President - Data Centers

MHW Search has been exclusively engaged by a well-capitalized, institutional real estate investment and development platform to identify a President of Data Centers. The firm has roughly $11 billion in AUM in industrial investments and development. Additionally, the firm has allocated a significant amount of capital to its data center platform, both from its balance sheet and through 12 institutional partners. The infrastructure and support for this hire are already in place, and the firm has an active pipeline of opportunities underway.The firm is building a national data center investment and development business focused on acquiring strategically located land, securing large-scale power capacity, establishing relationships with hyperscalers and institutional capital partners, and creating value through the development and monetization of powered land and data center opportunities.The platform will leverage existing real estate investment expertise, institutional relationships, capital resources, and development infrastructure to establish a meaningful presence in the rapidly expanding digital infrastructure sector.Compensation is dependent on experience but will be in the form of base + bonus + equity + additional upside %'s. Position OverviewThe President of Data Centers will be responsible for building, leading, and scaling the firm's national data center platform. This executive will own the overall strategy, investment pipeline, power procurement, origination, capitalization, and financial performance of the business.This is an entrepreneurial leadership opportunity for an executive who understands how to identify attractive data center markets, secure power at scale, source and control strategic land positions, establish relationships with hyperscalers, and structure transactions that create meaningful investment returns.The ideal candidate is a business builder, investment leader, and deal originator—not a traditional construction or development execution executive.The President will be expected to leverage an established network of hyperscalers, utilities, power providers, landowners, institutional investors, and industry participants to originate and execute transactions. While the executive must possess a strong understanding of data center development and construction, day-to-day execution will be supported by internal development resources and external technical specialists.This individual will have full P&L responsibility for the platform and work directly with senior leadership and institutional capital partners to establish the business as a leading investor and developer of data center infrastructure.Key ResponsibilitiesPlatform Leadership & StrategyBuild and lead a national data center investment and development platform, establishing the business strategy, geographic priorities, investment criteria, and long-term growth plan.Own the platform's P&L, including investment performance, operating budgets, pursuit costs, capital allocation, profitability, and overall financial results.Identify and prioritize markets based on power availability, transmission infrastructure, hyperscaler demand, land economics, development feasibility, and exit opportunities.Establish the platform's organizational structure, recruit key personnel, and build a team capable of supporting a growing national investment pipeline.Serve as the senior representative of the business with hyperscalers, utilities, institutional investors, development partners, and other strategic counterparties.Develop and execute strategies involving powered-land development, build-to-suit opportunities, strategic land banking, and the acquisition or repositioning of existing properties for data center use.Power Procurement & Utility RelationshipsLead the identification, evaluation, negotiation, and procurement of large-scale power capacity for data center investment and development opportunities.Establish and leverage relationships with utilities, independent power producers, transmission providers, energy developers, and other participants across major U.S. power markets.Negotiate electric service agreements, large-load agreements, and other arrangements required to secure power for hyperscale data center campuses.Evaluate power availability, delivery timelines, interconnection requirements, transmission constraints, infrastructure costs, and utility commitments.Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of major power markets and utility environments, including ERCOT, PJM, MISO, and Georgia Power.Develop strategies to secure hundreds of megawatts to gigawatt-scale capacity, positioning the platform to capitalize on long-term demand from hyperscalers and other major data center users.Evaluate the financial and investment implications of power procurement, including cost per megawatt, delivery risk, capital requirements, and the effect of power certainty on land and project valuations.Investment Origination & Deal ExecutionIndependently source and originate data center development, powered-land acquisition, and investment opportunities throughout the United States. The firm already has someone helping source land. Leverage direct relationships with hyperscalers, major data center operators, landowners, utilities, developers, and institutional investors to identify off-market and proprietary opportunities.Lead land acquisition and site-control strategies, including negotiations, purchase agreements, option structures, due diligence, and investment approvals.Evaluate opportunities based on power availability, site characteristics, development economics, customer demand, capitalization requirements, and potential exit value.Originate and structure transactions involving powered-land sales, hyperscaler partnerships, joint ventures, build-to-suit development, and other investment structures.Identify opportunities to acquire or reposition existing real estate assets for data center development where power, infrastructure, and market fundamentals support the investment thesis.Oversee transactions from initial sourcing and feasibility through capitalization, major development milestones, stabilization, and monetization.Capital Formation & Institutional PartnershipsWork directly with senior leadership to establish and expand relationships with institutional capital partners, including private equity firms, infrastructure investors, sovereign wealth funds, and other sophisticated investors.Lead investment presentations and communicate opportunities, risks, projected returns, and business strategies to investment committees and institutional partners.Evaluate and structure joint ventures, development partnerships, and other capital arrangements supporting the platform's growth.Develop financial strategies that appropriately balance land acquisition costs, power procurement expenses, development pursuit capital, and long-term investment returns.Understand the economics of powered-land investments, including value creation through securing power, development entitlements, customer commitments, and exit valuations on a per-megawatt basis.Maintain accountability for capital deployment, investment underwriting, risk management, and overall transaction profitability.Development Oversight & ExecutionEstablish the overall development strategy for each investment while leveraging internal development and construction resources for day-to-day execution.Oversee major decisions related to site planning, power infrastructure, entitlements, development budgets, schedules, construction strategy, and project positioning.Coordinate with development teams, engineers, utility consultants, contractors, municipalities, and technical specialists to ensure projects remain aligned with approved investment objectives.Evaluate major development risks, including power delivery, permitting, infrastructure requirements, capital exposure, and customer commitments.Maintain executive-level oversight of project execution without serving as the primary construction or project delivery manager.Determine appropriate investment hold periods, partnership structures, and disposition strategies to maximize returns.Qualifications15+ years of relevant experience across data center investments, development, powered-land origination, energy infrastructure, hyperscaler site selection, or related sectors.Significant experience originating and executing data center land acquisitions, powered-land transactions, or large-scale data center investment opportunities.Demonstrated ability to negotiate complex power arrangements and secure substantial electrical capacity for data center projects.Established relationships with hyperscalers, utilities, power providers, data center developers, and other key industry participants.Direct understanding of ERCOT, PJM, MISO, Georgia Power, or comparable major utility and power markets.Experience evaluating or securing large-load power commitments, ideally involving hundreds of megawatts or gigawatt-scale development opportunities.Proven experience building a business, leading an investment platform, managing a team, or assuming meaningful P&L responsibility.Strong investment and financial acumen, including underwriting, capital structuring, joint venture negotiations, risk assessment, and institutional investment committee presentations.Experience working with institutional capital partners and understanding the expectations of sophisticated private equity and infrastructure investors.Strong understanding of data center site selection, land economics, development feasibility, power infrastructure, and project-level returns.Ability to independently originate transactions through established industry relationships rather than relying primarily on third-party brokerage channels.Entrepreneurial, commercially oriented, and comfortable operating with significant autonomy and accountability.Excellent leadership, negotiation, communication, and relationship-management skills.