Data Center Growth & Site Development Lead

Hanwha Data Centers; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Hanwha Energy USA, headquartered in Houston, TX, is seeking a Director of Development to identify, evaluate, and deliver new data center sites across the U.S. This role drives the process from site identification through acquisition and early-stage development.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, navigates ambiguity, and brings a blend of strategic negotiation skills, real estate acumen, and project execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (Business, Real Estate, Engineering or related field). MBA or equivalent preferred.
• 7+ years in real estate development, site acquisition, or infra project management, ideally with data centers, energy, or industrial development.
• Strong understanding of land development, utilities, permitting, and entitlement processes.
• Excellent analytical and negotiation skills; ability to evaluate complex site and transaction data.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and work cross-functionally in a fast-moving environment.
• Entrepreneurial mindset — proactive, resourceful, and able to own outcomes end-to-end.
• Exceptional communication and relationship management skills.
• Ability to travel up to 50% as needed.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal and external teams to identify and pursue site selection opportunities, including provisioning of utilities (power, water, fiber).
• Support negotiations and agreements with local governments, economic development agencies, and landowners, ensuring favorable terms and regulatory compliance.
• Lead site acquisition efforts for new data center projects, including market analysis, site sourcing, due diligence, and transaction execution.
• Evaluate potential sites based on power availability, connectivity, zoning, permitting, and other development factors.
• Develop and maintain relationships with brokers, utilities, landowners, and local jurisdictions to support siteselection and development.
• Coordinate due diligence and entitlement processes, including environmental studies, title review, and permitting.
• Partner with strategy, engineering, finance, and legal to align site development with company objectives.
• Prepare business cases and investment memos to support site acquisitions and strategic growth decisions.
• Track and report pipeline progress, providing leadership visibility on milestones and challenges.
• Drive process improvements to make site evaluation and development more efficient and scalable.

Skills

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Real estate development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Real Estate/Engineering

MBA or equivalent

Job description

Hanwha Energy USA, headquartered in Houston, TX, is seeking a Director of Development to identify, evaluate, and deliver new data center sites across the U.S. This role drives the process from site identification through acquisition and early-stage development.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, navigates ambiguity, and brings a blend of strategic negotiation skills, real estate acumen, and project execution.