Director, Development – APAC

Nscale; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Nscale is seeking an experienced Senior Director, Development – APAC to lead front-end development and design activities across APAC data centre projects. You’ll report to the SVP Head of Development and help guide projects from acquisition to handover, while building and leading a growing regional team.

In this role, you will coordinate capacity planning, permitting, and governance across multiple APAC jurisdictions, ensuring world-class technical and operational standards.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in development or project leadership roles, ideally in data centre, mission-critical, or large infrastructure projects.
• Strong understanding of site development, permitting, and design coordination for complex technical infrastructure.
• Strategic thinker who can operate at leadership and hands-on delivery levels.
• Fluent in English; additional APAC languages are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full lifecycle of front-end development across APAC data centre projects from site identification through handover to delivery.
• Drive scalable, repeatable design solutions and ongoing optimization of designs.
• Shape APAC development strategy aligned with growth goals and regulatory environments.
• Build and lead regional teams, coordinating with design, delivery, and cost teams.
• Oversee permitting, compliance, and stakeholder engagement across APAC jurisdictions.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Cross-cultural collaboration

English fluency

Job description

About Nscale

At Nscale, we are building the infrastructure for APAC’s AI revolution. Nscale are developing cutting-edge sovereign generative AI solutions, powered by a new generation of high-performance, sustainable data centres and GPUs built specifically for AI workloads.

About Nscale

At Nscale, we are building the infrastructure for APAC’s AI revolution. Nscale are developing cutting-edge sovereign generative AI solutions, powered by a new generation of high-performance, sustainable data centres and GPUs built specifically for AI workloads.
The growth of artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented global demand for compute and GPU infrastructure. Nscale is positioned at the heart of this transformation — building the platforms that will enable the next decade of innovation.
Nscale are working closely with the world’s most advanced AI technology providers, integrating next-gen compute hardware and GPU clusters in both partner and Nscale built facilities. This is an opportunity to join Nscale’s journey, play a key role in delivering transformative AI infrastructure, and help shape a company designed to scale rapidly across APAC and beyond.

The Role

We’re looking for an experienced and driven Senior Director, Development – APAC to lead and oversee front‑end development and design activities across Nscale’s projects in the APAC region.
Reporting to SVP Head of Development, this role will be a cornerstone of Nscale’s regional DCI leadership team, guiding projects from early acquisition through to handover to our Delivery function, while helping build and lead a growing team of Development professionals.
You will play a strategic leadership role, while remaining hands‑on as Nscale scales — coordinating capacity management, master planning, permitting, and pre‑con handover to delivery across multiple APAC jurisdictions and ensuring world‑class technical and operational standards. You will be a key interface with local partners and customers throughout the region.

Key Responsibilities

• Development Leadership: Lead the full lifecycle of front‑end development across APAC data centre projects — from site identification and acquisition support, through design development, permitting, and into Delivery handover.
• Design Leadership: Lead Nscale’s ongoing efforts to streamline our designs to be scalable, repeatable and best in class.
• Regional Strategy: Shape and drive Nscale’s development strategy in APAC, ensuring alignment with company growth objectives, regional regulatory environments, and evolving AI infrastructure needs.
• Team Building & Leadership: Help build, establish and lead a high‑performing regional EMEA team, fostering collaboration between design & development, construction, cost, AI Infra deployment and both AI and DCI operational functions.
• Project Oversight: Oversee the development of major projects, coordinating internal and external stakeholders to deliver best‑in‑class, AI‑optimized data centre solutions.
• Permitting & Compliance: Manage permitting processes across multiple APAC jurisdictions; engage with local authorities, consultants, and stakeholders to secure timely approvals and mitigate regulatory risks.
• Stakeholder & Partner Engagement: Develop and maintain strong relationships with local partners, landowners, consultants, and public bodies. Represent Nscale in discussions on project delivery, sustainability, and infrastructure alignment.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Work closely with design, Delivery, and cost management teams to ensure technical, commercial, and schedule objectives are met across all phases.
• Governance & Reporting: Maintain clear reporting and documentation across all APAC developments, ensuring consistency with Nscale’s delivery standards, governance structures, and digital collaboration tools.

Who You Are

• Experienced – 10+ years in development or project leadership roles, ideally in data centre, mission‑critical, or large‑scale infrastructure projects.
• Culture – align with Nscale’s mission statement, objectives and work culture. We are a fast paced, collaborative team, who provide autonomy, but require accountability.
• Technically Strong – Deep understanding of site development, permitting, and design coordination for complex technical infrastructure.
• Strategic & Hands‑On – Capable of operating at both leadership and delivery levels; you’re a doer who leads by example.
• Collaborative – Comfortable working across regions, time zones, and disciplines. You’ll be part of a fast‑growing and high‑performing APAC team.
• Leadership Mindset – Experienced in building and managing teams, consultants and contractors to deliver projects with pace, quality, and precision. You will have expert knowledge of the local markets.
• Permitting‑Savvy – Proven experience managing development and permitting processes across APAC is a significant advantage.
• Multilingual – Fluency in English is required; other APAC languages are an advantage.
• Startup‑Ready – Flexible, proactive, and ready to help build world‑leading AI systems, culture, and scale.

Why Join Nscale?

• Join as a key member of the leadership team shaping Nscale’s expansion across APAC.
• Play a pivotal role in delivering APAC Nscale self‑build projects, Colo GPU deployments and other landmark AI infrastructure projects.
• Help build sustainable, high‑performance data centres for leading AI platforms.
• Collaborate with the most advanced AI hardware and GPU infrastructure partners globally.
• Be part of a fast‑moving, high‑growth company built on autonomy, accountability, and technical excellence.

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