---
title: 'Program Manager, Data Center Construction - Memphis at xAI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/program-manager-data-center-construction-memphis-xai-southaven-m2c94ync4t1h'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-19'
---

# Program Manager, Data Center Construction - Memphis at xAI

- **Company:** xAI
- **Location:** Southaven, MS / Memphis, TN
- **Posted:** 2026-07-01
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-19
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai/jobs/5178416007

## Job description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars.

SpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.

## ABOUT THE ROLE:

We are seeking an experienced Program Manager (Data Center Construction) to lead our growing portfolio of data center and infrastructure construction programs. In this leadership role, you will oversee multiple Construction Project Managers and ensure the successful delivery of complex, mission-critical facilities that support SpaceXSI's AI supercomputing goals. You will serve as a key bridge between field execution, engineering, and executive leadership, driving program-level strategy, risk management, and operational excellence in a fast-paced environment.

This is a full-time, primarily onsite role based in the Memphis, TN area, with flexibility for travel to support additional project sites across the US.

## KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Provide strategic leadership and direct management to a team of Construction Project Managers
- Oversee end-to-end execution of multiple large-scale construction programs, including pre-construction planning, site development, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover for data centers and supporting infrastructure.
- Align program deliverables with SpaceXSI's broader infrastructure roadmap, AI compute requirements, and aggressive timelines through close collaboration with engineering, design, commissioning, operations, and executive teams.
- Manage program-level budgets, schedules, resources, and risks; develop and maintain master schedules, forecasts, and contingency plans to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery.
- Act as a senior owner’s representative, managing relationships with general contractors, subcontractors, vendors, permitting authorities, and internal stakeholders.
- Drive standardized processes, best practices, and performance metrics (KPIs, dashboards, reporting) across projects while identifying and implementing value engineering, cost-saving opportunities, and innovations in construction means and methods.
- Ensure rigorous safety, quality, and compliance standards, including adherence to relevant codes, environmental regulations, and SpaceXSI's high-reliability requirements for mission-critical facilities.
- Proactively identify and resolve cross-project issues, escalate appropriately, and lead recovery efforts when needed.
- Support continuous improvement by mentoring teams, conducting lessons-learned reviews, and contributing to the evolution of SpaceXSI's construction program management framework.
- Adapt flexibly to evolving priorities in a dynamic, high-growth organization.

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- 10+ years of progressive experience in construction project/program management, with a strong focus on data centers, hyperscale facilities, mission-critical infrastructure, or large industrial projects.
- 5+ years of direct people management experience, successfully leading teams of Project Managers, Superintendents, or similar roles.
- Proven track record delivering complex programs on aggressive schedules and within budget in fast-paced environments.
- Strong technical knowledge across multiple disciplines (civil/site, structural, MEP, controls, commissioning) with the ability to interpret drawings, specifications, and technical requirements.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with experience presenting to executive audiences.
- Proficiency with construction management tools (e.g., Procore, Primavera P6, Bluebeam, MS Project) and data-driven decision-making.
- Ability to travel as needed and work flexible hours to support site operations.

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Experience with data center or hyperscale construction (ground-up builds, MEP-intensive facilities, liquid cooling, power infrastructure).
- Professional certifications such as PMP, CCM, PE, or LEED.
- Familiarity with Memphis/Shelby County or similar regional permitting, codes, and construction practices.
- Background in high-growth tech or industrial environments with a focus on speed, innovation, and operational readiness.
- Demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams and implement program governance in matrixed organizations.

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Subject to pre-employment and random drug/alcohol testing, background checks.
- Comfortable in active construction site environments (noise, outdoor exposure, ability to lift 25+ lbs).
- Flexibility for evenings/weekends as project needs dictate.

SpaceXSI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our [Recruitment Privacy Notice](https://x.ai/legal/recruitment-privacy-notice).

## About xAI

## Company Overview
- **One‑liner**: xAI builds artificial intelligence systems to accelerate human scientific discovery and “understand the universe,” with products spanning frontier reasoning models, real‑time voice, and generative media.
- **Entity Type**: Private (last funding round: Series E, January 2026; acquired by SpaceX in February 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, USA (additional offices in Seattle, WA; Memphis, TN; London, UK)
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: Elon Musk

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI research, large language models, voice AI, generative media)
- Target customers: B2B (developers via API), B2C (consumers via Grok on 𝕏, SuperGrok subscriptions), Enterprise & Government (xAI for Government)
- Mission: “To understand the universe” – building AI that extends what humanity can know and do.

## Products & Services
- **Grok (base models)** : A conversational AI assistant modeled after *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy*, available on the 𝕏 platform and via API.
- **Grok 4 / Grok 4 Heavy**: The most intelligent reasoning models, featuring native tool use and real‑time search integration (SuperGrok and Premium+ tiers).
- **Grok Voice Agent API / Voice Agent Builder**: Create custom voice agents in under two minutes (no‑code) – includes speech‑to‑text, text‑to‑speech, custom voice cloning, and multilingual support.
- **Grok Imagine API**: State‑of‑the‑art video generation API (quality, cost, latency).
- **Grok‑1.5 / Grok‑2 / Grok‑2 mini**: Earlier model releases with improved reasoning and 128K context length.
- **PromptIDE**: An integrated development environment for prompt engineering and interpretability research.
- **xAI for Government**: A suite of frontier AI products tailored for U.S. government customers.
- **Colossus Supercomputer**: 200,000‑GPU cluster built in 122 days, used for training xAI models; now also leased to Anthropic (Colossus 1 agreement).

All products are delivered as SaaS, API, and model weights (open‑source release of Grok‑1).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Funding**: 
  - Series B (May 2024): $6 B 
  - Series C (Dec 2024): $6 B (led by A16Z, BlackRock, Fidelity, Kingdom Holdings, Lightspeed, MGX, Morgan Stanley, OIA, QIA, Sequoia, Valor, Vy Capital, others)
  - Series E (Jan 2026): $20 B
  - Acquisition by SpaceX announced Feb 2, 2026 (terms not disclosed).
- **Key Metric**: Total disclosed funding ~$32 B; annual revenue not publicly available.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: A16Z, BlackRock, Fidelity, Sequoia Capital, Morgan Stanley, Kingdom Holdings, Lightspeed, MGX, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Anthropic (Colossus deal), U.S. Department of War (selected Dec 2025).
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Rapid scaling from founding to 200K‑GPU cluster in 122 days.
  - Over 214 open roles listed on Greenhouse as of mid‑2026.
  - #1 on Big Bench Audio (Grok 4 audio performance).
  - Expanded into voice agents, video generation, and government verticals within 3 years.
  - Acquisition by SpaceX signals deep integration with space‑tech resources.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Compute infrastructure**: Colossus supercomputer – one of the largest GPU clusters in existence, enabling faster training and larger models.
- **Model performance**: Grok 4 claims “most intelligent model in the world” with top benchmarks (Big Bench Audio #1).
- **Vertical integration**: Tight coupling with 𝕏 platform for data, distribution, and real‑time world knowledge.
- **Speed of execution**: “Move quickly and fix things” culture; built Colossus in 122 days.
- **Government contracts**: Early access to public‑sector AI markets (U.S. Department of War).
- **Talent density**: Small, focused team of researchers and engineers; in‑person work accelerates iteration.

## Strategic Focus
- **Continue advancing frontier reasoning** (Grok 4 Heavy, next‑gen models).
- **Expand voice and multimodal APIs** for developers (Voice Agent Builder, Custom Voices Library).
- **Deepen government / defense partnerships** (xAI for Government, Department of War).
- **Scale infrastructure** post‑acquisition via SpaceX resources.
- **Remain “open” where strategic** (open‑source release of Grok‑1 weights).

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “Ambitious goals, fast execution” – rejects consensus in favor of first‑principles reasoning. In‑person work prioritized (Palo Alto, Seattle, Memphis, London).
- **Benefits**: 
  - Competitive cash + equity compensation.
  - Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance.
  - 401(k) plan, fertility benefits, flexible vacation.
  - Visa sponsorship offered.
- **Engineering culture**: No recruiters for assessments – applications reviewed directly by technical team. Interview process: application → screening → technical interviews → offer.
- **Mission‑driven**: Opportunity to work on frontier AI models that aim to “advance humanity.”
- **Perks**: In‑person collaboration, fast‑paced environment, ownership of meaningful projects.

## Sources
1. [x.ai/company](https://x.ai/company)
2. [x.ai/careers](https://x.ai/careers)
3. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai)
4. [x.ai/news](https://x.ai/news)
5. [x.ai/careers/open-roles](https://x.ai/careers/open-roles)

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