Data Center Site Selection Manager

Meta Meta · Big Tech · Austin, TX +2

Meta is seeking an experienced Data Center Site Selection Manager to lead the strategy and execution of data center location selection, including real estate negotiations, incentive management, and stakeholder coordination. The role requires expertise in complex deal negotiation, strategic thinking, and analytical problem-solving. While the role is not directly building AI, it emphasizes the integration and responsible use of AI tools to optimize workflows and requires ongoing AI skill development.

What you'd actually do

  1. Develop Meta’s owned data center location strategy in assigned geography and manage the site selection effort for real estate, including partnering with teams focused on economic development incentives, energy and utilities, network connectivity, legal, policy, and financial considerations
  2. Lead feasibility discussions and contract negotiations with service providers, property owners, economic development agencies, and utility companies
  3. Negotiate letters of intent, land or building purchases, economic development incentives, water and sewer supply, and site-specific agreements, and support power negotiations
  4. Partner with internal organizations, including capacity planning, energy teams, data center design, construction, network engineering, legal, policy, communications, and finance
  5. Prepare project location recommendations and present them to management for approval

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor's degree in a directly related field, or equivalent practical experience
  • 12+ years of experience in site selection and data center or other capital project or infrastructure development
  • Experience leading real estate negotiations, including contract formation and contract negotiations
  • Experience in representing business interests to governments (state, county, and local), utilities, potential suppliers, and other stakeholders
  • Experience in managing large real estate development projects and coordinating with internal staff, consultants, vendors, and external stakeholders
  • Experience in communicating commercial, market, and contractual details to all organizational levels
  • Experience working with detailed financial models of data center projects and transactions, identifying key risks and sensitivities, and leading all related due diligence efforts (financial, commercial, technical, and development)
  • Experience representing business interests to the leadership teams of potential suppliers, strategic markets, energy suppliers, and other stakeholders
  • Experience communicating complex commercial, technical, and contractual information clearly in writing and presentations to stakeholders at all organizational levels
  • Proficiency in standard document and analytics platforms

Nice to have

  • Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)
  • Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)
  • Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies
  • An advanced technical degree in a relevant field, or a law degree
  • Experience in hyperscale data center site selection or leasing negotiation
  • Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies

What the JD emphasized

  • experience negotiating large, complex data center real estate deals
  • knowledge of the legal agreements that accompany them
  • thinking both strategically and analytically
  • developing creative and practical solutions to complex site selection challenges
  • proficient at navigating the challenges that accompany the development of hyperscale data center projects
  • Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)
  • Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)
  • Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies