Our client is a rapidly growing developer of hyperscale, AI, cloud, and mission-critical infrastructure seeking an experienced Director of Data Center Development to lead site selection, land acquisition, utility coordination, and campus development initiatives across North America.
This role will play a key part in identifying and advancing large-scale data center development opportunities from initial site evaluation through entitlement, utility planning, and development readiness.
Key Responsibilities
- Identify and evaluate new data center development opportunities across North America.
- Lead site selection efforts based on power availability, fiber connectivity, land characteristics, infrastructure, incentives, and customer demand.
- Manage land acquisition, site due diligence, entitlement, zoning, and permitting activities.
- Coordinate utility power procurement, capacity planning, interconnection strategy, and infrastructure requirements.
- Build and maintain relationships with hyperscale, colocation, AI, cloud, and other mission-critical customers.
- Lead negotiations with landowners, municipalities, utility providers, economic development agencies, and other stakeholders.
- Support customer proposals, RFP responses, development agreements, and strategic growth initiatives.
- Evaluate development risks, timelines, infrastructure requirements, and project feasibility.
- Work closely with executive leadership, engineering, construction, operations, and commercial teams to advance projects from concept through development.
Qualifications
- Proven experience in data center development, mission-critical infrastructure, industrial development, power infrastructure, real estate development, or a related field.
- Experience with site selection, land acquisition, due diligence, entitlement, permitting, and large-scale infrastructure development.
- Strong understanding of utility power strategy, power availability, interconnection processes, and infrastructure planning.
- Experience coordinating with utilities, municipalities, landowners, consultants, and economic development organizations.
- Strong negotiation, relationship management, and project leadership skills.
- Ability to evaluate complex development opportunities involving land, power, fiber, infrastructure, schedule, cost, and customer requirements.
- Ability to manage multiple large-scale development initiatives simultaneously across different markets.
Preferred Experience
- Direct experience developing or supporting hyperscale, AI, cloud, colocation, or mission-critical data center projects.
- Experience supporting projects for organizations such as AWS, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, QTS, Vantage, Aligned, Compass, CyrusOne, or similar operators and developers.
- Established relationships within the data center, utility, real estate, infrastructure, or economic development sectors.
- Experience advancing large-scale campuses from initial site identification through development readiness.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate combines data center development expertise with a strong understanding of land, power, infrastructure, and customer requirements. This individual should be comfortable leading complex development initiatives, negotiating with multiple stakeholders, and helping position sites for hyperscale and AI-driven infrastructure development.