Chief of Data Center Strategy
Executive Search: Chief of Strategy - Hyperscale Data Center Platform
A privately held real estate investment and development firm is embarking on a transformative journey to establish a national hyperscale data center platform. With substantial capital backing and a secured pipeline, they are seeking a Chief of Strategy to lead this initiative from inception through scale.
This is a greenfield opportunity to architect and build a data center development business from the ground up. The firm brings deep expertise in real estate development but is entering the data center space for the first time-making this a pivotal leadership role for a seasoned executive with the vision, technical depth, and commercial acumen to bring the platform to life.
The Mandate
The incoming Chief of Strategy will be responsible for:
- Defining and executing the strategic roadmap for a hyperscale data center platform, aligned with long-term investment goals.
- Identifying, acquiring, and entitling sites across key U.S. markets, with a focus on power availability, connectivity, and scalability.
- Overseeing the full development lifecycle, from concept and design through construction, commissioning, and delivery.
- Building and scaling a high-performing team, including development, operations, and commercial functions.
- Establishing strategic partnerships with hyperscale end-users, consultants, utilities, and JV partners.
- Creating the operational and governance framework to support long-term growth and institutional-grade execution.
Ideal Candidate Profile
This role requires a rare blend of strategic vision, technical expertise, and entrepreneurial drive. The ideal candidate will bring:
- 15+ years of experience in data center development or operations, with a focus on hyperscale environments.
- Proven success delivering large-scale, complex data center projects, ideally across multiple geographies.
- Experience building or scaling a platform or business unit, preferably within a data center real estate or infrastructure-heavy context.
- Strong cross-functional leadership, with the ability to unify development, operations, finance, and technology teams.
- Deep understanding of capital deployment, infrastructure investment, and value creation through strategic site selection.
- Fluency in entitlement, permitting, and utility coordination, especially in power-constrained or high-growth markets.
- Established network across the hyperscale and enterprise data center ecosystem, including end-users, consultants, and developers.
- Commercial acumen, with experience structuring deals, negotiating leases or sale agreements, and driving revenue growth.
- Visionary mindset, capable of translating strategy into execution and scaling a business in a fast-moving environment.
- Adaptability and resilience, with a track record of building systems, teams, and processes in greenfield or high-growth settings.
Why This Role?
- Blank-slate opportunity to shape a platform with national impact
- Executive-level backing and secured pipeline
- Tremendous financial support and long-term vision
- Collaborative culture within a high-growth investment firm
- Direct access to decision-makers, with autonomy to lead and innovate
(Ideal location Dallas or Atlanta, however happy to discuss.)
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