Data Center Development & Infrastructure Finance Lead

Lambda; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health/Dental/Vision coverage

401k with company match

Wellness stipend

Job summary

Lambda is seeking a seasoned FP&A leader for data center development and capacity planning in the San Francisco Bay Area. You will own financial modeling for development projects, budgets, and cost controls, shaping the roadmap for infrastructure investments.

You will analyze returns (IRR/NPV), forecast capacity needs, and drive efficiency across cost models while communicating insights to leadership. Hybrid in-office presence in SF/SJ is required.

Qualifications

• 7-10+ years in FP&A, infrastructure finance, or related roles.
• Experience with CapEx planning, capital allocation, and operating cost modeling.
• Strong financial modeling skills and ability to translate data into strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial modeling for data center development projects (construction, power, network).
• Own budgets, cost-to-complete forecasts, and contingency tracking.

Skills

7-10+ years FP&A experience

Cloud/AI infra experience

Capex planning

Excel expertise

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting/Economics

Tools

Financial modeling tools

ERP systems

Job description

Lambda, The Superintelligence Cloud, is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure serving tens of thousands of customers. Our customers range from AI researchers to enterprises and hyperscalers. Lambda's mission is to make compute as ubiquitous as electricity and give everyone the power of superintelligence. One person, one GPU.

If you'd like to build the world's best AI cloud, join us.

*Note: This position requires presence in our San Francisco or San Jose office location 4 days per week; Lambda’s designated work from home day is currently Tuesday.

What You’ll Do

Data Center Development Finance

• Lead financial modeling for all new data center development projects, including construction, power infrastructure, and network buildout
• Own construction budgets, cost-to-complete forecasts, and contingency tracking
• Monitor project performance against budget and schedule, identifying risks and mitigation plans
• Model project-level returns (IRR, NPV, payback) and track performance vs underwriting

Capacity Planning & Infrastructure Forecasting

• Develop and maintain the multi-year infrastructure and capacity roadmap
• Own capacity models, including supply, demand, and utilization forecasting
• Identify capacity risks, including underbuild or overbuild scenarios
• Develop commissioning and ramp assumptions for new infrastructure
• Support executive decision-making on infrastructure investments and prioritization

Unit Economics & Cost Management

• Own the infrastructure cost model, including power, networking, maintenance, and depreciation inputs
• Develop and maintain cost per compute / workload models
• Produce gross margin forecasts and cost sensitivity analyses
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce cost per unit

Budgeting, Forecasting & Performance Management

• Own infrastructure CapEx and COGS budgets
• Lead planning cycles for infrastructure and development spend
• Deliver regular budget vs. actual (BvA) analysis for construction spend, infrastructure costs, capacity utilization, cost per unit, and present performance insights and recommendations to leadership

Executive Reporting & Communication

• Deliver infrastructure and development insights for executive reviews and board materials
• Translate complex technical and operational data into clear financial insights
• Provide actionable recommendations to drive capital efficiency and margin improvement

You

• Have a bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field
• Have 7-10+ years in FP&A, infrastructure finance, investment banking, or related roles, ideally with a focus on Cloud / AI infrastructure, Data centers, Telecom, Energy, Hardware or industrials
• Have direct experience with CapEx planning and capital allocation, Project or development finance, and Operating cost modeling
• Possess extensive experience in financial modeling and analysis, with a deep expertise in constructing complex financial models and interpreting financial statements to drive strategic decision-making
• Have excellent analytical, strategic thinking, and decision-making skills
• Possess strong Excel skills and experience with financial software systems
• Have the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, balancing multiple complex projects
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present complex data clearly and concisely
• Are a team player with a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and a commitment to continuous improvement
• Are able to work in an ambiguous environment with very little direction

Nice to Have

• Prior experience in a startup or high-growth organization, demonstrating adaptability and flexibility to thrive in such environments

Salary Range Information

The annual salary range for this position has been set based on market data and other factors. However, a salary higher or lower than this range may be appropriate for a candidate whose qualifications differ meaningfully from those listed in the job description.

About Lambda

• Founded in 2012, with 500+ employees, and growing fast
• Our investors notably include TWG Global, US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), Andra Capital, SGW, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, G Squared, In-Q-Tel (IQT), KHK & Partners, NVIDIA, Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, Wiwynn, Gradient Ventures, Mercato Partners, SVB, 1517, and Crescent Cove
• We have research papers accepted at top machine learning and graphics conferences, including NeurIPS, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, and TOG
• Our values are publicly available: https://lambda.ai/careers
• We offer generous cash & equity compensation
• Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
• Wellness and commuter stipends for select roles
• 401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)
• Flexible paid time off plan that we all actually use

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lambda is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and identity, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, or any other factors prohibited by local, state, or federal law.