Data Center Design Jobs in District of Columbia
Data Center Design jobs in District of Columbia concentrate heavily in federal government contracting, defense technology, and cloud infrastructure, with demand anchored by the region's dense concentration of agencies and mission-critical facilities. Most hiring activity centers on Washington DC proper, with additional volume in the broader Northern Virginia and Maryland suburbs, where firms like Leidos, SAIC, and Booz Allen Hamilton maintain major presences. The most in-demand specialties include critical facility engineering, power and cooling systems design, and security-compliant infrastructure planning for government-grade environments. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 29+ Data Center Design jobs
About Rockwood:
Welcome to Rockwood Company, LLC - where innovation meets impact in the heart of the DC Metropolitan Area. As a rapidly growing, woman-owned change management consulting firm, we pride ourselves on delivering unparalleled value to our clients.
At Rockwood, we foster a team-oriented learning environment that encourages our consultants to push boundaries and reach new heights. The work we do is impactful and our clients are trusted partners. Our consultants take ownership of their success and partner with leadership to achieve their professional development goals and our clients' mission outcomes.
About the Position:
Our Design Thinking Consultants use human-centered design methodologies to help clients solve complex business, organizational, and operational challenges. They partner with clients to advise, and train leaders and teams on design thinking frameworks, enabling them to develop innovative, practical, and human-centered solutions. Design Thinking consultants lead the design and delivery of client engagements by managing project teams, applying design thinking methodologies, and ensuring project outcomes meet client goals.
Responsibilities may include:
- Apply design thinking and human-centered design methodologies to solve complex organizational, operational, workforce, and mission challenges.
- Advise clients and project teams on applying design thinking frameworks and methodologies within their organizations.
- Lead project teams through effective planning and execution, including defining project approaches, assigning roles and responsibilities, managing team performance, monitoring progress, mitigating risks, and coordinating client needs and decisions.
- Efficiently design, develop, and produce high-quality deliverables using proven change management methodologies and frameworks.
- Lead data collection and analysis efforts (e.g., interviews, surveys, empathy mapping, persona creation, or other quantitative and qualitative data collection/analysis) and stakeholder engagement activities.
- Plan and facilitate design thinking workshops, innovation sessions, strategic planning events, customer journey mapping, and collaborative working groups.
- Conduct outstanding analyses and write concise reports to synthesize the outputs of offsites and assessments.
- Support proposal development, thought leadership, innovation initiatives, and business development efforts.
- Develop relationships with clients and stakeholders to support project outcomes and inform follow-on work or new work opportunities.
- Identify future needs of existing clients (beyond current project outcomes) and work with Rockwood leadership to develop approaches for securing work.
- Provide coaching, mentorship, and professional development guidance to junior consultants, fostering their growth and consulting capabilities.
Required Qualifications:
- Must currently hold an active DoW Secret clearance or higher.
- Six (6) plus years as an external management consultant.
- Bachelor's degree in Organizational Development, Human-Centered Design, Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Organizational Leadership or a related field.
- Design Thinking training from a recognized organization (e.g., LUMA Institute, IDEO U, Design Thinkers Academy, or equivalent).
- Experience applying design thinking methodologies to solve organizational, strategic, operational, or business challenges.
- Experience coaching, mentoring, and training individuals and teams on design thinking frameworks and facilitation techniques.
- Proven experience developing project approaches, designing critical paths, and defining and measuring success criteria.
- Experience leading complex projects; prior experience leading strategy development, organizational design, and workforce readiness alignment sessions.
- Strong project management skills and ability to coordinate multiple engagements simultaneously and prioritize demands.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking with an innate ability to solve complex problems creatively.
- Experience with federal government agencies or DoW organizations.
- Willingness to commute regularly to client locations in and around the Washington Metropolitan area; occasional travel outside of the Washington, D.C. area may be required.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Holds an active Top Secret Clearance with SCI.
- Master's degree.
- Certification in change management or Lean-Six Sigma.
- Business development experience in a consulting environment, including supporting capture efforts, contributing to proposals, and cultivating client relationships to expand engagement opportunities.
Our Unique Benefits:
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
- Employee Funded Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Unlimited Sick Leave
- Generous Paid Vacation Time and Eight (8) Federal Holidays, and one (1) floating holiday
- 401(k) Retirement Program, Rockwood provides a 100% match on employees contributions, up to 4% of their salary deferrals
- Employer-Paid Parental Leave
- Employer-Paid Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance and AD&D
- Continuous Learning and Tuition Reimbursement
- Bonuses and incentives for high-impact work
- Monthly Cell Phone Reimbursement
- Monthly Internet Reimbursement
- Monthly Wellness Reimbursement
- Company Teambuilding Events (i.e.: Nationals Games, Bowling, and more)
Salary Range:
The annual salary range for this position is $100,000 - $150,000.00. Your salary may vary within this range depending on a wide range of factors, including (but not limited to) your qualifications, skills, experience, security clearances, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.
EOE/Vets/Disabled
About Rockwood:
Welcome to Rockwood Company, LLC - where innovation meets impact in the heart of the DC Metropolitan Area. As a rapidly growing, woman-owned change management consulting firm, we pride ourselves on delivering unparalleled value to our clients.
At Rockwood, we foster a team-oriented learning environment that encourages our consultants to push boundaries and reach new heights. The work we do is impactful and our clients are trusted partners. Our consultants take ownership of their success and partner with leadership to achieve their professional development goals and our clients' mission outcomes.
About the Position:
Our Design Thinking Consultants use human-centered design methodologies to help clients solve complex business, organizational, and operational challenges. They partner with clients to advise, and train leaders and teams on design thinking frameworks, enabling them to develop innovative, practical, and human-centered solutions. Design Thinking consultants lead the design and delivery of client engagements by managing project teams, applying design thinking methodologies, and ensuring project outcomes meet client goals.
Responsibilities may include:
- Apply design thinking and human-centered design methodologies to solve complex organizational, operational, workforce, and mission challenges.
- Advise clients and project teams on applying design thinking frameworks and methodologies within their organizations.
- Lead project teams through effective planning and execution, including defining project approaches, assigning roles and responsibilities, managing team performance, monitoring progress, mitigating risks, and coordinating client needs and decisions.
- Efficiently design, develop, and produce high-quality deliverables using proven change management methodologies and frameworks.
- Lead data collection and analysis efforts (e.g., interviews, surveys, empathy mapping, persona creation, or other quantitative and qualitative data collection/analysis) and stakeholder engagement activities.
- Plan and facilitate design thinking workshops, innovation sessions, strategic planning events, customer journey mapping, and collaborative working groups.
- Conduct outstanding analyses and write concise reports to synthesize the outputs of offsites and assessments.
- Support proposal development, thought leadership, innovation initiatives, and business development efforts.
- Develop relationships with clients and stakeholders to support project outcomes and inform follow-on work or new work opportunities.
- Identify future needs of existing clients (beyond current project outcomes) and work with Rockwood leadership to develop approaches for securing work.
- Provide coaching, mentorship, and professional development guidance to junior consultants, fostering their growth and consulting capabilities.
Required Qualifications:
- Must currently hold an active DoW Secret clearance or higher.
- Six (6) plus years as an external management consultant.
- Bachelor's degree in Organizational Development, Human-Centered Design, Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Organizational Leadership or a related field.
- Design Thinking training from a recognized organization (e.g., LUMA Institute, IDEO U, Design Thinkers Academy, or equivalent).
- Experience applying design thinking methodologies to solve organizational, strategic, operational, or business challenges.
- Experience coaching, mentoring, and training individuals and teams on design thinking frameworks and facilitation techniques.
- Proven experience developing project approaches, designing critical paths, and defining and measuring success criteria.
- Experience leading complex projects; prior experience leading strategy development, organizational design, and workforce readiness alignment sessions.
- Strong project management skills and ability to coordinate multiple engagements simultaneously and prioritize demands.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking with an innate ability to solve complex problems creatively.
- Experience with federal government agencies or DoW organizations.
- Willingness to commute regularly to client locations in and around the Washington Metropolitan area; occasional travel outside of the Washington, D.C. area may be required.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Holds an active Top Secret Clearance with SCI.
- Master's degree.
- Certification in change management or Lean-Six Sigma.
- Business development experience in a consulting environment, including supporting capture efforts, contributing to proposals, and cultivating client relationships to expand engagement opportunities.
Our Unique Benefits:
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
- Employee Funded Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Unlimited Sick Leave
- Generous Paid Vacation Time and Eight (8) Federal Holidays, and one (1) floating holiday
- 401(k) Retirement Program, Rockwood provides a 100% match on employees contributions, up to 4% of their salary deferrals
- Employer-Paid Parental Leave
- Employer-Paid Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance and AD&D
- Continuous Learning and Tuition Reimbursement
- Bonuses and incentives for high-impact work
- Monthly Cell Phone Reimbursement
- Monthly Internet Reimbursement
- Monthly Wellness Reimbursement
- Company Teambuilding Events (i.e.: Nationals Games, Bowling, and more)
Salary Range:
The annual salary range for this position is $100,000 - $150,000.00. Your salary may vary within this range depending on a wide range of factors, including (but not limited to) your qualifications, skills, experience, security clearances, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.
EOE/Vets/Disabled
See All 29 Data Center Design Jobs in District of Columbia
Find roles in District of Columbia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Data Center Design JobsData Center Design Jobs by City in District of Columbia
Where District of Columbia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Data Center Design Job Market in District of Columbia
A snapshot from current District of Columbia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- KBR2
- NPR1
- GuROO1
- Bohler1
- DC Water1
Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services6
- Aerospace & Defense2
- Technology & Software1
- Marketing & Advertising1
- Construction & Real Estate1
What District of Columbia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in data center design jobs across District of Columbia.
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely related field
- Professional Engineer license or eligibility recognized in District of Columbia strongly preferred
- Experience designing mission-critical or Tier III and Tier IV data center facilities
- Proficiency with data center design tools such as AutoCAD, Revit, or BIM modeling software
- Familiarity with federal security requirements, NIST standards, or government facility compliance
- Relevant certifications such as CDCP, CDCS, or DCEP from an accredited industry program
Data Center Design Jobs in District of Columbia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a data center design in District of Columbia?
Most data center design roles in DC require a bachelor's degree in electrical or mechanical engineering, followed by several years of experience in critical facilities or infrastructure projects. While DC does not issue its own standalone data center license, professional engineers working on building systems must hold a PE license recognized by the DC Board of Professional Engineering. Industry credentials such as the Certified Data Center Design Professional designation are widely expected by government contractors and federal agencies operating in the region.
How much do data center designs make in District of Columbia?
Data center designs in District of Columbia earn a median of about $102,040 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $75,900 for the lowest 10% to over $163,440 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire data center designs in District of Columbia?
Employers hiring data center designs in District of Columbia right now include KBR, NPR, and GuROO, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. The DC market is especially active among large federal contractors and defense technology firms that design and maintain secure, government-grade computing infrastructure throughout the region.
Which District of Columbia cities have the most data center design jobs?
The cities with the most data center design openings in District of Columbia are Washington, Washington Navy Yard, and Naval Research Laboratory. Washington DC itself drives the majority of postings given the concentration of federal agencies, defense contractors, and cloud providers requiring secure facility design, while nearby suburban corridors attract additional volume from large government contractor campuses and co-location operators serving the federal market.
Are there remote data center design jobs in District of Columbia?
Yes, but they're rare. Data center design work is inherently tied to physical infrastructure, site surveys, and coordination with on-site engineering teams, which limits fully remote arrangements. About 53% of data center design openings tied to District of Columbia are remote or hybrid as of July 2026, and those roles tend to involve early-stage conceptual design, documentation, or project management rather than hands-on systems engineering.
How can I get hired as a data center design in District of Columbia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a junior or associate engineer role at one of the large federal contractors based in the DC region, such as firms supporting GSA or Department of Defense facility programs, where structured rotational programs expose new engineers to critical facility projects. Candidates with a relevant engineering degree and exposure to CAD or BIM tools through coursework have a clear advantage. Pursuing an entry-level Certified Data Center Professional credential before applying strengthens a resume noticeably in this competitive government-contractor market.
Where can I find and apply to data center design jobs in District of Columbia?
You can find and apply to data center design jobs in District of Columbia on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings in the region. Search the available roles, identify the ones that fit your background and experience level, and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 29 Data Center Design Jobs in District of Columbia
Find roles in District of Columbia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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