Director, Development

Our client is a leading global data center developer and operator delivering large-scale digital infrastructure solutions for hyperscale, enterprise, and AI-driven customers.

The business develops and operates a significant international portfolio of data center assets and provides a mix of build-to-suit, colocation, and interconnection solutions. Continued growth across the platform has created a need for an experienced development leader to help drive execution across multiple sites and markets.

Role:

We are seeking a Director, Development to lead regional and multi-site data center development activities.

The role will be responsible for coordinating development execution across land acquisition, due diligence, permitting, incentives, utilities, engineering, commercial teams, and construction readiness.

This individual will act as a key cross-functional integrator, ensuring projects remain aligned with underwriting assumptions, investment requirements, financial close, and construction milestones.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional and multi-site development execution aligned with broader growth and investment objectives.
• Manage development activities across land, entitlements, tax incentives, power readiness, engineering, commercial coordination, and construction enablement.
• Drive cross-functional alignment across land, power, engineering, construction, legal, tax, procurement, underwriting, sales, and commercial teams.
• Ensure commercial, technical, and financial requirements are satisfied ahead of capital approval, land closing, and project kickoff.
• Identify development risks and proactively resolve blockers that could impact schedule, economics, or project delivery.
• Coordinate internal teams, consultants, contractors, and technical specialists across due diligence, feasibility, permitting, entitlement, and infrastructure planning.
• Establish governance frameworks, project schedules, risk registers, milestone reporting, and executive-level updates.
• Build strong relationships with utilities, municipalities, landowners, developers, consultants, and other key external stakeholders.
• Support projects from early-stage diligence through construction readiness and delivery.
• Develop repeatable processes, tools, templates, and reporting standards across development activities.
• Mentor and support development project managers and analysts.
• Manage multiple complex projects simultaneously across different markets.

Experience Required

• 7–10+ years of experience across data center development, real estate development, or mission-critical infrastructure development.
• Strong experience across: Due diligence, Land development, Zoning and entitlements, Permitting, Utility coordination, Engineering, Construction readiness
• Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary internal and external teams.
• Strong commercial mindset with the ability to evaluate development risk, project economics, and return considerations.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional development processes.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience managing multiple large-scale development projects concurrently.
• Ability to influence across teams without direct authority.
• Strong communication skills with both technical teams and senior leadership.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
• Bachelor’s degree required, ideally in real estate, engineering, finance, planning, law, project management, or a related discipline.
• Willingness to travel as required.