Principal, Data Center Development

Weights & Biases Weights & Biases · Data AI · Bellevue, WA +5 · Data Center - G&A

This role is for a Principal, Data Center Development, responsible for managing data center sites from control to operations. It involves development diligence, budgeting, risk management, and readiness gating for self-development and JV projects. The role requires a hands-on, execution-oriented approach, bridging site selection, power, sustainability, design, legal, government/tax/incentives, finance, and construction.

What you'd actually do

  1. Own the full Development lifecycle from site selection through turnover to Operations
  2. Serve as the single accountable owner for the development budget, schedule, and risk
  3. Lead development readiness reviews and go / no-go recommendations to leadership
  4. Lead Development weekly site calls for executive-level updates, including all internal stakeholders.
  5. Lead and integrate all development workstreams end-to-end

Skills

Required

  • Data center development
  • Industrial or infrastructure development/construction
  • Site due diligence
  • Land use analysis
  • Environmental assessments
  • Infrastructure feasibility studies
  • Project budget management (pre-GMP)
  • Cost estimation
  • Contingency planning
  • Coordination with power and utility providers
  • Self-development frameworks
  • Joint Venture (JV) partnership structures
  • Development and construction lifecycles
  • Project transitions
  • Judgment in high-growth environments
  • Handling ambiguity and incomplete data

Nice to have

  • Current development & construction background in data centers

What the JD emphasized

  • single execution owner
  • development budget
  • risk management
  • readiness gating
  • fully de-risked
  • development diligence
  • development budgeting
  • risk management
  • readiness gating
  • development budget
  • risk
  • power
  • sustainability
  • infrastructure
  • development cost
  • schedule
  • development interface
  • development handoff standards
  • readiness criteria
  • 12+ years of experience in data center, industrial, or infrastructure development and/or construction
  • comprehensive site due diligence
  • developing and managing project budgets
  • lead coordination with power and utility providers
  • executing projects within self-development frameworks or Joint Venture (JV) partnership structures
  • manage formal project transitions
  • act effectively when faced with ambiguity or incomplete data sets
  • take ownership from first look through execution
  • solving complex development problems
  • expert in leading cross-functional development workstreams
  • building owner-side development budgets
  • managing risk from site control through operational handoff