The purpose of this job is to lead the identification, acquisition, and development of optimal land and power resources to support the company's national data center expansion strategy. This role is accountable for driving the land sourcing, power procurement, grid interconnection, and government liaison activities while ensuring speed-to-market, scalability and cost efficiency across the UAE.
Key Accountabilities:
- Develop and execute a holistic real estate and power acquisition strategy aligned with the company's long-term data center expansion roadmap.
- Identify, evaluate, and negotiate land acquisition in strategic markets, considering proximity to connectivity hub, renewable power availability, and regulatory requirements.
- Lead all aspects of power strategy including securing grid capacity, negotiating with utilities and managing substation development and interconnection processes
- Partner with internal teams such as Engineering, Finance, Legal to ensure viability and risk mitigation for new sites
- Oversee due diligence for land and power opportunities, including environmental, geotechnical, permitting and energy studies
- Build relationships with Government entities, utility providers, and economic development agencies to enable access to incentives and accelerate permitting processes
- Manage and mentor a small team of real estate and energy professionals while guiding external consultants and brokers
- Provide strategic insight on market trends, utility grid dynamics, renewable energy sourcing, and regulatory developments impacting data center growth
- Maintain cost discipline and drive commercial excellence in all land and power transactions
Qualifications, Experience And Skills:
- Bachelor Degree in real estate, electrical engineering, power systems, business administration, or related field
- Professional certificates in real estate or energy management are an asset
- Deep understanding of power infrastructure planning, high voltage inter-connection and renewable procurement pathways
- Strong background in negotiation and execution of complex commercial agreements with landowners, utilities and government stakeholders
- Experience in navigating zoning, permitting and environmental regulations in data center or industrial projects
- Demonstrated success in building long-term strategic partnerships within the power and real-estate eco-system
- Exceptional commercial negotiation and stakeholder management skills
- Strong financial acumen and experience in investment analysis for land and infrastructure
- Ability to handle multiple tasks at once, to prioritize, and demonstrate excellent follow-through on each task assigned
- Be flexible and adjust to changing business needs and environment
- Knowledge of Data Center power systems, grid operations, and renewable integration would be beneficial
