Director of Development

Valor Front; United States; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Performance-based bonus

Equity participation aligned with value creation

Job summary

A premier executive search firm is seeking a Director of Development to lead full-cycle development activities in the data center sector. This role involves working closely with senior leadership to drive investment analysis, site acquisition, and risk assessment while optimizing capital structure. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in investment banking or private equity, particularly in data center transactions. This is an executive-level position with a competitive salary, performance bonuses, and equity participation aligned with company success.

Qualifications

• 8 to 15 years of experience in investing or finance with exposure to data center transactions.
• Direct experience with complex, multi-stakeholder transactions.
• Prior experience in a top-tier financial institution.
• Familiarity with power procurement and site selection.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle investment analysis for data center development projects.
• Drive end-to-end development execution across multiple markets.
• Manage development budgets, construction cost management, and schedules.
• Prepare and present investment committee materials and risk assessments.
• Drive lease negotiations and asset-level transactions to maximize value.

Skills

Financial modeling skills

Project and corporate-level debt

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management skills

Deep understanding of data center market

Development pro formas

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional leadership

Capital structuring

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or Master’s in Finance

CPA/CFA a plus

Tools

Excel

Argus

Financial modeling platforms

Job description

Overview

Valor Front Executive Search has been exclusively retained to identify a Director of Development for a premier owner, developer, and operator of enterprise and hyperscale data center facilities. This is a confidential search on behalf of a category-defining platform founded over 20 years ago, with more than 3 million square feet of mission-critical data center delivery for Fortune 500 corporations and hyperscale cloud providers, multiple high-value exits to institutional buyers, and over $5-7 billion in active and near-term development across multiple U.S. markets.

About the Opportunity

Our client is executing one of the most ambitious development pipelines in its history, with projects spanning Northern Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and additional pre-development markets. This role offers a ground-floor opportunity to shape the trajectory of a platform that has consistently created significant value through multiple investment cycles, with each generation larger and more ambitious than the last.

The Director of Development will work side-by-side with the CEO and senior leadership to drive full-cycle development activities from site acquisition and capital structuring through entitlement, construction oversight, and lease execution. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role within a flat organizational structure, offering direct exposure to multibillion-dollar investment decisions and the chance to materially shape the direction of the platform.

What You Will Do

Lead full-cycle investment analysis for data center development projects, including site evaluation, market analysis, financial modeling, and return optimization across the capital stack. Partner with executive leadership to architect and optimize capital structure, structuring equity, preferred equity, project-level debt, and HoldCo financing to maximize sponsor returns while minimizing dilution. Prepare and present investment committee materials, risk assessments, and transaction recommendations to institutional investors and strategic partners. Identify and structure innovative financing solutions including bespoke credit lines, project-specific facilities, and one-off liquidity instruments to accelerate platform growth. Oversee entity formation and SPV structuring, aligning legal, tax, and financing considerations across multi-jurisdictional investment vehicles. Drive end-to-end development execution across multiple markets, coordinating land acquisition, entitlement, permitting, utility procurement, and construction delivery. Lead cross-functional execution strategies across development, construction, engineering, and operations teams to support multi-market, multi-phase project delivery. Manage powered land option strategies and ground-up development programs, ensuring accelerated growth in high-demand markets. Oversee development budgets, construction cost management, and schedule adherence across active projects. Lead or support the execution of asset-level transactions, joint ventures, recapitalizations, and disposition events. Drive lease execution across hyperscale, AI, colocation, and ground lease structures, managing tenant negotiations and deal structuring to optimize long-term asset value. Build institutional-grade infrastructure from the ground up, including investor reporting, asset management frameworks, transaction playbooks, and cross-departmental governance processes. Lead enterprise cash management and FP&A, building forecasting models and spend-governance processes. Drive operational scaling initiatives including annual budgeting, headcount planning, OKR and KPI implementation, and cross-functional workflow design.

Ideal Candidate Profile

8 to 15 years of progressive experience spanning principal investing, investment banking, M&A advisory, real estate private equity, or corporate finance, with meaningful exposure to data center or digital infrastructure transactions. Demonstrated track record of executing complex, multi-stakeholder transactions across the full capital stack including common and structured equity, preferred equity, project and corporate-level debt, and joint ventures. Direct experience with asset management, investment governance, and portfolio oversight for development-stage or growth-stage real estate or infrastructure platforms. Prior experience at a top-tier financial institution such as an investment bank, private equity firm, family office, or institutional fund with a strong analytical foundation and rigorous deal execution discipline. Meaningful exposure to data center development, construction, or operations, including familiarity with power procurement, utility infrastructure, site selection, and entitlement processes.

Core Competencies

Sophisticated financial modeling capabilities including debt and equity structuring, JV waterfalls, IRR and MOIC analysis, and development pro formas. Proven ability to build institutional-grade reporting, governance frameworks, and scalable systems in a high-growth entrepreneurial environment. Exceptional cross-functional leadership with the ability to coordinate across development, construction, finance, legal, and asset management teams. Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills with experience presenting to C-suite leadership, investment committees, and institutional investors. Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate effectively in a lean, flat organizational structure where ownership and accountability are paramount. Deep understanding of data center market dynamics including hyperscale demand drivers, AI infrastructure trends, power availability, and competitive positioning.

Education and Credentials

Bachelor's degree required. MBA, Master’s in Finance, Real Estate, or Accounting strongly preferred. CPA, CFA, or equivalent professional designation a plus but not required. Advanced proficiency in Excel, Argus, and financial modeling platforms.

Why This Opportunity

Join a category-defining platform with over 20 years of mission-critical delivery and multiple high-value exits to premier institutional buyers. Work directly with the CEO and founding leadership team in a flat structure where your contributions directly shape multibillion-dollar outcomes. Benefit from deep institutional capital relationships and backing while operating with the speed and flexibility of a founder-led organization. Competitive base salary, performance-based bonus, and meaningful equity participation aligned with platform-level value creation. The data center sector is experiencing generational demand driven by AI, cloud computing, and digital transformation, positioning our client at the epicenter of one of the fastest-growing infrastructure asset classes globally.

About the Search

This search is being conducted exclusively by Valor Front Executive Search, a top 1% nationally ranked executive search firm with 25+ years of experience and 1,500+ leadership placements. To express interest or learn more, please apply with 100% confidentially.