Data Center Project Development Manager

About the Role

As a Project Development Manager, you'll lead the development of AI infrastructure projects across the Americas from executed agreement through construction readiness. Working within the Infrastructure Acquisition Group, you'll partner with Site Selection, Technical Due Diligence, Engineering, Energy, Finance, Legal, and Delivery to transform acquisitions into fully defined, development-ready projects.

This is a foundational role within a growing infrastructure development team. Many of the development standards, governance processes, readiness gates, and project controls you'll use are still being written—in some cases, you'll help write them. We're looking for someone who can independently lead complex infrastructure developments while helping build the systems that make every future project faster, more predictable, and more scalable.

What You'll Own

• Lead the development of AI infrastructure projects from executed agreement through construction readiness.
• Own integrated development roadmaps, schedules, budgets, milestones, and the pre-construction risk register.
• Coordinate permitting, entitlement, utility planning, infrastructure planning, and owner obligations.
• Recommend Go / No-Go decisions as projects advance through key development milestones.
• Deliver development-ready projects to the Delivery organization with complete documentation and minimized risk.

Development Planning & Governance

• Lead development activities from executed agreement through construction readiness.
• Develop and manage integrated development roadmaps, schedules, budgets, and key milestones.
• Own the development budget, schedule, assumptions, and risk register throughout the pre-construction lifecycle.
• Lead weekly development reviews and executive readiness meetings, and recommend Go / No-Go decisions as projects advance through key milestones.

Infrastructure & Utility Coordination

• Coordinate infrastructure planning for electrical service, substations, fiber, water, sewer, stormwater, and transportation access.
• Coordinate permitting, utility planning, entitlement activities, infrastructure planning, and owner obligations.
• Partner with utility providers, municipalities, engineering teams, and consultants to validate executable development plans.
• Ensure infrastructure assumptions are fully integrated into project budgets and schedules.

Construction Readiness

• Establish development readiness criteria and project handoff standards.
• Verify permits, utility agreements, infrastructure planning, owner deliverables, and development obligations are complete before turnover.
• Deliver projects to the Delivery organization with complete documentation, defined scope, and minimized development risk.
• Identify and resolve development risks before they impact construction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the primary development interface across Site Selection, Technical Due Diligence, Engineering, Energy, Finance, Legal, and Delivery.
• Coordinate architects, civil engineers, environmental consultants, surveyors, permitting specialists, and other external partners.
• Align internal stakeholders and external consultants to prevent scope, schedule, and cost drift throughout development.

What Success Looks Like

• Transform acquisitions into data center-ready development projects.
• Deliver predictable development schedules, budgets, and readiness milestones.
• Identify and resolve development risks before they impact construction.
• Build trusted relationships with utilities, municipalities, consultants, and development partners.
• Help build the standards and processes the Infrastructure Acquisition Group runs on as it scales.

What You'll Bring

• You're comfortable operating in ambiguity and building processes where none exist. You know how to independently lead complex infrastructure developments while helping define how future projects should be executed.
• 8+ years of experience in data center development, industrial development, infrastructure development, land development, or mission-critical projects.
• Experience managing permitting, entitlement, utility coordination, consultant management, and development planning activities.
• Strong understanding of infrastructure development, owner's budgeting, development scheduling, risk management, and pre-construction planning.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams across engineering, utilities, design, legal, and construction.
• Excellent communication and executive presentation skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Real Estate Development, Urban Planning, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting hyperscale data center or AI infrastructure development.
• Experience with utility coordination, entitlement strategy, infrastructure planning, and owner's representation.
• Experience with self-development or joint venture delivery models.
• Professional Engineer (PE), PMP, or similar professional certification.

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