Senior Director, Energy Capital & Strategy

QTS Realty Trust; Ashburn (VA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 282,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Bonus eligibility

PTO and holidays

Stock Purchase Plan

Pet and Legal Insurance

Sabbatical program

Service award program

Parental leave

Military benefits

Charitable matching

Scholarship for employees’ dependents

Wellness program

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

QTS Realty Trust is seeking a Senior Director of Energy Capital & Strategy in Virginia. You will own the enterprise energy capital, power readiness strategy and governance across markets, guiding capital planning and risk management at the executive level.

You will lead cross‑functional teams spanning Energy Strategy, Utility Engagement, Development, Investments, Finance, Legal, Procurement and Operations, ensuring disciplined execution and transparent governance across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Economics, Finance, Business or related field.
• Master’s degree in Engineering, Economics, Finance, Business, Data Analytics or related field.

Responsibilities

• Own and govern the enterprise energy capital and power readiness strategy.
• Establish a framework to evaluate, prioritize and sequence power investments across markets.
• Advise executives on energy risk, capital exposure and readiness constraints.
• Design and implement a utility risk tiering framework for markets, utilities and projects.
• Create and enforce power readiness gates across the development lifecycle.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Executive-level communication

Systems thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Master’s degree in related field

Job description

Who we are:

As a global leader in digital infrastructure, QTS designs, builds and operates advanced data centers that support strategic AI, cloud and digital transformation initiatives. We are driven by a mission to connect the world for good and our people make it possible. Every single day, the creativity, dedication and genuine care for our communities are what push us forward and make this a truly special place to be.

The Senior Director, Energy Capital & Strategy owns and governs the company’s energy capital and power readiness strategy, ensuring alignment with long‑range growth plans, capital allocation priorities, and enterprise risk appetite. This role establishes and enforces utility risk tiering, power readiness gates, and early‑warning indicators to proactively identify, mitigate, and escape utility, regulatory, capacity, and execution risks that could impact cost, schedule, or customer commitments.

Acting as a cross‑functional integrator and strategic advisor to executive leadership, the Senior Director drives disciplined decision‑making, consistent standards, and scalable governance across the enterprise energy portfolio.

What You Will Do:

• Enterprise Energy Strategy & Capital Governance Own and govern the enterprise energy capital and power readiness strategy, ensuring alignment with long‑range growth plans, capital allocation priorities, and risk appetite.


• Establish a structured framework to evaluate, prioritize, and sequence power‑related investments across markets and development stages.


• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on energy‑related risk, capital exposure, and readiness constraints.


• Utility Risk Classification & Tiering Design and implement a utility risk tiering framework to consistently classify markets, utilities, and projects based on readiness, reliability, regulatory exposure, and execution risk.


• Ensure utility risk classifications directly inform site selection, capital planning, development pacing, and executive decision‑making.


• Power Readiness Gates Create and enforce power readiness gates across the development lifecycle, defining clear criteria for progression from early feasibility through execution and delivery.


• Ensure power readiness gating is embedded into investment approvals, development milestones, and capital committee processes.


• Early Warning Indicators & Risk Management Develop and maintain a suite of early‑warning indicators to identify emerging utility, regulatory, capacity, or execution risks before they impact schedule, cost, or customer commitments.


• Lead proactive mitigation planning and escalation for identified risks, ensuring clear ownership and accountability.


• Utility Risk Review & Controls Chair or lead recurring utility risk review forums, providing structured oversight, consistent reporting, and decision transparency.


• Ensure risks, assumptions, and dependencies are documented, tracked, and communicated to senior leadership and governance bodies.


• Cross‑Functional Leadership Lead cross‑functional teams spanning Energy Strategy, Utility Engagement, Development, Investments, Finance, Legal, Procurement, and Operations.


• Drive alignment across stakeholders to ensure disciplined execution, consistent standards, and enterprise‑level risk visibility.


• Influence without direct authority while setting clear expectations, frameworks, and decision criteria.


• Operating Model Maturity Transition the organization from informal practices to repeatable, auditable, and scalable systems for energy capital and utility risk management.


• Define metrics, dashboards, and reporting that provide leadership with clear insight into readiness, risk exposure, and portfolio health.


• Other duties as assigned.

What You Will Need to Be Successful:

• Bachelor’s degree in one of the following disciplines (or a closely related field): Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, or Industrial), Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Data Analytics or Applied Analytics, Operations Research or Systems Engineering, or other 10 or more years of professional experience with progressive responsibility in energy strategy, capital planning, infrastructure development, utility engagement, risk management, or related enterprise strategy roles.


• Demonstrated experience leading cross‑functional teams and influencing decision‑making across Development, Energy, Utilities, Investments, Finance, Legal, and Operations.


• Proven ability to drive strategic planning, governance frameworks, and business growth in capital‑intensive or infrastructure‑dependent environments.


• Masters’s degree in one of the following disciplines (or a closely related field): Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, or Industrial), Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Data Analytics or Applied Analytics, Operations Research or Systems Engineering, or other

Nice to Have:

• 15 or more years of professional experience with progressive responsibility in energy strategy, capital planning, infrastructure development, utility engagement, risk management, or related enterprise strategy roles.

Other Key Skills:

• Strong grounding in systems thinking, risk classification, and governance models.


• Ability to translate technical, regulatory, and utility‑specific inputs into enterprise‑level strategy and capital decisions.


• Experience designing and operating stage‑gate models, readiness frameworks, and early‑warning indicators.


• Executive‑level communication skills with comfort presenting complex risk and capital tradeoffs to senior leadership and governance forums.

See specific position description.

See Bachelor’s degree in one of the following disciplines (or a closely related field): Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, or Industrial), Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Data Analytics or Applied Analytics, Operations Research or Systems Engineering, or other 10 or more years of professional experience with progressive responsibility in energy strategy, capital planning, infrastructure development, utility engagement, risk management, or related enterprise strategy roles. Demonstrated experience leading cross‑functional teams and influencing decision‑making across Development, Energy, Utilities, Investments, Finance, Legal, and Operations. Proven ability to drive strategic planning, governance frameworks, and business growth in capital‑intensive or infrastructure‑dependent environments. Masters’s degree in one of the following disciplines (or a closely related field): Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, or Industrial), Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Data Analytics or Applied Analytics, Operations Research or Systems Engineering, or other

In accordance with applicable law, the following represents a reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation for this role if hired in Virginia. Please note that this information is provided for those hired in Virginia only, and this role is open to candidates outside of Virginia with compensation that aligns with your location. The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location. The estimated pay range for this role, if based in Virginia, is: $184,567.50 - 282,252.93 Please note that this information is provided for those hired in Virginia only, and this role is open to candidates outside of Virginia with compensation that aligns with your location. The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location.

In addition to a variety of benefit packages, QTS goes above and beyond for our employees:

• Roth and Traditional 401(k) matching contributions with immediate vesting


• Every employee is bonus or commission eligible


• Generous PTO, Paid Volunteer Days Plus Floating Holidays


• Stock Purchase Plan (SPP) 11 paid Holidays Annually/Holiday compensation when worked


• Pet and Legal Insurance


• Q-Rest Sabbatical Program


• Q-Anniversary Service Award Program


• Parental Leave


• Military Benefits Package


• QTS Charitable Matching Gift Program


• QTS Scholarship for Employee Dependents


• QTS Crisis Fund Wellness Program


• Tuition Reimbursement Program

QTS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Learn more: Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled We conform to all the laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We strongly encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply to all of our job openings. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, Genetic Information and Testing, Family & Medical Leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or discrimination claim. The "Know Your Rights" Poster is included here: Know Your Rights (English) Know Your Rights (Spanish) The pay transparency policy is available here: Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster-Formatted QTS is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to [e-mail] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.