Scaling a new developer platform after a capital raise or JV
Data Center Headhunters recruits critical facilities, data center operations, construction and delivery, commissioning, power and cooling, and executive talent for colocation, hyperscale and enterprise sites. We research the market, contact working people and qualify a shortlist for your opening. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
After a capital raise or joint venture, the first ten to twenty hires set the culture and the competence of the platform, and mistakes in that group are costly to undo.
This is what we do all day: recruit data center professionals.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Data centers only, construction to operations
- Local and 100% travel candidates
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
What does this hire really come down to?
A new developer platform has money and a plan but no staff. The first hires define how decisions are made. If the first five are all deal people, the platform will struggle to build. If they are all engineers, it will struggle to buy land and power.
The first judgment is the order and balance of hires across development, construction, power and operations. The second judgment is seniority. A new platform cannot afford only senior people, because there is not enough work for them to delegate. It also cannot afford only junior people, because no one will know what good looks like. A common mix is a few experienced leaders who have done it before, with a few strong mid-level people who will grow. Ask who will mentor whom.
The third judgment is the partner or investor. In a joint venture, the partners may expect to approve key hires, and they may have views on who is acceptable. Decide early who has the final say, so that candidates do not face a shifting process. Ask also who will decide when a hire is not working. Early platforms often keep poor fits too long because no one wants to admit a mistake, and the team notices.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Ask whether they helped start or scale a platform and what stage they joined. Ask how they handled approvals when no process existed. Comfort with unanswered questions matters. Ask how they worked with a small team and limited tools. Ask how they presented to investors or partners and what feedback they received.
- Prior platform experience: ask whether they helped start or scale a platform and what stage they joined. Starting from nothing is different from joining an established team.
- Decision style: ask how they handled approvals when no process existed. Comfort with unanswered questions matters.
- Comfort with scarcity: ask how they worked with a small team and limited tools.
- Investor interface: ask how they presented to investors or partners and what feedback they received.
- Hiring ability: ask what they hired and how those people performed. Early leaders must build teams.
- Appetite for risk: ask what they gave up to join an earlier-stage company in the past.
- Contracts and counterparties: ask what agreements they negotiated, with whom and what they would change.
- Local relationships: ask which local authorities and landowners they have worked with and how they built trust.
How we help you hire
- 01
Tell us who you need
Tell us about the role, experience, location and pay. We talk through what matters to you.
- 02
We find and speak with candidates
We approach suitable people directly, including people who are not applying to job ads.
- 03
You meet the strongest matches
We explain their background, interest in the job and our view. You decide who to interview.
- 04
We help you complete the hire
We help with feedback, the offer and start arrangements, and stay in touch as you make your decision.
Where do we find these candidates?
Early platform hires come from larger developers, from construction and engineering firms, from utilities, from investor-backed operators and from consulting groups. Some are experienced leaders who want equity in a new business. Others are strong mid-level people who see a faster path.
- Early platform hires come from larger developers, from construction and engineering firms, from utilities, from investor-backed operators and from consulting groups. Some are experienced leaders who want equity in a new business. Others are strong mid-level people who see a faster path.
- They move for equity, work and the chance to build processes. Some are frustrated by the bureaucracy of a larger firm. Others see a funded platform as a rare chance. They want to see the capital behind it.
- Be open about the funding, the pipeline of sites and what the owners expect. Candidates at this level read the story carefully.
- A fraction of candidates come from adjacent real estate or energy firms and have no data center record. They can be strong on land and approvals. Ask how they learned the technical side and who taught them.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Do not hire a full team of senior leaders with no one to do the work. Senior leaders without staff end up doing junior work. Do not leave partner approval of key hires unclear until the offer. Candidates notice when approval rights are unclear.
- Hiring a full team of senior leaders with no one to do the work. Senior leaders without staff end up doing junior work.
- Leaving partner approval of key hires unclear until the offer. Candidates notice when approval rights are unclear.
- Ignoring operations until construction is far along. Operations input early on design can save major cost later.
Questions we settle before outreach
- Sequence the hires
We ask which functions you need first, what the partners expect and how decisions are made. That sets the order of the search. We also ask how much runway the raise provides, since candidates will.
- Screen for builders
We ask candidates about platforms they helped start and teams they built, and we report their answers. We pay attention to how they describe a hire that did not work out.
- Clarify authority
We help you describe who approves hires and how compensation, equity and reporting lines are set. We also help you explain how the platform plans to grow past the first group.
Explore the relevant desks
Questions
Which hire should come first?
Usually a head of development or a general manager who can set the structure. The right choice depends on whether you hold land and power already.
How should we handle equity in offers?
Describe the structure and vesting plainly. Candidates at this level compare it carefully.
What if a partner wants to approve each hire?
Agree on the criteria early and tell us. We screen against them to avoid surprises.
How many senior people should the platform have?
Enough to set direction, with mid-level staff to do the work. Ask candidates who they expect to hire beneath them.
Should operations be involved early?
Yes, at least with one experienced lead. Their view of design can save cost later.
How do we explain the funding story to candidates?
Describe the raise or venture plainly, including what it covers and what it does not. Candidates at this level ask hard questions and respect direct answers.
Start your search
What should you know before you send a role?
How long until I see a short list?
We discuss timing once we know the role and location. We keep you updated rather than promising a date before the search starts.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We talk about why the person wants to move and whether they might stay. If that changes, we let you know.
Is there a guarantee?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What don't you do?
We do not post your job on boards, send stacks of unscreened resumes or charge an upfront fee. We do not approach candidates for your search before the brief is agreed with you.
Need this person?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.