AI Data Center Development Director

Socket.dev; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 170,000 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Flexible paid time off

Parental leave

Retirement plan participation

Job summary

Nscale is seeking a Director, Data Center Development to lead end-to-end development of AI data center sites across the Americas. You will own a portfolio from origination through FID, managing budgets, schedules, and external consultants to deliver shovel-ready sites on time.

You will guide due diligence, entitlements, permitting, and utility coordination, aligning with energy, design, and construction teams to accelerate delivery. Reporting to SVP, Site Selection.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• 8+ years in data center, real estate, or infrastructure development.
• Experience advancing complex projects from site selection to construction.
• Demonstrated lifecycle expertise: site control, due diligence, entitlements, permitting, design coordination.
• Experience managing development budgets and preparing FID/capital approval packages.

Responsibilities

• Lead a development team advancing a portfolio of AI data center sites from origination through diligence and FID.
• Own project development strategy, budgets, and schedules to drive speed-to-power and speed-to-market.
• Manage the full development lifecycle: site control, due diligence, entitlements, permitting, utility coordination, design management.
• Coordinate cross-functional workstreams across Energy/Power, Design, Preconstruction, and Sales to meet schedules and budgets.
• Represent the development team in executive reviews and meetings; build relationships with landowners and utilities.

Skills

Team leadership

Development lifecycle

Budget management

Stakeholder management

G Suite / MS Office

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Real Estate, Engineering, Construction Management, Finance, or relevant discipline

Tools

Google Suite

Microsoft Office

Job description

Nscale is seeking a Director, Data Center Development to lead end-to-end development of AI data center sites across the Americas. You will own a portfolio from origination through FID, managing budgets, schedules, and external consultants to deliver shovel-ready sites on time.

You will guide due diligence, entitlements, permitting, and utility coordination, aligning with energy, design, and construction teams to accelerate delivery. Reporting to SVP, Site Selection.