Chief Development Officer

Chief Development Officer | Hyperscale Data Centers | Remote, US (Regular National Travel) | Executive Package

I’m working a retained search for a Chief Development Officer to build and lead the development function at a founder-led hyperscale data center platform.

The business develops, owns and operates turnkey, build-to-suit campuses across North America for AI and cloud customers. It is backed by significant committed equity from a global infrastructure investor, and the founding team has delivered multiple gigawatts of capacity at leading hyperscalers and operators. With the executive team now in place across finance, operations, technology and delivery, the company is moving into preconstruction, leasing and delivery at scale.

This is the hire that influences the direction and success of this platform.

Reporting directly to the CEO and sitting on the executive leadership team, you’ll own the front end of the development lifecycle, from market screening through to construction-ready handoff.

That means:

• Setting development strategy and building a national powered-land pipeline, prioritizing markets on power, demand, economics and execution risk
• Leading site origination, land control and transactions, including PSAs, options, easements and title
• Owning utility engagement, load requests, interconnection strategy and energization planning
• Running full technical due diligence across environmental, geotech, civil, water, fiber and power
• Driving zoning, entitlements, permitting, community engagement and government affairs
• Setting the development-to-delivery handoff standard so risk is caught before capital is committed
• Building the development organization from the ground up as the portfolio scales

It’s a hands-on executive seat. You’ll shape strategy with the CEO while staying close to the deals and sites that matter most, and you’ll act as the senior voice on site readiness in customer and leasing conversations.

We’re looking for:

• 15+ years in data center development, large-load infrastructure, energy or real estate development
• A track record taking large sites from origination through land control, power, entitlement and construction handoff
• Deep knowledge of utility processes, interconnection and energization risk
• Experience leading a development function or multi-market portfolio, ideally hyperscale
• Established relationships with utilities, landowners and municipalities across key US markets
• Experience building teams, processes and governance in a high-growth environment

Compensation: Competitive executive package, discussed confidentially. Benefits include 90% paid health premiums, up to 8 weeks PTO and a 6% 401(k) match with no vesting.

Location: Remote-first, US based, with regular travel to sites, utilities and leadership sessions.

Apply or reach out to Alexander Onn, at ao@thor-companies.com