Head of Data Centre Development

We are looking for a highly strategic and commercially driven Head of Data Centre Development to lead greenfield origination, entitlement, grid capacity acquisition, and end-to-end project development across the UK and European markets. You will be responsible for identifying and securing land, arranging long-term leases or acquisitions, obtaining substantial grid connections, navigating environmental and planning approvals, and progressing projects from early-stage origination through to ready-to-build status. The role will drive commercial engagement with hyperscale and colocation operators to secure energy offtake opportunities and strategic partnerships. The successful candidate will be the leading person for our data centre initiative, working with our business development as well as procurement team in a matrix organization to develop projects across UK and EU. This is a senior, high-impact leadership position directly responsible for building and monetising data centre development pipeline.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead strategic land origination across target UK and European markets, identifying and securing sites suitable for large-scale data centre campuses, assessing grid availability, fiber connectivity, planning policy alignment, environmental constraints, water access and community feasibility.
• Negotiate and structure land agreements, including options, conditional purchases and long-term leases, ensuring appropriate risk allocation, planning protections, expansion rights and commercially favourable terms.
• Drive grid connection strategy and capacity acquisition, managing applications, connection offers and negotiations with transmission and distribution operators including National Grid, UK DNOs and European TSOs, securing firm high-capacity connections aligned with hyperscale demand.
• Oversee the full planning and environmental approval process, including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), zoning and land-use applications, flood risk, transport, noise and environmental permits, ensuring projects progress efficiently through regulatory frameworks.
• Lead stakeholder engagement at senior level, building relationships with utilities, planning authorities, regulators such as Environment Agency, economic development bodies, landowners and community representatives to de-risk project delivery.
• Structure commercial strategies to monetise power and land positions, engaging with operators as well as tenants, supporting offtake discussions and enabling long-term development partnerships.
• Lead cross-functional coordination internally, aligning development milestones with legal, finance, engineering and EPC teams to progress projects from early-stage origination to ready-to-build status.
• Manage external advisors and consultants, including planning consultants, environmental specialists, grid advisors and land agents, ensuring programme discipline, cost control and delivery timelines.

What we’re looking for:

• 10+ years’ experience in large-scale infrastructure development within the UK and/or Europe, including data centres and renewable energy projects.
• Proven track record of leading projects from early-stage origination (pre-RTB) through planning consent, grid-secured and fully investment-approved Ready-to-Build (RTB) status, with structured handover to EPC teams.
• Demonstrated experience securing high-capacity grid connections managing connection applications and negotiations with transmission and distribution operators such as National Grid and European TSOs/DSOs.
• Strong working knowledge of UK and EU planning and environmental frameworks, including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), town planning processes, environmental permitting and infrastructure approvals.
• Extensive experience negotiating land agreements, including option agreements, conditional purchase contracts and long-term leases.
• Established professional network in data centre space across utilities, planning authorities, landowners, regulators, operators as well as tenants and other stakeholders in priority UK and European markets.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to structure development risk, manage budgets and prepare board-level investment papers.

Who we are: Gülermak Renewables is the renewable energy investment arm of Gülermak, a leading international infrastructure contractor with a 65-year track record of delivering complex projects to the highest standards of quality, ethics and execution. Headquartered in London, the renewables business operates as an independently managed platform, focused on the UK and Europe, with core investments in solar, onshore wind and battery energy storage, and a forward-looking view on technologies shaping the future energy system. With strong financial backing and deep infrastructure expertise, we build, own and operate renewable assets that deliver stable long-term cash flows. Our portfolio has reached c.650 MW to date, with clear ambition and strong momentum to scale materially in the near term. This role represents an exceptional opportunity to join a high-performing, entrepreneurial team comprising talented professionals with deep experience across renewables and infrastructure. You will have meaningful responsibility across the business, in a culture that rewards ownership, performance and merit.

What We’ll Offer You:

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Hybrid working environment
• Supportive and dynamic workplace culture
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• Opportunity to work on challenging, large-scale international projects