DATA CENTRE STRATEGY
Data centre operators are competing harder than ever for scarce technical talent, as urgent build timelines and rising costs make direct sector experience more valuable than skills borrowed from adjacent industries. Areas such as power engineering, water and cooling, health and safety, community engagement and modular construction are now among the most competitive hiring markets in the built environment, each shaped by its own pressures and expectations. Alex Hayes, Executive Director of Critical Infrastructure at LVI Associates, part of Phaidon International, has worked across all these markets to place talent at operators, contractors and engineering firms. Here, he shares insights with Data Centre Magazine for an exclusive Q & A – setting out the hiring and retention strategies that are working, and where the industry still needs to build a stronger long-term pipeline.
Q. WHY IS POWER ONE OF THE TOUGHEST HIRING MARKETS IN THE DATA CENTRE INDUSTRY TODAY?
» Power is the hottest topic and largest area of concern on most data centre projects today, which also makes it one of the toughest areas in hiring.
It’ s a great time to be a power engineer as they’ re being chased by utilities, renewables, EV infrastructure and data centre businesses alike.
But this means operators need to work harder to showcase why a candidate should choose them. The companies I’ m seeing stand out are doing two things well. First, they are offering exposure to highly technical, complex projects. Second, they are giving power professionals an influential seat at the table. Engineers want to work on strategy, not sit at the end of a design process and solve problems that could have been avoided earlier.
Given the current talent shortages, we also need to build the next generation. Traditional electrical engineering degrees don’ t currently cover high-density power distribution in enough depth. Introducing hyperscale and data centre power into university, college, internship, and apprenticeship routes would help people enter the sector faster. Some developers are already investing heavily in that pipeline, and it will pay off.
Q. WHY DOES DATA CENTRE WATER TALENT REMAIN SO SCARCE?
» Water is becoming a defining issue for data centre development, but the talent market around it remains underdeveloped.
There is no clear global pathway for cooling systems engineers in data centres, despite water usage effectiveness now central in influencing planning, approvals and public perception. With such a small, specialist talent pool to choose from, operators need more than generic sustainability messaging to attract and retain top water engineers, who will spot weak greenwashing claims quickly.
64 August 2026