Duties and Responsibilities
Lead early stage identification and development of powered land opportunities for hyperscale and AI-driven data center campuses across target markets
Conduct market assessments, fatal-flaw analysis, and initial site reconnaissance to screen prospective sites for power availability, land characteristics, and development constraints
Secure site control, including negotiating options, leases, easements, and other land agreements with landowners and brokers
Lead site-level due diligence and support negotiation of power agreements, interconnection arrangements, and related utility engagements
Oversee all activities from market assessment, to project conception, and through to development hand-off including competitor intelligence and project power strategies
Serve as Aligned’s primary point of contact for each prospective site, coordinating with the Commercial/Sales, Energy, and Platform Delivery & Land Enablement teams from initial identification through transition to development
Act as a connector across departments, aligning priorities, timelines, and site data between Commercial/Sales, Energy, Platform Delivery, Land Enablement, Government Affairs, Legal, and Finance
Represent Aligned with landowners, brokers, customers, and state and local officials throughout the site-selection process, including leading and negotiating agreements for local economic development, tax, and community agreements
Support economic modeling and feasibility analysis for prospective sites to inform investment decisions
Coordinate with engineering, environmental, and Platform Delivery colleagues to ensure a technically validated handoff of qualified sites into development and construction
Manage site-identification tasks against budgets and schedules, including coordinating internal and external technical support (environmental consultants, engineers, legal counsel)
Prepare and review work scopes and proposals from third-party consultants supporting site identification and diligence
Maintain disciplined pipeline tracking and reporting to keep leadership informed of site status, risk, and timeline
Support government affairs and community relations efforts tied to prospective sites
Support marketing and sales efforts for data center development opportunities in the pipeline
This role will partner with the following functions within Aligned
Executive Leadership
Commercial/Sales
Energy
Platform Delivery & Land Enablement
Government Affairs
ESG
Legal
Finance/Accounting
Preferred Qualifications
10+ years of experience in land development, site selection, or real estate acquisition within the energy or data center industry (large load and/or generation preferred)
Demonstrated experience across early-to-late stage project development: market assessment, site control, permitting, and interconnection
Experience negotiating leases, easements, and land agreements with landowners and brokers
Economic development experience, including negotiating tax incentives and community investments
Demonstrated cross-functional leadership, with comfort acting as a liaison across commercial, technical, and executive stakeholders
Experience across multiple ISO/RTOs (ERCOT, SPP, PJM, MISO, Southwest, Southeast)
Experience and knowledge of design and technical standards that impact data center development and delivery
Experience taking projects through FID or NTP preferred
Experience with private equity infrastructure investors and lenders a plus
Bachelor's degree in a related field; advanced degree a plus
Valid driver's license and ability to travel to prospective sites as needed (25-50%)
