Development Manager

Ares Management Corporation; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision

401(k) match

Flexible Savings Accounts

Wellbeing programs

Parental leave

Job summary

Ada Infrastructure, a global data center business within Ares Management, seeks a Development Manager for North America to guide sites from LOI to permitting and handoff. You will coordinate internal experts, manage budgets and schedules, and ensure high-value outcomes while navigating multiple development pathways.

The role emphasizes leadership, project management, and collaboration with legal, energy, design, sustainability, and delivery teams to deliver best-in-class development programs

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in architecture, engineering, planning, development, construction management or related field.
• Advanced degree is a plus and desirable.
• 7–10 years of NA data center development or real estate development experience preferred.
• Experience coordinating with municipalities, utilities, and regulatory agencies throughout NA.

Responsibilities

• Lead site development from LOI through permitting, entitlements, and approvals.
• Coordinate with legal, site selection, energy, design, sustainability, and delivery teams.
• Monitor schedules, budgets and risks; prepare executive summaries and dashboards.
• Lead cross-functional teams to ensure highest and best value for each site using SME input.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Coordination

Budget management

Scheduling

Communication

Stakeholder management

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, engineering, planning, development, construction management, or related field

Advanced degree

Tools

Procore

Dashboards

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description About Ada Infrastructure

Ada Infrastructure is a part of the digital infrastructure platform of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES), a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. We are a global data center business grounded in sustainability, safety, and security. With a world‑class team of industry leaders and the resources of Ares Management Ada Infrastructure is executing on our mission to lead the world in sustainable digital infrastructure that drives customer success and social benefit.

Summary

The Development Manager for North America leads data center sites from Letter of Intent through entitlements and permitting, preparing sites for handoff to the delivery team. This role requires strong leadership, project management, and coordination skills to guide internal and external experts, mitigate risks, manage budgets, and maintain schedules. The ideal candidate has a developer background, experience managing BTS and Spec developments, and the ability to navigate multiple customer requests and development pathways at once. They must manage projects with flexible strategies, using input from SME’s to deliver the highest and best value for each site.

Key Responsibilities

• Due Diligence, Development, and Entitlement Management Lead site development from Letter of Intent through permitting, entitlements, and regulatory approvals. Lead site due diligence in both desktop and detailed formats to support site acquisitions. Coordinate with municipalities, permitting agencies, utilities, and consultants to secure required approvals. Consolidate input from technical experts and stakeholders to track project risks, recommend mitigation strategies, and maintain compliance with schedules and budgets. Oversee environmental assessments, land use studies, and utility interconnection requirements. Ensure sites meet organizational criteria for power, fiber, water, access, and constructability prior to handoff.
• Site Feasibility Conduct initial site reviews to assess feasibility, including zoning, land use, infrastructure, and regulatory requirements. Provide recommendations on site viability and prioritize development opportunities. Support the internal site selection team in conversations with landowners, brokers, and partners during early acquisition phases, providing guidance and assistance as needed.
• Leadership and Cross‑Functional Collaboration Serve as the central point of coordination, gathering information from subject matter experts to maintain alignment across teams. Ensure that project schedules, deliverables, budgets, and risks are actively monitored and communicated to senior leadership. Partner with legal, site selection, energy, design, sustainability, and delivery teams to ensure smooth project execution. Develop standardized processes and tools for consistent North American development practices.
• Project Management and Reporting Maintain schedules, milestone trackers, release logs, and development summaries, and coordinate information into regional and global dashboards. Track permitting and entitlement progress, ensuring documentation of approvals, assumptions, and decisions. Prepare executive summaries, status reports, and presentations for senior leadership and investment review. Lead teams to make strategic decisions for projects with multiple development pathways, ensuring the highest and best value outcomes for each site based on SME input.

Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, engineering, planning, development, construction management, or a related field.
• Advanced degree is a plus.
• 7 to 10 years of experience in North American data center development, real estate development, or equivalent.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing multidisciplinary teams and coordinating input from multiple subject matter experts.
• Strong knowledge of zoning, entitlements, CEQA/NEPA, and permitting processes across multiple jurisdictions in North America.
• Experience with BTS and Spec developments.
• Track record of managing budgets, schedules, and risks for complex development projects.
• Experience coordinating with municipalities, utility providers, and regulatory agencies.
• Ability to manage multiple customer requests and development pathways seamlessly, prioritizing competing needs effectively.
• Ability to manage projects with fungible development strategies and lead teams to the highest and best value.
• Lead comprehensive site due diligence in both desktop and detailed formats to inform acquisition decisions.
• Excellent project management, analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Experience project management tools, Excel, PowerPoint, Procore, Dashboards, Outlook.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment with shifting priorities.
• Willingness to travel domestically up to 20 percent.

Physical Requirements

The work for this position will be conducted in an office environment. The role may require maintaining a stationary position for extended periods of time, operating a computer and other office productivity machinery, attending to tasks for extended periods of time, and communicating accurate information effectively and efficiently. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.

Reporting Relationships

Vice President, Feasibility, NA & Global, Ada

Ada Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance‑based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.

$0.00 - $0.00

The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include

• Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans;
• 401(k) program with company match;
• Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA);
• Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution;
• Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance;
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance;
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP);
• Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.

Ares offers a number of additional benefits including

• access to a world‑class medical advisory team,
• a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry,
• a mindfulness and wellbeing app,
• financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor,
• new parent leave,
• reproductive and adoption assistance,
• emergency backup care,
• matching gift program,
• education sponsorship program,
• and much more.

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.

Ares Management LLC (together with its related operating and administrative subsidiaries, “Ares Management”) is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, creed, sex, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, status regarding public assistance, military or veteran status, domestic violence victim status, gender identity and expression, transgender status, genetic information, status as unemployed, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Ares Management will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

(1) As of June 30, 2026. AUM amounts include funds managed by Ivy Hill Asset Management, LP., a wholly owned portfolio company of Ares Capital Corporation and registered investment adviser.