Who You Are: (Job Summary) The
Senior Vice President (SVP), Pre-Development is responsible for leading QTS's enterprise pre-development function, with accountability for converting growth strategy and market demand into an investment-ready, de-risked, and executable development pipeline. This role oversees pre-development activities across the full portfolio, spanning land evaluation and diligence, master planning, entitlements, and permitting readiness to support predictable delivery at scale. The SVP partners closely with Real Estate, Investments, Development, Engineering, Construction, Finance, Sales, and Operations to ensure alignment across pipeline formation, asset-level business planning, capital deployment, and execution readiness. Serving as both a strategic leader and external representative of QTS, this role engages directly with municipalities, utilities, regulators, and economic development organizations to strengthen market positioning and accelerate development outcomes.
What You Will Do: (Job Responsibilities)- Lead and execute QTS's enterprise wide pre development strategy, aligning pipeline formation, diligence, entitlements, and permitting with long range growth plans, customer demand, and capital allocation.
- Build and lead high performing internal teams and external partners, while continuously improving processes, governance, and reporting to support scale.
- Provide executive oversight of a multi market, multi campus pre development portfolio, ensuring consistent governance, risk management, and readiness forecasting.
- Oversee pre development efforts spanning new pipeline development and execution of approved business plans, supporting continuity from land evaluation through delivery readiness.
- Partner with Real Estate and Investments to evaluate new land opportunities, governing full diligence efforts including environmental studies, site feasibility, surveys, title review, and regulatory assessments.
- Ensure diligence outputs support asset level business plan development, including development concepts, entitlement strategies, capital estimates, schedules, and risk profiles.
- Partner with Design & Construction teams to drive creation and continuous refinement of campus master development programs, integrating site wide design solutions, infrastructure strategies, and capital budgeting.
- Lead establishing entitlements across the portfolio, including rezoning efforts, land development approvals, wetland mitigation, utility coordination (water/sewer/fiber), and building permits in conjunction with key teams (power, government relations, community relations, connectivity, etc.).
- Develop, maintain, and report entitlement and permitting timelines for future data center development; evaluate alternative sequencing to meet business priorities or working directly with jurisdictions to improve approval timelines and predictability.
- Coordinate closely with Engineering and Construction teams on required permit dates and ensure a disciplined transition from pre development into execution.
- Lead monthly executive level pre development reviews, providing consolidated updates on portfolio readiness, risks, schedule confidence, and capital exposure.
- Monitor and manage pre development budgets to maintain cost predictability and effective cash flow management.
- Develop scopes of work and lead vendor evaluations, cost leveling, and selection for planners, engineers, and consultants.
- Consistently and continuously evaluate and support updates to site planning schedules providing capacity plans for each multi phased campus aligning with overall development program, including power, entitlement, permit and construction workstreams.
- Support Sales teams in site specific deal structuring by providing early development schedules aligning with entitlement strategies, capacity assumptions and supporting investments underwriting.
- Represent QTS in critical engagements with AHJs, municipalities, economic development organizations, and community stakeholders.
- Other duties as assigned.
What You Will Need to Be Successful: (Required Qualifications, Education, Experience, Certifications) - Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Engineering, Urban Planning, Construction Management, or related field
- 15+ years of progressive experience in real estate development, land development, or large-scale infrastructure
- Demonstrated expertise in pre-development activities including diligence, zoning, land use, entitlements, environmental review, and permitting
- Proven experience leading multi-project or multi-market portfolios and managing internal teams and consultant ecosystems
- Experience in data center, hyperscale, industrial, or mission critical infrastructure development
- Experience with large-scale, multi-phase campus development
- Experience in land acquisition, specifically LOI and PSA negotiations
- Strong financial acumen with experience supporting capital planning, budgeting, and investment decision-making
- Executive-level communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to travel up to 40-50%
Nice to Have: (Preferred Qualifications, Education, Experience, Certifications) - MBA or Master's degree in Engineering, Real Estate, Urban Planning, or related discipline
- Familiarity with public-private partnerships, economic development negotiations, and utility coordination
- Experience operating within a private equity-backed or high-growth development platform
