head of site acquisition

TDM Recruitment Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long-term incentive participation

Hybrid work pattern around London

Job summary

TDM Recruitment Group is recruiting for a senior acquisitions professional based in London to source and secure land for data centre sites across key European markets. The role covers origination through completion, with deals in UK and continental Europe and a focus on power connections and permitting.

You will engage with landowners, agents, utilities, and stakeholders, building a pipeline aligned to hyperscale demand.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in data centre site acquisition or land acquisition.
• Track record of sourcing & transacting sites in UK and continental Europe.
• Strong understanding of power: grid connections, capacity queues, and negotiations.
• Knowledge of planning and permitting in multiple European jurisdictions.
• Commercial and financial acumen to build and present investment cases.

Responsibilities

• Originate and source new data centre sites across Europe, on- and off-market.
• Lead site due diligence including grid capacity, planning, and environmental constraints.
• Negotiate and structure land transactions through completion.
• Collaborate with utilities and TSOs to secure grid connections and power strategy.
• Prepare investment papers for investment committee & partners.

Skills

Acquisition

Land acquisition

Negotiation

Power planning

PPAs / on-site generation

European jurisdictions

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree in real estate/planning/engineering

MRICS or equivalent beneficial

Job description

Our client is a well-capitalised, private equity-backed data centre developer building a pipeline of hyperscale-ready sites across Europe. With significant capital committed and strong demand from hyperscale and AI tenants, they’re looking to appoint a senior acquisitions professional, based in London, to source and secure new sites across key European markets.

You’ll own the acquisition process from origination to completion, finding, assessing and securing land with a credible route to power. The role suits someone from a hyperscaler, colocation operator or developer who wants more ownership, a direct link to deal outcomes, and the upside that comes with a growing platform.

Key responsibilities

• Originate and source new data centre sites across key European markets, both on and off market, through landowners, agents, utilities and local networks
• Lead site due diligence, including grid capacity, connection timelines, planning and zoning, ground conditions, fibre connectivity and environmental constraints
• Negotiate and structure land transactions, including option agreements, conditional contracts and joint ventures, through to legal completion
• Work with utilities, TSOs and DSOs to secure grid connections and develop each site’s power strategy
• Prepare investment papers and present acquisition opportunities to the investment committee and capital partners
• Manage external consultants, including planning, legal, technical, power and land agents, throughout acquisition and pre-development
• Build relationships with hyperscale and colocation end users to understand their requirements and shape the pipeline around demand
• Engage with municipalities, planning authorities and local stakeholders to support early‑stage consenting
• Track market intelligence across European data centre hubs (FLAP-D and emerging markets) to identify new opportunities and keep up with competitor activity

Experience required

• Significant experience in data centre site acquisition or land acquisition, gained at a hyperscaler, colocation operator, developer, investor or consultancy
• A track record of sourcing and transacting sites in the UK and continental Europe, with deals taken through to completion
• A strong understanding of power: grid connections, capacity queues, utility negotiations, and ideally PPAs or on‑site generation
• Knowledge of planning and permitting processes in multiple European jurisdictions
• Commercial and financial acumen, including the ability to build and present investment cases
• An established network of landowners, agents, utilities and data centre operators across Europe
• Confidence working independently in a growing platform, with the gravitas to represent the business with senior stakeholders
• A degree in real estate, planning, engineering or a related discipline; MRICS or equivalent is beneficial but not essential
• Willingness to travel regularly across Europe; additional European languages are an advantage

The package

The package includes a strong base salary, an annual bonus and long-term incentive participation, structured to compete with hyperscaler compensation including share awards. Travel across Europe will be regular, with a hybrid working pattern around a central London office.