Chief Development Officer – Flagship Digital Infrastructure

Actual Talent; Lisboa; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation & setup support

Competitive executive compensation

Job summary

Actual Talent is assisting a leading digital infrastructure platform in Portugal to appoint a Chief Development Officer (CDO). This role is the first key operational hire, responsible for shaping strategy, organization, and technical standards from ground up.

You will shepherd a multi-hundred-million euro capital program from design through handover, building a capable team and PMO, and coordinating with investors and authorities to deliver the flagship hyperscale campus on schedule and to high

Qualifications

• 15+ years of senior executive leadership delivering capital programs.
• Experience leading €300M+ greenfield deployments from inception to commissioning.
• Master’s Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, MBA, or equivalent.
• Solid grasp of European permitting frameworks and Portugal regulatory environments.
• Entrepreneurial owner-mindset for inaugural leadership build-out.

Responsibilities

• Lead master development strategy for the hyperscale campus and phased capacity expansions.
• Align real estate, grid interconnects, permits and delivery schedules.
• Direct technical design frameworks and oversee consultants to streamline permits and filings.
• Manage PMO and capital budget across multi-hundred-million euro programs.
• Oversee procurement strategies and ensure EHS and quality standards across sites.
• Partner with enterprise and hyperscale clients and stakeholders.

Skills

Executive leadership

Capital delivery

Engineering management

RIBA knowledge

Education

Master’s Degree in Engineering/Construction/Business

Tools

RIBA design framework

Job description

Actual Talent is the talent acquisition consultancy that offers Executive Search, RPO and Talent Solutions.

Our purpose is to drive the growth and fulfillment of individuals and organizations. We facilitate individuals in finding inspiring opportunities and help organizations discover professionals who will take them to the next level. We do this through talent acquisition and development solutions that focus on people, diversity and inclusion, innovation, and cutting‑edge technology.

About the client:

Our client is a prominent digital infrastructure platform supported by leading institutional investors and experienced platform partners. The group is developing a large-scale, flagship hyperscale data center campus in Portugal with significant multi‑hundred‑megawatt potential. With secured long‑term site control, guaranteed high‑voltage grid connections, and initial commercial customer commitments, the platform is now establishing its on‑the‑ground presence. To drive this landmark initiative from early‑stage development through to operational delivery, we are seeking a Chief Development Officer (CDO).

Job description:

As Chief Development Officer (CDO), you will serve as the company’s first key operational hire on the ground. This offers a rare, high‑impact opportunity to leave your personal footprint on an exceptionally exciting greenfield project, shaping its strategy, organization, and technical standards from scratch. Reporting directly to Executive Management and the Board, your core mandate is to shepherd the asset through every phase of development—from initial design definitions and spatial planning (advancing from conceptual frameworks to detailed engineering) through to local authority approvals, procurement, construction execution, and operational handover.

Managing a multi‑hundred‑million‑euro capital investment program, you will build the team and execution model to ensure massive capacity is delivered on schedule, on budget, and to institutional‑grade technical specifications.

Key Responsibilities:

• Development Strategy & Pipeline Delivery:

  • Lead the master development strategy for the hyperscale campus, managing phased capacity expansions across long‑term operational targets.

  • Align real estate agreements, power grid interconnects, municipal permits, and customer availability dates into an integrated delivery schedule.

• Design, Engineering & Permitting Management:

  • Direct technical design frameworks to establish standardized, high‑density, and AI‑ready facility standards.

  • Manage local engineering, architectural, and environmental consultants to streamline municipal permits, environmental filings, and local authority unifications.

  • Drive continuous value engineering to optimize cost efficiency and capital performance without sacrificing resilience or uptime standards.

• Capital Program Governance & PMO Leadership:

  • Maintain end‑to‑end ownership of the capital expenditure budget across multi‑hundred‑million‑euro program phases.

  • Stand up, recruit, and oversee a robust Project Management Office (PMO) control tower to enforce strict cost control, schedule management, change management, and risk mitigation.

  • Provide transparent, decision‑ready reporting on progress, capital deployment, and critical path risks to Executive Leadership and investors.

• Procurement & Supply Chain Management:

  • Oversee procurement strategies and manage general contractors, EPC partners, and key vendor relationships across tendering, contracting, and performance reviews.

  • Enforce non‑negotiable Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) and quality control standards across all active site operations.

• Stakeholder & Partner Integration:

  • Serve as the senior technical and development counterpart to major enterprise and hyperscale clients.

  • Collaborate with platform operational partners across finance, energy strategy, and legal to transition commissioned infrastructure into live operations seamlessly.

Candidate Profile

Experience & Industry Background:

• Track Record: Senior executive leadership (15+ years) delivering major capital programs in data centers, renewable energy, utilities, industrial construction, or large infrastructure projects.

• Capital Delivery: Demonstrated experience leading multi‑hundred‑million‑euro (€300M+ to €500M+) greenfield capital deployments from inception through commissioning.

• Education: Master’s Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business Administration, or equivalent technical field.

• Technical & Geographic Command: Solid grasp of European permitting frameworks, contractor ecosystems, and design frameworks (such as RIBA). Experience navigating regulatory environments in Portugal or Southern Europe is preferred.

• Leadership Style: Entrepreneurial owner-mindset, excited to be the inaugural leader build‑out, balancing boardroom‑level strategic oversight with hands‑on technical and site‑level execution.

Languages:

• English: Full professional fluency required (the primary language for corporate governance and investor reporting).

• Portuguese: Native or professional working proficiency is a strong advantage.

Mobility:

• Frequent travel across project sites in Portugal and relevant European corporate offices. Local residency setup in Portugal expected.

What We Offer

• High-Impact Leadership Role: Complete ownership to leave your personal footprint on a flagship, multi‑hundred‑megawatt infrastructure program as the platform's founding local leader.

• Competitive Executive Compensation: highgly competitive total package

• Relocation & Setup Support: Comprehensive support for onboarding and short‑term relocation setup in Portugal.