Data Center - Chief Development Officer

Job Description

About the Company

Rapidly growing Developer/Builder/Owner of hyperscale Data Centers across the United States.

About the Role

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) will serve as a key member of the executive leadership team and lead the end-to-end development of data center infrastructure to support the company’s strategic growth objectives. This role oversees site acquisition, real estate strategy, design, construction, and engineering functions across the organization. The CDO will be responsible for building a scalable, cost-efficient platform that meets customer demand, accelerates time-to-market, and ensures compliance with evolving technology and sustainability standards.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Execution: Develop and lead company’s long-term development strategy across site acquisition, design, construction, and engineering. Drive alignment between infrastructure investments, commercial strategy, and technological trends in the data center sector to enable rapid market entry and capacity scaling.
• Site Acquisition & Real Estate Development: Lead end-to-end site acquisition process including market analysis, feasibility studies, land procurement, entitlements, and incentives.
• Design, Construction & Engineering Leadership: Direct in-house and third-party design, construction, and engineering teams to deliver projects on time and within budget.
• Team Development & Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing, cross-functional team of real estate, design, construction, engineering professionals, and external consultants.
• Capital Planning & Vendor Management: Partner with the CFO to build and manage capital budgets aligned with the company’s strategic plan.
• Risk Management & Governance: Ensure appropriate risk management frameworks are in place for development activities, including regulatory, environmental, and financial risks.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in real estate development, engineering, construction, or infrastructure delivery, with at least 7 years in a senior leadership role within the data center, mission-critical, or hyperscale infrastructure sectors.
• Proven track record of delivering complex development programs across multiple U.S. or international markets, ideally with scale exceeding $500M+ in aggregate capital projects.
• Deep understanding of electrical and mechanical systems, utility interconnects, permitting processes, and Tier III/IV operational standards.
• Demonstrated experience in capital planning, vendor negotiations, and managing development budgets in excess of $100M annually.
• Strong working knowledge of entitlements, incentive negotiations, environmental compliance, and land development lifecycle.

Required Skills

• Strategic Visioning
• Cross-Functional Influence
• Executional Excellence
• Leadership & Team Building
• Commercial Acumen

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field. An MBA or advanced degree is highly preferred.

Pay range and compensation package

• Dependent on experience.