QTS Realty Trust

Pre-Development Program Manager

QTS Realty Trust$100K — $130K *
Real Estate & Construction
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in real estate development, focusing on pre-development and entitlements
  • Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Urban Planning, Engineering, or a related field (Master's preferred)
  • Strong understanding of zoning, land use, permitting, and environmental review processes
  • Strong financial modeling and project budgeting skills
  • Excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership abilities
  • Proficiency in Bluebeam, Smartsheets, and Microsoft Office Suite
  • Ability to travel up to 50% of the time

Responsibilities

  • Manage due diligence, entitlements, and permitting processes for multiple projects
  • Develop and communicate monthly predevelopment program and project status updates for executives
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to create comprehensive campus development plans
  • Identify and communicate risks with mitigation strategies to maintain timelines and budgets
  • Manage the creation and refinement of multi-phased campus development plans
  • Maintain and update campus master plans for accurate forecasting
  • Develop scopes of work and participate in vendor evaluations and contract negotiations

Benefits

  • Q-Rest Sabbatical
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan
  • QTS scholarship for dependents
  • Paid Volunteer and Floating days
  • Tuition Assistance, Parental Leave, and Military Leave Assistance
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
  • 401(k) retirement plan with flexible spending and HSA accounts
  • Paid time off and paid holidays
  • Wellness program and employee assistance program
Full Job Description
Pre-Development Program Manager

Who You Are:

The Pre-Development Program Manager is primarily responsible for leading and managing the design, pre-construction and construction activities on a given project. The Program Manager will interact on a daily basis with Facilities, Contractors, Designers, Engineers, Commissioning Agents, Vendors, and Data Center Operations staff and should have both written and oral communication skills commensurate with this level of regular communication.

What You Will Do:
  • Oversee multiple projects on a campus(es) and maintain updated budgets, schedules, and status reports for each
  • Create and communicate updates on development program & project status on a monthly basis suitable for executive level reviews. Effectively present information in a manner to support efficient decision making
  • Work with QTS stakeholders, design, and construction teams to create a master development program for site(s), including a complete campus design solution and capital budget.
  • Manage entitlement and permitting needs for each assigned site project(s)
  • Implement and manage multi-phased site development plans to achieve time, budget, and quality standards in a predictable fashion. Continuously update a campus master plan to provide predictable statistics in a dynamic environment
  • Write scopes of work for design, construction, commissioning services & participate in procurement and project cost estimates
  • Evaluate and level pricing proposals for design, construction, and commissioning services
  • Work closely with strategic procurement team on equipment procurement and delivery process
  • Ensure appropriate submittals are coordinated with site stakeholders
  • Monitor & create project budget/cost-to-date against overall project budget.
  • Establish project schedules and manage teams to on-time completion
  • Review change order requests from contractors and negotiate pricing
  • Establish site construction security procedures in conjunction with site security team
  • Develop plans for product deployment and review/communicate plans with QTS staff involved
  • Collaborate with Sales Engineers and Product teams to aid in custom deal solutioning for prospective clients within the applicable schedule and budget for an assigned location.
  • Establish and maintain relationships serving as liaison with key QTS stakeholders
  • Represent QTS interests as leader in OAC meetings
  • Create & build relationships that enhance QTS's ability to be a leader in creating the World's Most Valuable Data Center Real Estate
  • Aid in due diligence efforts for potential new sites on an as-needed basis
  • Work with the internal development team to enhance project management processes and protocols
  • Other duties may be assigned.


Qualifications

What You Will Need to be Successful:
  • 6 or more years of professional experience in commercial real estate development practices and procedures, including management of Construction Management and Design Build project delivery methods from land acquisition through project close out
  • Advanced knowledge with Microsoft Office suite, specifically PowerPoint for use in communicating program updates to executive level, and Excel to create and maintain site program & individual project budgets
  • Be able to travel up to 50% of the time


Nice To Have:
  • MBA, Masters in Engineering, Management, or related field desirable
  • Experience with delivery of mission critical data center facilities
  • Extensive experience with management of MEP trades


Knowledge Skill and Abilities You Will Need:
  • Construction & Engineering Principles - Understanding of commercial construction practices, including design-build, lump sum, and construction management at risk (CMAR) project delivery methods.
  • Data Center Infrastructure - Knowledge of mission-critical facility design, including power, cooling, and network infrastructure.
  • Project Management Methodologies - Advanced knowledge of project lifecycle phases, risk management, scheduling, and cost control.
  • Real Estate Development & Entitlement - Advanced knowledge of land development, permitting, and entitlement processes.
  • Procurement & Contract Management - Experience in writing scopes of work, evaluating bids, and negotiating contracts with vendors, contractors, and commissioning agents.
  • Financial Acumen - Ability to develop and manage capital budgets, forecast costs, and evaluate financial impacts of project decisions.
  • Regulatory & Compliance Standards - Awareness of local, state, and federal regulations affecting construction and data center operations.
  • Project Coordination & Execution - Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects while ensuring adherence to budgets, schedules, and quality standards.
  • Communication & Presentation - Strong written and verbal communication skills to interact with executive leadership, technical teams, and external partners.
  • Stakeholder Engagement - Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including internal departments, contractors, and clients.
  • Problem-Solving & Decision-Making - Capability to analyze complex challenges and implement effective solutions in a dynamic environment.
  • Technical Proficiency - Competence in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) for budgeting, scheduling, and reporting.
  • Negotiation & Conflict Resolution - Ability to review change orders, negotiate pricing, and mediate conflicts between project stakeholders.
  • Leadership & Team Management - Ability to lead cross-disciplinary teams, coordinate efforts, and ensure alignment with corporate goals.
  • Strategic Planning - Develop and execute multi-phased site development plans that align with business objectives.
  • Adaptability & Resilience - Operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment while managing shifting priorities.
  • Attention to Detail - Ensure accuracy in project budgets, contracts, and compliance documentation.
  • Time Management - Efficiently prioritize tasks to meet project deadlines and operational goals.
  • Customer-Centric Thinking - Understand client requirements and collaborate on solutions that meet both business and operational needs.
  • Travel & On-Site Supervision - Ability to travel up to 50% and oversee construction activities at various locations.


TOTAL REWARDS

This role is also eligible for a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; 401(k) retirement plan; flexible spending and HSA accounts; paid holidays; paid time off; paid volunteer days; employee assistance program; tuition assistance; parental leave; military leave assistance; QTS scholarship for dependents; wellness program, and other company benefits. This role is bonus eligible and may be eligible for equity.

About QTS Realty Trust

QTS is the digital infrastructure leader – Powered by People, driven by purpose and fueled by a spirit of innovation. We have a 20-year track record of designing, building and operating world-class data centers, delivering the critical infrastructure for the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies. We have more than 75 data centers in operation or under development across the United States and Europe.
Learn more about QTS Realty Trust
Size
82,000 employees
Market Cap
$5.3 billion
Industry
Net Income
$15.9 million
Founded
2005
5 Year Trend
+11.6%
Revenue
$539.3 million
NASDAQ

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