Principal, Data Center Development

CoreWeave•Livingston, NJ

13h•$180,000 - $240,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal, Data Center Development, is the single execution owner responsible for advancing data center sites from site control to day one operations. This role owns development diligence, development budgeting, risk management, and readiness gating for self-development and JV projects, ensuring projects are fully de-risked before commitments are made. This is a hands-on, execution-oriented role that bridges site selection, power, sustainability, design, legal, government/tax/incentives, finance, and construction to deliver development-ready projects at scale. You can expect to travel up to 25-30% in this role.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in data center, industrial, or infrastructure development and/or construction
Demonstrated experience conducting comprehensive site due diligence, including land use analysis, environmental assessments, and infrastructure feasibility studies.
Proficiency in developing and managing project budgets during the pre-GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) phase, including cost estimation and contingency planning.
Proven ability to lead coordination with power and utility providers to ensure alignment between site requirements and utility delivery timelines.
Professional experience executing projects within self-development frameworks or Joint Venture (JV) partnership structures.
Comprehensive understanding of the distinct roles, responsibilities, and accountability structures across the development and construction lifecycles, with a proven ability to manage formal project transitions.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain operational momentum in high-growth environments, including the capacity to act effectively when faced with ambiguity or incomplete data sets.

Nice To Haves

Strong preference for candidates with current development & construction background in data centers.

Responsibilities

Own the full Development lifecycle from site selection through turnover to Operations
Serve as the single accountable owner for the development budget, schedule, and risk
Lead development readiness reviews and go / no-go recommendations to leadership
Lead Development weekly site calls for executive-level updates, including all internal stakeholders.
Lead and integrate all development workstreams end-to-end
Consolidate diligence outputs into a clear risk profile and decision narrative
Maintain assumptions logs, risk registers, and mitigation strategies
Build, own, and manage the integrated owner’s development budget in coordination with Development Teams, Capital Partners, and internal stakeholders, including: Land and site costs Hard costs Soft costs Carry costs Contingency and risk allowances
Integrate Construction, internal Design, and third-party inputs while retaining full Development ownership of all budgets and on-time payments.
Partner with internal power and sustainability teams to confirm executable power paths, infrastructure scope, and environmental requirements
Ensure power, sustainability, and infrastructure assumptions are fully integrated into development cost and schedule
Act as the development interface to Site Selection, Power, Sustainability, Legal, Government/Tax/Incentives, Finance, Commercial, Design, and Construction
Prevent scope, cost, and schedule drift across internal teams and external partners
Own development handoff standards and readiness criteria
Ensure projects enter all phases fully defined, decision-complete, and de-risked