Program Director, New Site Development - Data Centers, APAC

Vantage Data Centers; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Vantage Data Centers in Melbourne is seeking a Program Director to lead the front-end development lifecycle of new data center opportunities across APAC. You will coordinate due diligence, governance, and investment approvals to maximize site conversion and align with growth objectives.

The role requires strong leadership across engineering, construction, finance, legal and operations, with travel across APAC and a focus on delivering high-value infrastructure in a rapid, evolving market.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing complex development projects in data centers or related fields.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and cross-functional leadership capabilities.
• Experience with front-end development lifecycle, approvals, and governance processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead APAC Investment Council decisions and regional growth initiatives.
• Oversee front-end planning, site evaluation, and due diligence activities.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across development, operations, finance and legal.
• Develop robust business cases and coordinate investment approvals.

Skills

APAC market experience

Stakeholder management

Due diligence leadership

Governance and investment

Site acquisition experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Business/Real Estate

Job description

Program Director, New Site Development - Data Centers, APAC

Vantage powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world’s well-known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands.

Position Description

The Program Director is accountable for leading the front-end development lifecycle of new data center opportunities across APAC, progressing projects from initial site identification through land acquisition and execution readiness. Acting as the central coordinator across internal and external stakeholders, this role drives due diligence, investment decision-making, and governance processes to maximize site conversion and ensure development opportunities align with Vantage's strategic growth objectives.

The Program Director will oversee cross-functional due diligence programs spanning site evaluation, technical and infrastructure assessments, commercial analysis, and risk management. A key responsibility will be leading governance frameworks, stage-gate processes, and investment approval pathways to ensure opportunities meet defined criteria before advancing. The role will provide transparency across the APAC project pipeline, develop robust business cases, and lead the preparation and presentation of investment recommendations to the APAC Investment Council and other executive decision-making forums.

Success in this role requires strong collaboration across Leadership, Site Selection, Design & Engineering, Construction, Operations, Finance, Sales, Marketing, and other subject matter experts. Acting as a key integrator, the Program Director will align technical, commercial, operational, and strategic priorities, drive decision-making through effective governance, and ensure Vantage has the right capacity in the right markets at the right time to support customer demand and long-term growth across the APAC region.

Essential Job Functions

Lead the APAC Investment Council, driving strategic investment decisions, prioritization of development opportunities and portfolio growth initiatives across the region.

Lead and manage all aspects of technical and commercial due diligence and front-end planning for new development projects, including site assessments, feasibility studies, conceptual design, due diligence workstreams, power and fibre strategy development, entitlement, and permitting activities.

Provide strategic leadership, thought partnership, and executive-level guidance on key projects and initiatives, including budget management, schedule oversight, risk mitigation, and coordination with internal and external stakeholders.

Drive cross-functional alignment between development, investment, operations, legal, finance, and commercial teams to ensure successful project execution and achievement of regional growth objectives.

Lead the definition and execution of due diligence programs for complex infrastructure development opportunities, ensuring key technical, commercial, regulatory, and delivery risks are identified, appropriately investigated, and assessed to support investment, acquisition, and development decision-making.

Duties

Lead the APAC Investment Council process, providing transparency across the regional development pipeline, developing robust business cases, and preparing and presenting investment recommendations to executive leadership and decision-making forums.

Serve as the primary owner of front-end development activities, driving opportunities from site identification through land acquisition by coordinating due diligence, risk management, stakeholder alignment, and investment approvals to improve conversion of site selection opportunities.

Lead all early-stage project development and due diligence activities, including site selection, feasibility assessments, conceptual design, utility strategy (power, water, and fiber), permitting pathways, commercial assessments, risk evaluations, and investment approval processes.

Interpret technical findings and provide development and commercial recommendations and risk mitigation strategies to support acquisitions.

Act as the central point of integration across internal and external stakeholders undertaking due diligence, ensuring alignment, accountability, and timely decision-making throughout the development lifecycle.

Provide executive oversight and portfolio governance across the APAC development pipeline, delivering regular updates to Executive Leadership on project progress, risks, schedules, budgets, quality, financial performance, cash flow, and critical decisions required to achieve business objectives.

Drive cross-functional collaboration across Site Selection, Development, Operations, Finance, Legal, Commercial, Procurement, Design, Engineering and Construction, and Executive Leadership teams to define project requirements, resolve issues, manage risks, and support informed investment decisions.

Lead and manage relationships with external consultants, landowners, contractors, utilities, government authorities, regulatory agencies, and industry stakeholders to secure successful project outcomes and maintain development momentum.

Drive project outcomes from concept through execution readiness, establishing scope, schedule, budget, governance frameworks, consultant engagement strategies, and business case approvals while maintaining alignment with strategic objectives and investment criteria.

Oversee portfolio reporting and governance, ensuring leadership maintains full visibility of pipeline health, site conversion performance, project risks, costs, schedules, market dynamics, and capital deployment priorities.

Identify and mitigate development, permitting, commercial, infrastructure, and execution risks to support successful project advancement and informed investment decisions.

Lead contract governance, performance reporting, and financial management activities, ensuring robust controls, risk management, and informed decision-making across the portfolio.

Champion continuous improvement by incorporating lessons learned, market intelligence, industry trends, and best practices to enhance development processes, strengthen governance, and support Vantage's long‑term growth strategy across APAC.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Proven experience managing complex development, infrastructure, construction, or real estate projects, ideally in a client-side environment.

Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and competing priorities, work independently, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.

Experience across APAC markets, particularly Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and Australia, is highly desirable.

Strong understanding of site acquisition, due diligence, planning, permitting, and utility infrastructure (power and fibre).

Exceptional stakeholder management, negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills.

Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and influencing senior leaders and external partners.

Degree in Engineering, Construction, Real Estate, Business, or a related field preferred.

Flexibility to travel regularly across APAC.

Adaptable, self‑motivated, and comfortable working across multiple time zones, cultures, and remote environments.

We operate with No Ego and No Arrogance. We work to build each other up and support one another, appreciating each other’s strengths and respecting each other’s weaknesses. We find joy in our work and each other, actively seeking opportunities to inject fun into what we do. Our hard and efficient work is rewarded with an above market total compensation package. We offer a comprehensive suite of health and welfare, retirement, and paid leave benefits exceeding local expectations.

Throughout the year, the advantage of being part of the Vantage team is evident with an array of benefits, recognition, training and development, and the knowledge that your contribution adds value to the company and our community.

Vantage is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Vantage does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm agencies. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of Vantage.