Chief Development Officerdata center role guide.
The Chief Development Officer turns a pipeline of land, power and capital into energized campuses, and increasingly, power is the hardest part of the job.
- Est. base salary
- $300K–$500K+
- Level
- Executive
- Reports to
- CEO
- 01Own the development pipeline from site to notice to proceed
- 02Prioritize sites by deliverable power and schedule
- 03Lead power, land, permitting and design teams
- 04Partner with finance on capital deployment
- 05Negotiate with utilities, landowners and communities
- 06Report development risk to the board
Executive leader over site selection, power, permitting, design and early construction. Power, origination and utility development leaders often report here.
- 01Data center development executives
- 02IPP and renewables development leaders
- 03Infrastructure fund operating executives
- 04Utility-scale project developers
- Pipeline management
- Power-led site strategy
- Executive leadership
- Capital partnership
- Stakeholder and community negotiation
- Risk communication
- Q1How do you rank sites when power timelines conflict with customer timelines?
- Q2What does your development stage-gate look like?
- Q3Tell us about a project you killed and why.
- Q4How do you work with the head of power?
- Q5How do you manage community opposition?
Chief Development Officer
We're hiring a Chief Development Officer to lead a growing AI data center development platform from site to energization.
Responsibilities
- - Own the development pipeline from site to notice to proceed
- - Prioritize sites by deliverable power and schedule
- - Lead power, land, permitting and design teams
- - Partner with finance on capital deployment
- - Negotiate with utilities, landowners and communities
- - Report development risk to the board
Requirements
- - 15+ years in data center, energy or infrastructure development
- - Track record taking large projects to construction
- - Deep understanding of power and interconnection
- - Executive and board experience
Salary shown is a GridTal estimate for U.S. data center roles, not an offer. Salary Guide →
Chief Development Officer, answered.
What does a chief development officer earn?+
Our estimate for U.S. data center roles is $300K–$500K+ base, before bonus. Pay varies with market, seniority and company type: see the Salary Guide for methodology.
Who does a chief development officer report to?+
Typically the CEO.
Where do chief development officer candidates come from?+
Most come from data center development executives, ipp and renewables development leaders, infrastructure fund operating executives.
Can GridTal help hire a chief development officer?+
Yes. We run confidential searches for this role nationwide and can help scope the position and benchmark compensation.