Joe Amara Executive Search specializes in placing top talent within the energy and emerging infrastructure sectors. We recruit for C-suite, senior leadership, and technical positions located throughout the Americas. For more information, visit joeamara.com.
An emerging leader in infrastructure development is seeking a Director of Development to drive early-stage site acquisition and greenfield development efforts for data center campuses across North America. This individual will be responsible for identifying, evaluating, and securing strategic sites in top tier markets.
This role is ideal for an entrepreneurial minded, strategic, and field-savvy greenfield developer who thrives in blank-slate environments. The Director will work closely with land acquisition professionals and leadership to move projects from identification to site control, before handing them off to an execution team.
- Lead greenfield development activities including site identification, evaluation, and control for large-scale data center campuses.
- Collaborate with internal GIS and strategy teams to prioritize targets in high-opportunity regions.
- Partner with land acquisition team to engage landowners and negotiate site control agreements.
- Coordinate with consultants and local stakeholders to assess interconnection feasibility and high-level permitting outlooks.
- Initiate contact with local utilities to begin load interconnection discussions.
- Coordinate with internal teams to assess critical inputs such as natural gas availability, power infrastructure, water access, and permitting timelines.
- Handoff projects at the point of land execution and interconnection filing readiness.
Qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in greenfield development and early-stage siting of complex infrastructure projects (data centers, renewables, power, or fiber).
- Greenfield developers from renewables or thermal sectors, or those from digital infrastructure firms with strong site selection and development experience.
- Proven ability to independently source and close strategic land deals.
- Strong understanding of utility interconnection and permitting processes.
- Experience with regional transmission operators (ISOs/RTOs) and primary and secondary data center markets such as Chicago, Dallas, Austin, Boston, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.
- Comfortable operating in an entrepreneurial environment—must be decisive, resourceful, and adaptable.
- Excellent communication skills for engaging stakeholders, landowners, and internal collaborators.
Interested parties, please contact Joe Amara Executive Search, info@joeamara.com
