About Vantage Data Centers
Vantage Data Centers powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world’s well-known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands.
Location: London, UK or Frankfurt, Germany
Early Development Department
The Early Development team is responsible for the entire site acquisition and new site development process to deliver quality sites for Vantage’s data center development across the EMEA region. The team sources, evaluates, does due diligence, negotiates, closes all site acquisitions, and all new site development activities. The team is highly cross-functional and collaborates with Design & Engineering, Sales, Operations, Legal, Delivery, Finance and the Senior Leadership Team throughout the process. Early Development implements and executes upon the work product developed by the Strategy and Market Intelligence team. The team also manages Vantage’s third-party consultants and vendors critical to technical review and diligence of sites. This role is responsible for the development and review of Site Selection and New Site Development schedule and budget to ensure critical acquisition milestones align with customer Ready for Service (RFS).
Position Description
The Senior Vice President (SVP) of Early Development will lead Vantage's efforts in evaluating, acquiring, and developing data center sites globally. This hybrid role encompasses responsibilities from both the Development & Engineering (D&E) and Site Selection & Acquisition departments, ensuring seamless integration from site evaluation to project execution. The SVP will drive the strategy and execution of site selection, market evaluation, due diligence, initial design, and permitting, while collaborating closely with Sales, Construction, Operations, Legal, Finance, and Senior Leadership. The role is pivotal in aligning Vantage’s site acquisition and development activities with corporate goals, ensuring timely and cost-effective project delivery.
Essential Job Functions
Leadership and Team Management:
- Lead and manage the Site Selection & New Site Development teams across multiple regions, including D/A/CH, Continental Europe, United Kingdom and Ireland, and Middle East and Africa.
- Hold teams accountable for delivering on plans of record, ensuring compliance with regional legal, risk, and financial controls.
- Evaluate and manage performance reviews, provide feedback and coaching to enhance team performance.
Site Selection and Acquisition:
- Oversee the entire site acquisition process, including pre-qualification, negotiation, due diligence, and closing.
- Collaborate with the Strategy and Market Intelligence team to implement site selection strategies.
- Ensure sites are acquired in accordance with Vantage’s policies, terms, and conditions, on time, and within budget.
New Site Development:
- Support Development Managers in market evaluation, site selection, and initial concept development.
- Manage aspects of design, engineering, scheduling, and budgeting for new projects, including site assessment, conceptual design, and development of construction documents.
- Transition design and preconstruction packages to the Construction Project Management Team for execution.
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Partner with Sales, Delivery, Operations, Legal, and Finance to ensure successful hand-off and execution of projects.
- Work closely with the Engineering and Operations team to coordinate design criteria and site acquisition with ongoing maintenance and operations of existing facilities.
- Support sales in customer engagement and fulfillment of requirements related to customer Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs).
Process Improvement and Reporting
- Drive innovation and process improvement to diminish cycle times and increase employee output.
- Ensure lessons learned are captured and applied to drive continuous improvement.
- Report the status of all projects in preconstruction, including risks, schedule, quality, and budget, to senior management.
Budget and Financial Management:
- Assist with the creation of site acquisition budgets and oversee the management of monthly variance reports.
- Drive forecast/variance analysis and manage project authorizations for new and existing contractors and vendors.
- Develop, refine, and implement processes and policies for new construction practices and deployment.
Duties
- Lead and manage the Site Selection & New Site Development teams across multiple regions.
- Oversee the entire site acquisition process, including pre-qualification, negotiation, due diligence, and closing.
- Support Development Managers in market evaluation, site selection, and initial concept development.
- Manage the initial aspects of design, engineering, scheduling, and budgeting for new projects.
- Transition design and preconstruction packages to the Construction Project Management Team for execution.
- Collaborate with Sales, Delivery, Operations, Legal, and Finance to ensure successful project hand-off and execution.
- Drive innovation and process improvement to diminish cycle times and increase employee output.
- Capture and apply lessons learned to drive continuous improvement.
- Report the status of all projects in preconstruction, including risks, schedule, quality, and budget, to senior management.
- Assist with the creation of site acquisition budgets and oversee the management of monthly variance reports
Job Requirements
- 10-15 years of management experience required; 15-20 years preferred.
- Data center experience required.
- Proven track record of managing distributed teams across various regions and time zones.
- Strong operational and project management skills.
- Ability to solve complex problems with limited information.
- Advanced IT skills, including proficiency in Excel.
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
- Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to analyze complex business concepts and interpret a variety of instructions.
- Business Management Degree preferred.
- Creative thinker with demonstrated ability to champion innovation.
- Flexible, adaptable, and self-directed; able to work in various circumstances.
- Willingness to travel nationally and internationally as required (+ - 50% travel).
- Must be willing to travel to London and Raunheim corporate offices 2-3 times per month.
We operate with No Ego and No Arrogance. We work to build each other up and support one another, appreciating each other’s strengths and respecting each other’s weaknesses. We find joy in our work and each other, actively seeking opportunities to inject fun into what we do. Our hard and efficient work is rewarded with an above market total compensation package. We offer a comprehensive suite of health and welfare, retirement, and paid leave benefits exceeding local expectations.
Throughout the year, the advantage of being part of the Vantage team is evident with an array of benefits, recognition, training and development, and the knowledge that your contribution adds value to the company and our community.
Don't meet all the requirements? Please still apply if you think you are the right person for the position. We are always keen to speak to people who connect with our mission and values.
Vantage Data Centers is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Vantage Data Centers does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm agencies. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of Vantage Data Centers.
