center campuses.
- Experience serving in an Owner's Representative, Construction Management, EPC, or General Contractor leadership role.
- Strong understanding of electrical, mechanical, structural, civil, architectural, controls, network, and commissioning systems supporting mission-critical facilities.
- Experience leading multiple Construction Managers or integrated construction teams across large campus developments.
- Demonstrated success delivering fast-track construction programs with aggressive commissioning and occupancy milestones.
- Experience managing construction execution utilizing Lean Construction, Last Planner®, pull planning, workface planning, or advanced planning methodologies.
- Familiarity with Primavera P6, Oracle Primavera Cloud, Oracle Aconex, Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Power BI, Tableau, Smartsheet, or similar project controls and reporting platforms.
- Experience supporting executive reporting, portfolio-level construction governance, and strategic delivery planning across multiple concurrent projects.
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Disclaimer:
Certain U.S. based or U.S. customer or client-facing roles may be required to comply with applicable requirements, such as immunization/occupational health mandates, and/or drug testing requirements.
Range and benefit information provided in this posting are specific to the stated locations only
US: Hiring Range in USD from: $126,200 to $264,100 per annum. May be eligible for bonus, equity, and compensation deferral.
Oracle maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions and locations, as well as reflect Oracle's differing products, industries and lines of business. Candidates are typically placed into the range based on the preceding factors as well as internal peer equity.
Oracle US offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes the following:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including expert medical opinion
- Short term disability and long term disability
- Life insurance and AD&D
- Supplemental life insurance (Employee/Spouse/Child)
- Health care and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts
- Pre-tax commuter and parking benefits
- 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan with company match
- Paid time off: Flexible Vacation is provided to all eligible employees assigned to a salaried (non-overtime eligible) position. Accrued Vacation is provided to all other employees eligible for vacation benefits. For employees working at least 35 hours per week, the vacation accrual rate is 13 days annually for the first three years of employment and 18 days annually for subsequent years of employment. Vacation accrual is prorated for employees working between 20 and 34 hours per week. Employees working fewer than 20 hours per week are not eligible for vacation.
- 11 paid holidays
- Paid sick leave: 72 hours of paid sick leave upon date of hire. Refreshes each calendar year. Unused balance will carry over each year up to a maximum cap of 112 hours.
- Paid parental leave
- Adoption assistance
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Financial planning and group legal
- Voluntary benefits including auto, homeowner and pet insurance
The role will generally accept applications for at least three calendar days from the posting date or as long as the job remains posted.
Career Level - IC5