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The Senior Director, Pre-Development provides enterprise-level leadership and strategic direction for pre-development activities across multiple regions and high-impact data center projects. This role is responsible for driving site readiness efforts from inception through entitlement, ensuring alignment with company growth objectives and operational requirements.

Working cross-functionally with senior leaders from Corporate Real Estate, Investment, Development, Technology, and Data Center Operations, the Senior Director ensures seamless collaboration and integration across internal teams. This individual also serves as a senior representative to external stakeholders—including regulatory agencies, government officials, and community partners—guiding complex negotiations and communications that facilitate timely project approvals.

This role demands a seasoned leader with a deep understanding of large-scale development strategy, coupled with proven expertise in site selection, permitting, planning, environmental and technical due diligence, civil engineering, and data center infrastructure. The ideal candidate excels at driving clarity amid complexity, influencing at the senior leadership level, and shaping pre-development frameworks that scale with the business.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities:

• Spearhead enterprise-wide due diligence strategies for land banking and site acquisitions, driving alignment across Corporate Real Estate, Connectivity, Power, and Construction functions to capitalize on data center development opportunities.
• Architect and oversee long-term planning and permitting frameworks, ensuring strategic alignment with regulatory landscapes, risk mitigation plans, and company growth objectives.
• Own the development and governance of capital investment strategies for new site design and construction, ensuring financial rigor and alignment with enterprise-level priorities.
• Lead geographically distributed teams and senior stakeholders through complex entitlement, zoning, and permitting lifecycles for large-scale greenfield initiatives, shaping the company’s development trajectory.
• Provide executive oversight of architectural and engineering design standards, championing innovation while ensuring consistency with QTS’s operational and brand guidelines.
• Establish and evolve enterprise design and documentation best practices to drive scalability, efficiency, and quality across all development efforts.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership by synthesizing program and project data into actionable insights that support strategic decisions and capital allocation.
• Forge and sustain high-impact relationships with internal executives, government entities, and external partners to enable proactive and responsible site development.
• Drive enterprise transformation initiatives by optimizing project management methodologies, systems, and protocols to scale with business growth.
• Lead special initiatives and cross-functional programs that further corporate strategy, ensuring alignment with long-term business and infrastructure goals.

Basic Qualifications:

• 10 or more years of experience in commercial development, including contract management, due diligence, entitlements, permitting, and project delivery from conceptual planning to project close-out.
• 6 or more years of progressive experience leading direct reports and teams, with a demonstrated ability to manage and develop talent within the organization.
• Advanced knowledge with Microsoft Office suite, specifically PowerPoint for use in communicating program updates to executive level, and Excel to create and maintain site program & individual project budgets.
• Be able to travel up to 50% of the time.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA, Master’s in Engineering, Management, Real Estate Development, or a related field.
• Experience in the delivery of mission-critical data center facilities at scale.
• Experience with tier 1 data center markets.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Expertise in real estate due diligence, land acquisition, zoning, and entitlement processes.
• Advanced experience evaluating potential sites based on legal, regulatory, and financial considerations.
• Advanced knowledge of large-scale commercial and data center construction, including design, permitting, and environmental impact analysis.
• Knowledge of civil engineering, power infrastructure, and connectivity requirements.
• Advanced knowledge of environmental regulations, sustainability standards, and building codes.
• Advanced experience in creating and managing pre-development budgets, analyzing investment risks, and forecasting costs.
• Knowledge of funding models, capital expenditures, and financial feasibility analysis.
• Understanding of Tier 1 data center markets, data center design principles, and operational requirements.
• Strong ability to lead complex projects from initial feasibility to groundbreaking.
• Experience managing multiple projects across different geographic locations.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with executives, external stakeholders, and regulatory authorities.
• Ability to develop and implement long-term strategies for site development.
• Strong critical thinking skills to navigate unforeseen challenges in development projects.
• Proven experience managing direct reports and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to mentor and develop emerging talent within the organization.
• Proficiency in managing budgets, analyzing financial reports, and optimizing cost
• Ability to balance multiple projects with competing priorities and tight deadlines.
• Capacity to make high-stakes decisions with limited or evolving information.
• Skilled in negotiating with local authorities, vendors, and stakeholders to advance project goals

Total Rewards:

• 25 days annual leave and public holidays
• 32 paid volunteering hours per year
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme
• Employer paid private medical and dental cover for employees and dependents
• Life assurance
• Illness financial protection including critical illness cover and income protection
• Employee referral bonus equivalent to exchange rates of $2,500 at time of award, subject to eligibility

The duties and responsibilities described here are not exhaustive and additional assignments, duties, or responsibilities may be required of this position. Assignments, duties, and responsibilities may be changed at any time, with or without notice, by QTS in its sole discretion. We provide individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment in accordance with applicable law. Please contact us to request an accommodation on [email protected]