Project Development Manager- Data Centers, EMEA

Remote from
Europe
Annual salary
Undisclosed
Salary information is not provided for this position. Check our Salary Directory to estimate the average compensation for similar roles.
Employment type
Full Time,
Job posted
Apply before
26 Aug 2026
Experience level
Senior
Views / Applies
45 / 3

About Nebius

Nebius is the AI cloud company, delivering a unified platform that spans the complete AI journey from data and model training and tuning to production runtime and deployment.

Actively Hiring
Verified job posting
This job post has been manually reviewed for authenticity and compliance.

AI Summary

Nebius is seeking a Project Development Manager for its Infrastructure Acquisition Group to lead AI data center projects across the Americas from executed agreement through construction readiness. This role involves coordinating permitting, utility planning, and engineering while managing development roadmaps, budgets, and risk registers. The position is part of a small founding team building scalable development governance and processes. Ideal for someone who can independently manage complex infrastructure developments and help create repeatable systems for future projects. The role requires deep collaboration with cross-functional teams including Site Selection, Engineering, Legal, and Delivery.

Role DNA

Job Complexity
Easy Hard
Pace & Pressure
Relaxed Fast-paced
Autonomy Level
Guided Full Ownership
Communication Load
Independent Highly Collaborative
AI Insight This role demands coordination across diverse disciplines (utilities, permitting, engineering, finance) and involves high-stakes decisions like Go/No-Go milestones, with many processes yet to be defined, making it challenging but manageable for experienced professionals.

Salary Analysis

Median Highly Competitive
$160,000
US Market
$120k – 200k
0 $220k
AI Insight No salary was provided in the listing. Based on US market data for Data Center Development Managers, the median salary is approximately $160,000 per year, with a typical range of $120,000 to $200,000. This role likely offers competitive compensation commensurate with the high responsibility and specialized skills required.

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express my interest in the Project Development Manager position at Nebius. With extensive experience in managing large-scale data center infrastructure projects from acquisition through construction readiness, I am excited about the opportunity to drive AI infrastructure development for one of the fastest-growing cloud platforms. My background includes leading cross-functional teams, coordinating utility and permitting processes, and establishing development governance frameworks.

In my previous role at a top-tier data center developer, I successfully delivered multiple build-to-suit projects on time and within budget while navigating complex regulatory environments. I thrive in building new processes from the ground up and am passionate about creating scalable systems that accelerate project timelines. Nebius's focus on AI and cloud infrastructure aligns perfectly with my career goals, and I am eager to bring my expertise in project development to your team.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute to Nebius's growth in the EMEA region.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Describe a time you managed a complex infrastructure project from initial agreement through construction readiness. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?
In my previous role, I led a 40MW data center project where we faced significant utility delays due to grid capacity constraints. I coordinated with the utility provider to expedite upgrades, engaged local government for permit fast-tracking, and negotiated revised timelines with our construction partner. By maintaining transparent communication and proactive risk management, we achieved construction readiness within the original schedule.
How would you approach building a repeatable development governance framework from scratch?
I would start by mapping out the key stages from acquisition to construction readiness, identifying critical decision gates and required deliverables for each stage. Then I'd develop standardized templates for project plans, risk registers, and budget tracking. I'd pilot the framework on an ongoing project, gather feedback, and iterate. The goal is to create a flexible yet rigorous system that can adapt to different project types and regulatory environments.
Explain how you would prioritize multiple development projects with competing deadlines and limited resources.
I would assess each project based on its strategic importance, risk profile, and current phase. Using a weighted scoring model, I'd rank them and allocate resources accordingly. I'd also identify quick wins and dependencies, and I'd communicate trade-offs transparently with stakeholders. Regular review meetings would help adjust priorities as conditions change.
What experience do you have with utility coordination and permitting for data centers?
I have extensive experience working with utilities to secure power capacity and interconnection agreements, often involving load studies and substation upgrades. For permitting, I have navigated environmental impact assessments, building permits, and zoning variances across multiple jurisdictions. I've also built relationships with key utility and municipal contacts to streamline processes.
How do you handle Go/No-Go decisions when a project faces unexpected risks or cost overruns?
I would convene a cross-functional team to evaluate the risk's impact on timeline, budget, and strategic value. I'd analyze mitigation options and their costs. If the risk can be managed within acceptable thresholds, I'd recommend proceeding with a contingency plan. If not, I'd present a no-go recommendation with clear rationale and alternative opportunities. The decision ultimately rests on alignment with company priorities and risk appetite.

About Nebius:

Nebius is leading a new era in cloud infrastructure for the global AI economy. We are building a full-stack AI cloud platform that supports developers and enterprises from data and model training through to production deployment, without the cost and complexity of building large in-house AI/ML infrastructure.

Built by engineers, for engineers. From large-scale GPU orchestration to inference optimization, we own the hard problems across compute, storage, networking and applied AI.

Listed on Nasdaq (NBIS) and headquartered in Amsterdam, we have a global footprint with R&D hubs across Europe, the UK, North America and Israel. Our team of 1,500+ includes hundreds of engineers with deep expertise across hardware, software and AI R&D.

The Infrastructure Acquisition Group

The Infrastructure Acquisition Group secures the land, power, and data center capacity that enables the Nebius AI Cloud. We identify where Nebius should grow next, structure the commercial agreements that make that growth possible, and partner across engineering, energy, finance, legal, and development to bring new AI infrastructure online.

We’re a small, founding team building this function from the ground up across the Americas, leading the acquisition of colocation, build-to-suit, powered land, and other strategic infrastructure opportunities as one of the world’s fastest-growing AI cloud platforms scales.

Examples of Problems We’re Solving

Transform acquisitions into data center-ready projects. A signed agreement is only the beginning. You’ll lead development planning, utility coordination, permitting, consultant management, and infrastructure planning to prepare projects for successful delivery.

Keep development ahead of construction. Coordinate engineering, utilities, municipalities, and development partners so projects remain ready for execution while commercial negotiations conclude and infrastructure requirements evolve.

Build a repeatable development program. Help establish the standards, development governance, readiness gates, and project controls that will support AI infrastructure development across the Americas.

About the Role

As a Development Manager, you’ll lead the development of AI infrastructure projects across the Americas from executed agreement through construction readiness. Working within the Infrastructure Acquisition Group, you’ll partner with Site Selection, Technical Due Diligence, Engineering, Energy, Finance, Legal, and Delivery to transform acquisitions into fully defined, development-ready projects.

This is a build-phase role on a build-phase team. Many of the development standards, governance processes, readiness gates, and project controls you’ll use are still being written—in some cases, you’ll help write them. We’re looking for someone who can independently lead complex infrastructure developments while helping build the systems that make every future project faster, more predictable, and more scalable.

What You’ll Own

  • Lead the development of AI infrastructure projects from executed agreement through construction readiness.
  • Own integrated development roadmaps, schedules, budgets, milestones, and the pre-construction risk register.
  • Coordinate permitting, entitlement, utility planning, infrastructure planning, and owner obligations.
  • Recommend Go / No-Go decisions as projects advance through key development milestones.
  • Deliver development-ready projects to the Delivery organization with complete documentation and minimized risk.

Development Planning & Governance

  • Lead development activities from executed agreement through construction readiness.
  • Develop and manage integrated development roadmaps, schedules, budgets, and key milestones.
  • Own the development budget, schedule, assumptions, and risk register throughout the pre-construction lifecycle.
  • Lead weekly development reviews and executive readiness meetings, and recommend Go / No-Go decisions as projects advance through key milestones.

Infrastructure & Utility Coordination

  • Coordinate infrastructure planning for electrical service, substations, fiber, water, sewer, stormwater, and transportation access.
  • Coordinate permitting, utility planning, entitlement activities, infrastructure planning, and owner obligations.
  • Partner with utility providers, municipalities, engineering teams, and consultants to validate executable development plans.
  • Ensure infrastructure assumptions are fully integrated into project budgets and schedules.

Construction Readiness

  • Establish development readiness criteria and project handoff standards.
  • Verify permits, utility agreements, infrastructure planning, owner deliverables, and development obligations are complete before turnover.
  • Deliver projects to the Delivery organization with complete documentation, defined scope, and minimized development risk.
  • Identify and resolve development risks before they impact construction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Serve as the primary development interface across Site Selection, Technical Due Diligence, Engineering, Energy, Finance, Legal, and Delivery.
  • Coordinate architects, civil engineers, environmental consultants, surveyors, permitting specialists, and other external partners.
  • Align internal stakeholders and external consultants to prevent scope, schedule, and cost drift throughout development.

What Success Looks Like

  • Transform acquisitions into data center-ready development projects.
  • Deliver predictable development schedules, budgets, and readiness milestones.
  • Identify and resolve development risks before they impact construction.
  • Build trusted relationships with utilities, municipalities, consultants, and development partners.
  • Help build the standards and processes the Infrastructure Acquisition Group runs on as it scales.

What You’ll Bring

  • You’re comfortable operating in ambiguity and building processes where none exist. You know how to independently lead complex infrastructure developments while helping define how future projects should be executed.
  • 8+ years of experience in data center development, industrial development, infrastructure development, land development, or mission-critical projects.
  • Experience managing permitting, entitlement, utility coordination, consultant management, and development planning activities.
  • Strong understanding of infrastructure development, owner’s budgeting, development scheduling, risk management, and pre-construction planning.
  • Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams across engineering, utilities, design, legal, and construction.
  • Excellent communication and executive presentation skills.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Real Estate Development, Urban Planning, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience supporting hyperscale data center or AI infrastructure development.
  • Experience with utility coordination, entitlement strategy, infrastructure planning, and owner’s representation.
  • Experience with self-development or joint venture delivery models.
  • Professional Engineer (PE), PMP, or similar professional certification.

Why Join Nebius

The infrastructure supporting AI is being built now. This is an opportunity to help define how Nebius transforms acquisitions into development-ready AI infrastructure while helping build the function itself—the governance, development standards, readiness framework, and operating model that will support infrastructure investments across the Americas. You’ll work on some of the industry’s largest and most complex AI infrastructure developments while helping shape the physical foundation of the global AI economy.

Benefits & Perks:

  • Competitive compensation
  • Career growth and learning opportunities
  • Flexibility and ownership
  • Collaborative and innovative culture
  • Opportunity to work on impactful AI projects
  • International environment and talented teams

What’s it like to work at Nebius:

Fast moving – Bold thinking – Constant growth – Meaningful impact – Trust and real ownership – Opportunity to shape the future of AI 

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Nebius is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace and to providing equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the country in which they apply and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility as a condition of hire. 

If you need accommodations during the application process, please let us know.

Apply now >

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