Head of Development / Chief Development Officer recruiters who bring you a focused shortlist
Data Center Headhunters are Head of Development / Chief Development Officer recruiters for data center owners, operators and builders. Send us the open role and we find working Head of Development / Chief Development Officer candidates, qualify each one live and give you a short list to interview. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
You need a development leader who can deliver powered land to a pipeline and keep capital partners confident while it happens.
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
- Head of Development / Chief Development Officer
- SVP Development
- VP Development
What does this hire really come down to?
Development is the front end of the whole business. The leader finds sites, secures power, assembles entitlements, and brings in the capital to build. A weak chief development officer fills the pipeline with sites that never get power. A strong one says no often and early. The cost of a failed site is rarely the land.
It is the year the team spent chasing it. Ask what the pipeline looked like on the day they started and on the day they left, and what changed in between. The balance of skills is unusual. Some leaders are real estate dealmakers who learned power. Others are energy people who learned land. Capital partners will test them hard, so their presentation to investors matters as much as their technical grasp. A leader with deep power knowledge but weak land skills will build a pipeline that exists on paper. A leader with land skills but thin power knowledge will pay too much for sites that cannot be served.
Utility relationships carry weight, but they can be shown off. Ask which sites moved because of the leader and which moved despite them. A direct question helps: which three sites in the pipeline would they drop today, and why. Real development leaders answer without a pause.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Ask what share of sites they originated actually received power commitments. Ask which partners funded their deals and how they handled a stalled project. Ask how they obtained capacity and what compromises they accepted. Ask who built the site, power, and legal groups under them.
- Pipeline results: ask what share of sites they originated actually received power commitments.
- Capital relationships: ask which partners funded their deals and how they handled a stalled project.
- Utility work: ask how they obtained capacity and what compromises they accepted.
- Team: ask who built the site, power, and legal groups under them.
- Entitlement history: ask about a hearing that went wrong and how they responded.
- Judgment: ask for a site they walked away from after spending money.
- Local government relations: ask how they built support with councils and neighbors and what they promised in return.
- Exit and partnership structures: ask how they structured joint ventures and what they learned from one that soured.
How a search runs
How does The Six-Step Search work?
We use executive-search discipline for technical, frontline and leadership assignments. That means understanding the work, researching the right market and holding meaningful conversations before recommending an introduction. The questions change with the assignment. A shortlist is an outcome of that judgment, not the whole service.
- 01
Search Calibration
We agree what the person must accomplish and what they will actually own. Construction, commissioning and live operations need different questions. We clarify systems, site type, scale, decision authority, reporting lines and the team around the hire.
- 02
Market Mapping
We research comparable sites, projects and teams, then consider adjacent backgrounds where the experience could transfer. A matching title is a starting point, not evidence that someone has handled the same responsibility.
- 03
Professional Contact Intelligence
Contact research helps us approach relevant people appropriately. It enables the search; it is not the product. Public records can be incomplete or out of date, so employment history and responsibility remain questions to discuss and confirm where appropriate.
- 04
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We explain the actual work and why the opportunity may be relevant, then follow up thoughtfully and respectfully. We listen to whether a move makes sense for that person rather than treating a response as proof of interest or fit.
- 05
Live Candidate Qualification
We ask about work personally owned, decisions made and what happened when a plan went wrong. We discuss motivation and practical terms: compensation, shifts, travel, per diem where relevant, availability and authority. We distinguish the candidate's account from anything independently confirmed.
- 06
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You receive a reasoned brief: why the person may fit, supporting examples, uncertainties and useful interview questions. We agree which credentials, references or other checks are appropriate and who will complete them. We stay involved through feedback, offer discussions and the start, rather than stopping at an introduction.
Where do we find these candidates?
Development leaders come from real estate developers, infrastructure funds, utilities' business development teams, and operators who expanded into new markets. Some came from energy project development. Some come from large landowner groups, such as timber, rail, or agricultural holders, who learned to sell land for large users.
- Development leaders come from real estate developers, infrastructure funds, utilities' business development teams, and operators who expanded into new markets. Some came from energy project development. Some come from large landowner groups, such as timber, rail, or agricultural holders, who learned to sell land for large users.
- They move when equity promises are not honored, when an investor changes strategy, or when they want to build a company instead of a deal. Some move to escape a pipeline their owners will not fund. Ask what happened to the last project that stalled. Some leave because a partner changed investment goals and the pipeline they built was shelved.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Do not hire a skilled dealmaker without testing power knowledge. Power is the part capital partners will test hardest. Do not ignore investor fit. Capital partners must trust the person. Partners will meet the person repeatedly, so trust matters early.
- Hiring a skilled dealmaker without testing power knowledge. Power is the part capital partners will test hardest.
- Ignoring investor fit. Capital partners must trust the person. Partners will meet the person repeatedly, so trust matters early.
- Counting sites controlled as a result. Powered sites are the result. Ask which sites actually moved to construction.
Questions we settle before outreach
- Define the pipeline need
Tell us whether you need new markets, more powered land, or capital relationships. That changes the profile. We also ask how much of the pipeline is already under contract, since that changes who is realistic.
- Check the track
We ask for outcomes by site, not by list length. You see which deals reached construction.
- Bring in the capital side
We help you set a meeting with an investor or board member before an offer. We recommend that finalists present a pipeline view as they would to investors.
Where do we fill this role?
What does BLS publish for this role?
The figure below comes from the national OEWS row for Chief Executives. Read the mapping badge before using it in a budget. A broader occupation can include jobs outside data centers. Compare your seat’s responsibilities and pay basis with the published occupation rather than treating the median as an offer quote.
Broader occupation. Chief Executives is a broader occupation based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.
| Area | Median annual wage | BLS occupation |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $213,990 | Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011) |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 11-1011 Chief Executives, United States. View this release at BLS.
Not ready to start a search?
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Questions
What do you need before sending a development leader shortlist?
We need the markets, the pipeline stage and the capital partners involved. A development leader who closed land is different from one who delivered power. Share the stage and we screen to it.
How should I handle a counteroffer for a development leader?
Development leaders often get equity offers to stay. Ask what the person wants in scope and ownership.
Would a development leader move to headquarters if my pipeline spans several markets?
Often, if the markets are concentrated. If the pipeline spans regions, they may want a flexible base.
How should travel be set for a development leader who works across markets?
Land visits are frequent, so candidates read the policy closely. Write the rules for flights, lodging and approvals into the offer. Your company sets them, and a development leader will want to know who signs off on short-notice trips.
Do I need a development leader with utility experience or land experience?
Utility experience helps when power is the constraint. Land experience helps when entitlements are.
How is payment handled for a development executive search?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Your chief executive or board delegate can approve the fee scope once the title is agreed.
Start your search
Which related roles might you also need?
Related hiring situations
What should you know before you send a role?
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.