Acquisition Development Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

About the Company

Our client is an innovative developer, owner, and operator focused on building the next generation of data center and energy infrastructure.

The company is backed by a leading infrastructure investment platform with institutional support from major global investors.

About the Position

We are seeking an accomplished Head of Land & Site Acquisition to lead the company's pipeline of new data center development opportunities.

Site selection and acquisition are fundamental to the company's ability to deliver successful data centers to major cloud and AI customers. This executive will own the acquisition process from market strategy and competitive land sourcing through LOI and PSA negotiation, due diligence, entitlements, permitting, and ultimately site readiness for construction.

The Head of Acquisition will work closely with development, engineering, finance, legal, construction, capacity planning, operations, and community partnerships teams. The role will also engage directly with executive leadership, the Board, investors, utilities, landowners, municipalities, tenants, and other external stakeholders.

This is a highly strategic role for an executive who understands both the commercial and technical complexities of large-scale mission-critical real estate and data center development.

Key Responsibilities

Site Acquisition Strategy

• Develop and execute the company's strategy for identifying and acquiring data center development sites.
• Build and manage a pipeline of strategic land and development opportunities.
• Identify markets based on power availability, fiber connectivity, customer demand, land characteristics, permitting, incentives, community considerations, and other development requirements.

Land Acquisition & Negotiation

• Lead acquisitions from initial prospecting and market engagement through LOI, purchase and sale agreement, closing, and site development.
• Negotiate sophisticated commercial agreements with landowners, utilities, tenants, municipalities, and other stakeholders.
• Structure and negotiate LOIs, PSAs, PUDs, utility agreements, lease structures, and related development agreements.

Development & Entitlements

• Partner with engineering, development, construction, and delivery teams to take sites from initial concept through due diligence, entitlement, permitting, and construction readiness.
• Coordinate technical and commercial due diligence activities.
• Evaluate zoning, land use, permitting, environmental, utility, infrastructure, and development constraints.

Community & Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish strong relationships with local communities, municipalities, economic development organizations, utilities, and other stakeholders.
• Engage directly with communities to understand local priorities and develop mutually beneficial approaches to development.
• Support community and economic development initiatives associated with new projects.

Investment & Executive Leadership

• Prepare acquisition and investment recommendations for executive leadership, the Board, and investors.
• Serve as a key liaison between the acquisition function and the company's Board and investment partners.
• Present transaction strategies, financial considerations, development risks, and investment recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Real Estate, Finance, Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of experience negotiating and executing large-scale, bilateral real estate transactions.
• 10+ years of experience managing and developing teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading large mission-critical site acquisitions or major data center campus developments.
• Proven ability to manage acquisitions from competitive land sourcing through LOI, PSA negotiation, due diligence, entitlement, permitting, and construction readiness.
• Extensive experience negotiating complex commercial agreements involving landowners, utilities, tenants, municipalities, and other stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of data center site requirements, infrastructure, power availability, development processes, and capacity planning.
• Experience working collaboratively with project development, engineering, construction, and capacity planning teams.
• Executive presence and ability to communicate effectively with boards, investors, senior executives, public agencies, and community stakeholders.
• Ability to travel approximately 50% as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or other relevant graduate degree.
• Significant experience developing and acquiring large-scale data center campuses.
• Mission-critical construction experience.
• Data center development experience with major cloud, hyperscale, or AI customers.
• Energy development or utility infrastructure experience.
• Strong understanding of utility capacity, power procurement, transmission, and infrastructure considerations.
• Established relationships with landowners, utilities, economic development organizations, municipalities, and other data center development stakeholders.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a strategic real estate and infrastructure executive who has successfully acquired and developed complex sites for large-scale mission-critical facilities.

You should be equally comfortable sourcing land, negotiating sophisticated transactions, evaluating development risks, engaging communities, presenting investment opportunities to a Board, and working alongside engineering and construction teams to deliver a site capable of supporting major data center capacity.

Benefits

• $250,000 - $300,000 base salary
• 50%-100% performance-based annual bonus opportunity
• Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP)
• Comprehensive health benefits
• Paid time off
• Executive-level opportunity with significant influence over the company's growth strategy
• Opportunity to develop large-scale data center and energy infrastructure supporting cloud and AI customers
• Significant exposure to executive leadership, investors, utilities, communities, and major industry partners