Senior Associate, Data Center Development, North America

Ares Management Corporation; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, Rx, dental, and vision plans

401(k) program with company match

Flexible Savings Accounts and Healthcare Savings Accounts

Job summary

Ares Management Corporation is seeking a Senior Associate for North American Development in Bellevue, WA. The role involves leading the development of U.S. data center sites from the Letter of Intent through entitlements and permitting, requiring strong leadership and project management skills.

The ideal candidate has 7 to 10 years of relevant experience and a bachelor's degree in a related field. A competitive salary of $180,000 to $210,000 annually is offered, along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 7 to 10 years of experience in North American data center development.
• Strong knowledge of zoning, entitlements, CEQA/NEPA, and permitting processes.
• Ability to manage multiple customer requests and competing needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead site development from Letter of Intent through permitting.
• Coordinate with municipalities, permitting agencies, and utilities.
• Prepare executive summaries and presentations for senior leadership.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Education

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

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Procore

Job description

Overview

Ada Infrastructure is a global data center business that is part of the digital infrastructure platform of Ares Management Corporation. It focuses on reliable, safe, secure, and sustainable digital infrastructure in North America, Japan, the UK, and Brazil.

Summary

The Senior Associate, North American Development leads U.S. data center sites from Letter of Intent through entitlements and permitting, preparing sites for handoff to the delivery team. The role requires strong leadership, project management, and coordination skills to guide internal and external experts, mitigate risks, manage budgets, and maintain schedules.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead site development from Letter of Intent through permitting, entitlements, and regulatory approvals:
  • Conduct site due diligence in both desktop and detailed formats to support acquisitions.
  • Coordinate with municipalities, permitting agencies, utilities, and consultants to secure required approvals.
  • 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 before handoff.
• Assess site feasibility:
  • Conduct initial reviews to assess zoning, land use, infrastructure, and regulatory requirements.
  • Provide recommendations on site viability and prioritize development opportunities.
  • Support the internal site selection team in early acquisition phases with landlords, brokers, and partners.
• Serve as the central point of coordination:
  Gather information from subject matter experts to align across teams, monitor schedules, deliverables, budgets, and risks, and communicate with 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.
• Maintain schedules, milestone trackers, release logs, and development summaries; coordinate information into regional and global dashboards.
• Track permitting and entitlement progress, documenting 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 and ensure the highest and best value outcomes.

Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, engineering, planning, development, construction management, or a related field (advanced degree 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, prioritizing competing needs effectively.
• Excellent project management, analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Experience with project management tools, Excel, PowerPoint, Procore, dashboards, Outlook.
• Willingness to travel domestically up to 20%.

Reporting Relationships

Managing Director, Head of North America & CTO, Ada

Compensation

Base salary range: $180,000.00 – $210,000.00. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance‑based bonus.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, Rx, dental, and vision plans.
• 401(k) program with company match.
• Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) and Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution.
• Basic and voluntary life insurance, long‑term disability (LTD), short‑term disability (STD) insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and commuter benefits plan for parking and transit.
• Access to a world‑class medical advisory team, mental health app, mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and more.

Application Process

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.