Job Title Senior Manager / Director Data Center Site Development Department Design and Construction Division Data Center Reports To Head of Technical Services and Utilities Location: US, Remote Position Type Full-Time, Permanent About Nscale NScale is the GPU cloud engineered for AI. We provide cost-effective, high-performance infrastructure for AI start-ups and large enterprise customers. NScale enables AI-focused companies to achieve superior results by reducing the complexity of AI development. Our GPU cloud bolsters technical capabilities and directly supports strategic business outcomes, including cost management, rapid innovation, and environmental responsibility.

At NScale, our Design and Construction team plays a critical role in delivering data center facilities that are optimized for AI deployments.

We thrive on a culture of relentless innovation, ownership, and accountability, where every team member takes pride in their work and drives it with excellence and urgency. As an NScaler, you’ll build trust through openness and transparency, where everyone is inspired to do their best work. If you join our team, you’ll be contributing to building the technology that powers the future

About The Role

• The Senior Manager, Data Center Site Development leads the planning, evaluation, and execution of new data center sites and campuses purpose-built for high-density GPU and AI workloads.
• This role is accountable for building and managing a pipeline of strategic locations that can support large-scale, power- and connectivity-intensive AI campuses.
• You will partner closely with real estate, power and utilities, network, data center design and construction, legal, and finance to ensure each site meets stringent requirements for power, fiber, cooling, scalability, schedule, risk, and total cost.
• The position title and level will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

What You’ll Be Doing (Responsibilities) Strategy & Pipeline Management

• Develop and manage a multi-year pipeline of GPU / AI data center sites and campuses across priority regions.
• Define evaluation frameworks and decision criteria tailored to AI campuses, including power capacity, water availability, fiber connectivity, land configuration, regulatory, environmental, and community factors.
• Produce clear business cases and recommendations that balance time-to-market, cost, risk, and long-term AI capacity.
• Track market trends in land, power, and connectivity relevant to hyperscale and AI-focused developments.

Site Identification & Evaluation

Land Acquisition & Commercial Structuring

• Lead negotiations for land acquisition, long-term leases, options, and campus assemblages in partnership with real estate and legal.
• Define key commercial and technical terms (parcel configuration, easements, setbacks, access rights, expansion and adjacency options).
• Support negotiations with utilities and carriers for long-term power and connectivity commitments aligned with AI campus growth.
• Ensure deal structures support phased campus build-out, future capacity, and resiliency objectives.

Power, Utilities & Connectivity Coordination

• Partner with the power and utilities team to secure adequate, scalable, and cost-effective power to each AI campus, including substation strategy, redundancy, and long-term expansion.
• Coordinate closely with the network and fiber team to ensure robust, diverse, and scalable connectivity into and across campuses.
• Engage with transmission and distribution utilities, municipalities, and regulators to understand constraints, lead times, and required approvals.
• Track and mitigate schedule and capacity risks tied to power and connectivity infrastructure that are critical to AI build-outs.

Entitlements, Permitting & Stakeholder Engagement

• Oversee planning, zoning, and land use approvals required for data center and campus development.
• Coordinate with local authorities, agencies, and communities to navigate environmental, building, and infrastructure permits.
• Work with external consultants (planning, legal, environmental, engineering) to develop application packages and respond to regulatory feedback.
• Proactively identify and mitigate entitlement and permitting risks, including community or political sensitivities around power, water, and industrial development.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Handover

• Serve as the primary point of contact for each AI campus from initial identification through handover to design and construction teams.
• Align technical requirements for AI workloads with data center design, construction, operations, security, and sustainability.
• Facilitate smooth handoff of fully documented, “shovel-ready” sites and campuses, including clear status of power, connectivity, entitlements, and risks.
• Establish repeatable processes, templates, and standards to scale AI-focused site development across multiple regions.

Required About You (Skills / Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Engineering, Planning, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of experience in data center, industrial, or large-scale infrastructure site development or real estate development.
• Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end site development activities: site search, due diligence, acquisition, entitlements, and pre-construction.
• Strong understanding of key drivers for data center and AI campuses, including high-capacity power infrastructure, fiber connectivity, zoning, and environmental constraints.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple complex projects in parallel across regions.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with experience building business cases and supporting negotiations.

Preferred

• Direct experience with hyperscale or GPU / AI data center development and campus-scale planning.
• Familiarity with how GPU / AI and high-density compute requirements influence power, cooling, and connectivity strategy.
• Experience working with utilities, carriers, and government agencies on large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Background in regional or international site development, with an understanding of regulatory and cultural differences.

Equal Opportunities Statement At NScale, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace. We believe that a variety of perspectives enriches our work environment, and we encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, parents, carers, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

If there’s anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let us know.

The range below reflects the base salary for the position. Actual compensation may vary based on job-related factors such as skill set, experience, education, and location. In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for bonus, equity, and/or commission programs. Nscale may offer a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, flexible paid time off, parental leave, and retirement plan participation.

Salary Range: $150,000 USD - $230,000 USD

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