Executive Placement Spotlight

Building the leadership behind tomorrow’s digital infrastructure

We’re pleased to share a recent executive placement that reflects a broader shift underway across global infrastructure markets.

Joe Amara Executive Search has successfully placed a Vice President of Engineering with a fast-growing digital infrastructure company developing co-located utility-scale power generation alongside newly built data centers.

This platform is advancing several gigawatts of projects across its pipeline, with one major asset entering construction this year, a clear signal of how urgently reliable power and digital infrastructure must now scale together.

What makes this placement notable isn’t just the title; it’s the context.

Data centers are no longer passive load. They are shaping generation strategy, siting decisions, capital allocation, and execution timelines. Leadership teams must now bridge engineering, power markets, project delivery, and investor expectations, all at once.

That’s where Joe Amara Executive Search consistently adds value.

We work with private equity firms, infrastructure funds, IPPs, and developers who are building at the edge of power generation and digital infrastructure. Our focus is simple: place leaders who can execute in complex, capital-intensive environments.

The next generation of infrastructure will be defined by those who get leadership right early.

If you’re building or investing in power, data centers, or integrated platforms, we welcome the conversation.

Joe Amara Executive Search
We add value by attracting the valued.

We are pleased to share the successful completion of a search for a Senior Manager, Strategic Finance on behalf of a private-equity backed IPP start-up focused on providing dispatchable generation assets for C&I and utilities.

This placement supports the client’s continued growth and capital-markets strategy as they advance a portfolio of large-scale, utility-grade generation projects across the United States. The newly appointed leader brings deep experience across project finance, corporate finance, and FP&A, with a demonstrated ability to build and manage bankable financial models for complex energy infrastructure assets.

In this role, the executive will work closely with the CEO and financial sponsors to support capital planning, project financing, and investment decision-making. Responsibilities include developing detailed project-finance models, evaluating tax-equity and debt structures under current IRA programs, and supporting corporate forecasting and reporting as the organization scales.

This search reflects a broader trend we continue to see across the energy and infrastructure markets: private-equity-backed platforms increasingly require senior finance talent that can operate at both the project and corporate levels, particularly in capital-intensive, dispatchable generation businesses where bankability and structuring discipline are critical.

We appreciate the trust our client placed in Joe Amara Executive Search and are grateful for the collaboration throughout the process. Congratulations to both the client and the successful candidate on this exciting next chapter.

If you are building or scaling a finance organization within power generation, energy infrastructure, or adjacent digital-infrastructure assets and would like to discuss leadership needs or market insights, we welcome the conversation.

This article was written by Ed Ballard. See original article here.

Washington is funding a boom in clean-energy investment. How will businesses find the people to do the work?

For the job market, the Inflation Reduction Act “was just gasoline on the fire,” said Joe Amara, a recruiter who finds executives for clean-energy companies. “Midlevel directors are getting paid what senior VPs were getting paid just a few years ago,” he said.

Despite recent layoffs at big tech companies, the U.S. labor market is still tight. At 3.7%, unemployment is just above the pre-Covid low. And demand for clean-energy jobs has been outpacing the broader job market since 2019, according to a LinkedIn survey published early this year.

It found that the number of job ads seeking green skills, such as the ability to service a solar farm or conduct an environmental audit, is rising faster than the number of people touting those skills on their profiles.

Shortages of key personnel are pushing up labor costs, renewable-energy executives say. One especially shallow pool of talent is the market for financiers who understand tax incentives.

The Biden administration’s clean-energy ambitions revolve around supercharging this byzantine system. That turns out to be pretty complicated. Tax credits for wind and solar projects have been extended, and others have been introduced, but some important details about how it will all work haven’t been confirmed, as I report for the Journal today.

Clean-energy executives and their advisers generally agree the market will somehow figure out how to make the most of all the new and improved credits. It’s free money, after all. But how long that takes—and how valuable the market ultimately becomes—isn’t clear.

Most likely the renewable-energy financing business will continue evolving the way it has over the last 15 years or so, a process of trial and error to see which financing structures work best. Good news for tax experts.

In the U.S., renewable-energy projects get a large chunk of their financing through what’s called tax equity. This complex financing setup, which sprang up because developers generally don’t have large or stable enough taxable earnings to monetize all the tax breaks they’re eligible for, usually involves a bank owning a stake in a project in exchange for the stream of tax credits.

This is a large market, worth $20 billion or so a year, and it’s dominated by a handful of big banks. That’s because the necessary legal knowledge is expensive to acquire, and acquiring it could be a bad investment—there is a risk that the market will go away if tax credits aren’t renewed every few years.

That’s one reason why the talent pool is shallow. Now, with investors lining up, the ability to structure clean-energy investments is at a premium.

“We have tried to hire a couple of senior structured-finance folks and the salaries that we’re being told they’re being offered are more than my CFO makes,” Scott Wiater, chief executive of solar developer Standard Solar, told me.

He predicted that this situation will turn out to be a short-term blip, a sign of the exuberant mood engendered by the most significant clean-energy legislation in U.S. history. But, for better or worse, the fate of America’s energy transition hangs on financial engineering as much as on engineering of the electrons-and-chemicals kind.

The Executive Skillset for the Next Generation of Infrastructure
What AI infrastructure should really be looking for in their execs

The future of AI infrastructure will not be built by technology alone. It will be built by leaders and savvy subject matter experts who can navigate the complexities of power generation.

For over a decade, shifting policy environments have reshaped power generation, both domestically and internationally. In Ohio, 2014 setback regulations erased billions in planned wind investment. In Mexico, abrupt decentralization followed by re-centralization disrupted market confidence. And in 2025, sudden Federal policy reversals have again upended utility-scale wind and solar overnight.

These dramatic policy shifts have given way to digital infrastructure’s most critical bottleneck: available power. For years, data centers could simply “plug into the grid.” That era is over. Growth increasingly requires co-located generation and battery storage. Developing such assets demands decades of expertise. Which is why digital infrastructure developers must recruit seasoned power generation executives and SMEs to drive expansion.

Data center developers must navigate serious complexities to build power generation assets, all of which are highly technical and market-specific. They must consider questions such as: What is permissible in one market versus another? How and where do you connect to the grid? What are the best technologies to deploy? Furthermore, across all asset classes, EPC execution remains a daunting challenge.

Adding to the challenge, power-gen executives and SMEs were once sought exclusively by IPPs and utilities, a relatively contained field of competition. Today, long-haul transmission developers and Big Tech have entered the hunt, further depleting an already limited supply of talent.

That’s where Joe Amara Executive Search comes in. We specialize in connecting power generation expertise with digital infrastructure ambition, ensuring our clients have the leadership teams and SMEs capable of navigating complexity and driving growth in this new era.

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Joe Amara Executive Search represents companies in power generation, transmission, and digital infrastructure, with a focus on leadership and niche technical hires.

Should AI Write Your Resume?
How to strike a balance between human and bot.

AI’s role in resume writing is being hotly debated. Like many subjects, extremes are unwise to subscribe to. Harmony between bot and human is essential, so here’s a bit of guidance to help.

Proponents of AI resume creation claim it’s about keeping up with the times. HR departments are using AI to source candidates, leaving applicants feeling like AI resumes are crucial. Whereas opponents may dismiss an AI resume because it’s demonstrating a lack initiative and hides one’s true capabilities.

Using AI to completely create your resume is not advisable.

Why?

Many applicants are uploading a job description alongside an old resume, and directing AI create a perfect match. This sounds like an amazing idea, until you realize applicants are doing it en masse. Couple this with ‘easy apply’ options on LinkedIn, inboxes are flooded with thousands of eerily similar resumes. Logically, the ‘keywords’ you were trying to capitalize on became obsolete with the avalanche of ‘qualified’ resumes.

Another item to consider is how you setting expectations with your potential employer. This cannot be underestimated. Frustrations arise when elegant AI drafted resumes and emails lead to an interview with a candidate whose communication abilities fall far short of their AI-persona.

What do to?

Have your resume proofread by both a human and an AI tool. Humans can spot nuances that technology often misses, while AI can highlight formatting improvements and obvious corrections. For example, this very paragraph was refined with AI, whereas the previous paragraphs were not. Notice a difference?

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Joe Amara Executive Search represents companies in power generation, transmission, and digital infrastructure, with a focus on leadership and niche technical hires.

To learn more, please visit us at joeamara.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Joe Amara Executive Search Announces Placement of Vice President of Business Development for Leading Independent Power Producer

Chicago, IL – September, 3 2025 – Joe Amara Executive Search is pleased to announce the successful placement of a Vice President of Business Development with a leading independent power producer.

In this role, the executive will lead all business development and project development activities for natural gas–fired generation assets nationwide. With a proven track record spanning several gigawatts of completed renewables, thermal, and storage projects across multiple U.S. markets, he brings the deep expertise and execution capability needed to drive meaningful growth.

He will play a critical role in shaping the company’s regulatory strategy, project development, and M&A efforts, ensuring it is well positioned to expand its thermal generation portfolio while navigating an evolving energy landscape.

“We are proud to have partnered with our client on this important search and are confident this placement will make a significant impact on advancing their growth strategy,” said Joe Amara, President of Joe Amara Executive Search.

At Joe Amara Executive Search, we specialize in identifying top-tier leadership across power generation, transmission, and digital infrastructure. This latest placement reflects our continued success in supporting companies that are building the infrastructure of the future.

About Joe Amara Executive Search
Joe Amara Executive Search is a boutique retained executive search firm focused on leadership placements across power generation, digital infrastructure, and emerging energy sectors. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm partners with private equity investors, independent power producers, and developers to deliver transformative leadership talent.

We add value by attracting the valued.

Media Contact:
Joe Amara Executive Search
ino@joeamara.com
www.joeamara.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Joe Amara Executive Search Places Sr. Director of Development at Leading Power & Data Infrastructure Firm

Chicago, IL – June 13^th 2025 – Joe Amara Executive Search is proud to announce the successful placement of a Senior Director of Development at a forward-thinking power and infrastructure company focused on natural gas-fired generation co-located with data centers.

The newly appointed executive will be responsible for leading the development of firm generation projects across the United States, supporting critical digital infrastructure with highly reliable and scalable power solutions. This placement marks a key milestone in the client’s growth strategy and their mission to meet the rising energy demands of data-intensive operations.

“We’re honored to have partnered with a client at the forefront of modern infrastructure, and we’re thrilled to have identified a leader with the vision and expertise to drive high-impact development efforts,” said Joe Amara, Founder and Managing Partner of Joe Amara Executive Search. “This role represents the intersection of energy security and digital growth—two of the most vital challenges of our time.”

Joe Amara Executive Search specializes in recruiting executive and senior leadership talent across power generation, digital infrastructure, and grid development. With a track record of success in highly technical and emerging markets, the firm continues to support companies shaping the next generation of energy and infrastructure.

About Joe Amara Executive Search:
Joe Amara Executive Search is a retained executive search firm focused on placing senior talent in the power, energy, and infrastructure sectors. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm partners with companies across North America to build high-performing leadership teams in renewables, firm generation, transmission, and digital infrastructure.

Contact:
Joe Amara
Founder & President
info@joeamara.com
www.joeamara.com

 

As the Senate takes up its version of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” one can only hope it corrects the shortcomings of Congress’s earlier draft. In its current form, the bill falls woefully short—failing to meaningfully address the energy crisis, strengthen the U.S. economy, or help America remain competitive in the global AI arms race.

Critics of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and of free-fuel technologies like solar and wind, argue that repealing these clean energy incentives could generate $500 billion in tax revenue over the next decade. But let’s put that in perspective: the U.S. government is projected to spend nearly $90 trillion in the same period. That’s a mere 0.5%—a drop in the bucket, not a fiscal game-changer.

Energy policy in America needs to be driven by facts, not factions.

Proponents of free-fuel technologies often frame their arguments around climate change and sustainability. Yet, in many of the regions where solar or wind is actively being developed, voter data reveals deep skepticism toward both climate science and the value of renewable energy, for decades. Perhaps if economic benefits were only communicated, solar and wind would be in a different situation.

This communication breakdown is a symptom of a larger problem: American tribalism. If our energy future continues to be dictated by political identity rather than national interest, the current energy crisis will not only persist—it will escalate.

Unfortunately, the American public remains unconvinced that an energy crisis is even looming. It’s not hard to see why. Past institutional failures—from Enron’s staged “rolling blackouts” to the Bush administration’s false “weapons of mass destruction” —have eroded public trust and encouraged tribalism.

One area where tribalism cannot be allowed to take hold: long-haul transmission. Expanding and modernizing our transmission infrastructure is among the most critical investments we can make today. For now, transmission remains a rare bipartisan priority—and we all know bipartisanship is fragile.

Moderate Senators resisting the repeal of the IRA understand the stakes. They know that rural communities stand to gain from energy and grid investment, and that dismantling our progress would make America less competitive in the global economy—particularly in the race to lead in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

If we fail to act with urgency and unity, we risk falling behind. But if we seize this moment to build a resilient, modern grid—one that delivers abundant energy across the country—we can secure not just energy independence, but economic strength for decades to come.

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Joe Amara Executive Search represents companies in power generation, transmission, and digital infrastructure, with a focus on C-suite, leadership, and critical hires.

To learn more, please visit us at joeamara.com

The issue of adjusting compensation based on employee location has long been a topic of debate, particularly among multinationals entering the U.S. market for the first time. A common misconception is that employees living in secondary markets should earn less than those in primary markets, such as New York. The lower cost of living, in their calculations, justifies lower compensation.

While this logic may hold in most industries, it does not reflect the realities within the power and emerging infrastructure sectors. In these sectors, location-based salary scaling often fails to account for the high demand and limited supply of uniquely qualified executives. Compensation benchmarks from global consulting firms—though widely used—often rely on generalist data sets that lack nuance and relevance to novel infrastructure such has power, transmission and data centers.

These compensation models resemble real estate appraisals, using “comparables” that are anything but equivalent. For example, comparing a Chief Development Officer in power generation to a Head of Project Management in highway or bridge construction ignores the fundamental differences between the roles and intricacies of the industries they assist. Power plants, no matter the technology, require highly specialized knowledge and are significantly more complex. To make complicate matters further, these firms make strong suggestions regarding hiring, thwarting the success of these businesses they aim to serve.

Demand is at the core of monetary rewards and title allocation. The demand for executives with expertise in greenfield development, power markets, high voltage electrical engineering and asset management is exceptionally high. These skills are not only rare but take years to develop.

To illustrate the vast talent gap between companies: we asked a seasoned Vice President of Talent Acquisition whether their team handled transmission internally or used consultants. Her response: “What do you mean by transmission?”

Such examples highlight how critical and scarce deep sector knowledge is—and why compensation should be driven by expertise and demand, not zip codes.

Joe Amara Executive Search represents companies in power generation, transmission, and digital infrastructure, with a focus on C-suite, leadership, and critical hires.

To learn more, please visit us at joeamara.com

 

For the first decade of my executive search career, relocation was expected. Remote work was rare—outside of project development, it just wasn’t part of the conversation. Today, that conversation has completely flipped: it is now uncommon to relocate, no matter the position.

Several of the searches we’ve completed this year required relocation. However, not one client followed through on their relocation plan. Every client chose the top talent for the role—regardless of location.

If hiring the best person is your top priority, it remains unwise to eliminate candidates based solely on location. The demand for professionals with experience in developing and building novel infrastructure grows every year—and that was before AI and data centers began driving exponential load growth. Today, multiple sectors are competing for the same technical talent. For example, where power producers once led the demand for transmission experts, data center and long-haul transmission developers are now aggressively recruiting from the same pool.

When companies implement a return-to-work policy, they already know they’ll lose a percentage of their staff in a short period of time. In fact, some companies quietly welcome it—it’s a subtle form of headcount reduction that avoids the noise of formal layoffs. But for businesses with real growth ambitions, like digital infrastructure, transmission, and power generation, relocation is a constraint.

It is easy to understand why companies want everyone in the office. It builds stronger relationships, encourages productive discussions, and helps ideas flourish. However, as any HR professional knows, building a harmonious office environment no easy task, especially as generational expectations shift. Dress codes, flextime, interpersonal conflict, commuting—and here in Chicago, ice and snow—are all part of the challenge.

No matter the compensation package delivered, offer letters which require relocation will lose to those offers without relocation. This is especially true for parents, or roles which require heavy travel. The relocation battle isn’t going away. But make no mistake: the companies that thrive will be those that adapt.

Joe Amara Executive Search represents companies in power generation, transmission, and digital infrastructure, with a focus on C-suite, leadership, and critical hires To learn more about us, please visit joeamara.com