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KALCON

Manages construction for data centers and chip plants

Pre-Development & Planning Manager - Owner's Representative, Data Center Construction

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$150k - $220k
Expert
Bachelor's
Philadelphia, PA, USA
In Person
Architecture & Civil EngineeringConstruction Management

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Real Estate Development, Urban Planning, or a related field is required.
  • At least 8 years of experience managing large-scale commercial, industrial, mission critical, infrastructure, or data center projects is required.
  • Experience overseeing pre-development, entitlement, permitting, utility coordination, and site due diligence activities is required.
  • A strong understanding of data center development processes, site selection criteria, and utility infrastructure requirements is required.
  • Experience coordinating multidisciplinary consultant teams, including civil, environmental, geotechnical, architectural, and engineering disciplines, is required.
  • Knowledge of permitting processes, zoning requirements, environmental regulations, and jurisdictional approvals is required.
  • The candidate must be able to manage multiple stakeholders, agencies, utility providers, and development partners.
  • Project management, risk management, and executive communication skills are required.
  • The candidate must be able to evaluate project schedules, budgets, development constraints, and delivery risks.
  • Proficiency with project management software and Microsoft Office applications is required.
  • The candidate's professional resume must list all educational achievements, professional licenses or certificates, awards received, and detailed employment history for each company, including firm or agency name and contact information, start and end dates by month and year, and positions held.
Responsibilities
  • Lead and coordinate all pre-development activities for mission critical data center projects as the Owner's Representative, ensuring projects are prepared for design, procurement, and construction execution.
  • Identify risks early, align internal and external stakeholders, and drive planning efforts that support schedule certainty, cost predictability, and speed-to-market objectives.
  • Support site selection by evaluating development feasibility, infrastructure availability, utility capacity, and schedule risks.
  • Coordinate and manage due diligence investigations, including geotechnical, environmental, survey, utility, traffic, and infrastructure assessments.
  • Identify development constraints, permitting risks, and schedule impacts that could affect project delivery.
  • Develop risk registers and mitigation strategies for site acquisition and development activities.
  • Lead entitlement and permitting efforts needed for project development and construction readiness.
  • Coordinate with local jurisdictions, planning departments, permitting agencies, and regulatory authorities.
  • Monitor approval timelines and proactively address issues that may affect project milestones.
  • Provide regular updates on entitlement status, permitting risks, and approval forecasts.
  • Serve as the primary owner representative for utility planning and infrastructure coordination.
  • Coordinate with electric, water, wastewater, telecom, and natural gas providers to establish service strategies and delivery timelines.
  • Validate utility capacity, infrastructure requirements, and off-site improvement scopes.
  • Identify risks related to utility procurement, infrastructure delivery, and long-lead development activities.
  • Manage planning, engineering, environmental, and development consultants throughout pre-development activities.
  • Facilitate coordination among internal stakeholders, design teams, utility providers, landowners, and governmental agencies.
  • Monitor consultant performance, deliverable quality, and compliance with project objectives.
  • Ensure stakeholder alignment on scope, schedule, risk, and development priorities.
  • Develop and maintain pre-development schedules, milestone tracking, and readiness assessments.
  • Monitor critical path activities associated with land development, utilities, permitting, and infrastructure delivery.
  • Identify schedule impacts and recommend mitigation strategies to maintain project objectives.
  • Support development budgeting, forecast reporting, and executive-level decision-making.
  • Ensure completion of pre-development deliverables needed to support design, procurement, and construction mobilization.
  • Coordinate transition from development planning to design and construction execution teams.
  • Track readiness milestones, including land acquisition, permits, utility agreements, environmental clearances, and infrastructure commitments.
  • Provide comprehensive project status reports, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations to executive leadership.

About the company

KALCON manages construction programs for owners of data centers, chip plants, and advanced manufacturing facilities across the United States. It acts as an independent representative for the owner, coordinating designers, contractors, and suppliers rather than carrying out the building work itself. Clients engage the firm for oversight from early planning through construction and testing, with services covering budgets, schedules, safety, and quality. Its assignments include facilities built from the ground up, changes to existing buildings, tenant fit outs, and equipment installation. Founded in 2020, KALCON is headquartered in Tustin, California.

Company Size

N/A

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Tustin, CA

Founded

2020

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • KALCON reports substantial delivery experience: its portfolio includes more than 15 gigawatts of data center capacity managed.
  • Tualatin commissioning pay is explicit: KALCON lists $140,000-$190,000 for that role.
  • KALCON's Philadelphia planning role supports flexibility: the posting labels it hybrid/remote.

What critics are saying

  • Tulsa's hybrid planning role still requires fieldwork: KALCON specifies consistent site presence and travel as assignments require.
  • Philadelphia predevelopment applicants face credentials requirements: KALCON requires a relevant bachelor's degree and eight years' project experience.
  • Retirement support requires saving: KALCON's Tualatin commissioning posting makes its 4% match conditional on contributing at least 5%.

What makes KALCON unique

  • KALCON handles construction disputes: its claims analysts test contractor requests against contracts, schedules, and project records.
  • KALCON reports semiconductor depth: its managed facility portfolio exceeds 30 million square feet.
  • KALCON's Tulsa planning assignment spans client models: the client acts as a tenant or a developer.

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