VP of Land Development - NAM

Serverfarm is a leading developer and operator of data centers in North America, Western Europe, and Israel, and has key customer relationships with rapidly growing hyperscale, technology and network customers. In September 2023, Manulife Investment Management acquired a controlling interest in Serverfarm, which will allow the company greater access to capital to accelerate the expansion of its data center portfolio on a worldwide basis. The company is positioned to capture the growing demand for data center capacity that continues to grow globally, fueled by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and companies’ continued transition of data workloads and storage to the cloud.

Serverfarm has integrated innovation, sustainability and digital transformation into its mission and culture. Serverfarm developed in 2009 out of a need in the market to help customers become more efficient as capacity demands and data management challenges grew. The Serverfarm team began purchasing data centers from customers and leasing back the portion they needed. This strategy transitioned the company from a data center real estate owner into a data center developer and operator, resulting in a growing international portfolio of state-of-the- art facilities.

In 2015, Serverfarm developed its award-winning service platform InCommand with the goal of bringing together the three main elements of a data center: real estate, electrical and mechanical infrastructure, and the IT environment. This portal-based solution combines people, process, and platform, creating a cloud-like experience for data centers. Serverfarm delivers its sustainable Data Center Managemen t as a Service (DMaas) approach at more than 750 locations across forty-five countries.

• Ownership of land development for greenfield and brownfield sites across North America.
• Coordinate service entrances and configuration details for wet and dry utilities at potential properties.
• Negotiate interconnection agreements with local network and utility companies (namely power).
• Engage and maintain strategic relationships with regional stakeholders including but not limited to land use attorneys, environmental consultants, local permitting resources, and economic development/political teams to understand and navigate the entitlement and permitting process.
• Coordinate all entitlement activities with the Development team to ensure proper coordination with all project consultants.
• Develop and maintain and intimate working relationship with the Real Estate and Sales teams on site selections, pre-construction activities, tech due diligence, zoning, and customer requirements.
• Travel to development locations to meet with customers, consultants, and local economic development groups to expedite the entitlement process.
• Work with the finance team to identify and obtain any and all tax incentives available at a target parcel.
• Coordinate seamless handoff from pre-con/site development process to the design and construction team.
• Create build to suit program for key customer accounts and partner with sales team on opportunities.
• Work with key customer accounts to tailor the build to suit program to evolving requirements.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in urban planning, civil engineering, real estate, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.
• Work with the various Serverfarm groups – Operations, Real Estate, Sales / Marketing to ensure Development activities support common initiatives.
• Extensive experience in land development or a related field, with a focus on project management, site selection, and regulatory processes.
• Previous experience in senior management or leadership positions, ideally with direct oversight of development projects.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage large-scale projects from conception to completion.
• Excellent communication skills for effective stakeholder engagement and vendor management.
• Strategic thinker with an analytical mindset focused on implementing long-term strategies for land development.

Serverfarm is committed to providing an equal opportunity workplace and offers paid time off, paid holidays, 401k, medical and dental. Our compensation philosophy rewards employees for achieving the values and objectives aligned with the company’s goals and strategic initiatives.