Pre-Development & Planning Manager; Owners Representative; Data Center Construction - Hybrid​/Remote

Pre-Development & Planning Manager (Owner's Representative) – Data Center Construction

This role provides oversight of site selection, due diligence, entitlement, utility planning, permitting strategy, infrastructure coordination, and stakeholder management to ensure projects are fully prepared for design, procurement, and construction execution. The Manager identifies risks early, aligns internal and external stakeholders, and drives planning efforts that support schedule certainty, cost predictability, and speed-to-market objectives.

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Real Estate Development, Urban Planning, or related field.
• Minimum 8 years of experience managing large-scale commercial, industrial, mission critical, infrastructure, or data center projects.
• Experience overseeing pre-development, entitlement, permitting, utility coordination, and site due diligence activities.
• Strong understanding of data center development processes, site selection criteria, and utility infrastructure requirements.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary consultant teams including civil, environmental, geotechnical, architectural, and engineering disciplines.
• Knowledge of permitting processes, zoning requirements, environmental regulations, and jurisdictional approvals.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple stakeholders, agencies, utility providers, and development partners.
• Strong project management, risk management, and executive communication skills.
• Ability to evaluate project schedules, budgets, development constraints, and delivery risks.
• Proficiency with project management software and Microsoft Office applications.

• Support site selection activities by evaluating development feasibility, infrastructure availability, utility capacity, and schedule risks.
• Coordinate and manage due diligence investigations including geotechnical, environmental, survey, utility, traffic, and infrastructure assessments.
• Identify development constraints, permitting risks, and schedule impacts that could affect project delivery.
• Develop risk registers and mitigation strategies for site acquisition and development activities.

• Lead entitlement and permitting efforts necessary to support project development and construction readiness.
• Coordinate with local jurisdictions, planning departments, permitting agencies, and regulatory authorities.
• Monitor approval timelines and proactively address issues that may impact project milestones.
• Provide regular updates on entitlement status, permitting risks, and approval forecasts.

• Serve as primary owner representative for utility planning and infrastructure coordination.
• Coordinate with electric, water, wastewater, telecom, and natural gas providers to establish service strategies and delivery timelines.
• Validate utility capacity, infrastructure requirements, and off-site improvement scopes.
• Identify risks related to utility procurement, infrastructure delivery, and long-lead development activities.

• Manage planning, engineering, environmental, and development consultants throughout pre-development activities.
• Facilitate coordination between internal stakeholders, design teams, utility providers, landowners, and governmental agencies.
• Monitor consultant performance, deliverable quality, and compliance with project objectives.
• Ensure stakeholder alignment regarding scope, schedule, risk, and development priorities.

• Develop and maintain pre-development schedules, milestone tracking, and readiness assessments.
• Monitor critical path activities associated with land development, utilities, permitting, and infrastructure delivery.
• Identify schedule impacts and recommend mitigation strategies to maintain project objectives.
• Support development budgeting, forecast reporting, and executive-level decision-making.

• Ensure completion of all pre-development deliverables required to support design, procurement, and construction mobilization.
• Coordinate transition from development planning to design and construction execution teams.
• Track readiness milestones including land acquisition, permits, utility agreements, environmental clearances, and infrastructure commitments.
• Provide comprehensive project status reports, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations to executive…