Site Acquisition Director

The role of the Site Acquisition Director is a unique role, working to support the Senior Director of Site Acquisition EMEA, to deliver the strategic direction and management of the high growth of the region. The role will manage a team of Site Acquisition Managers, as well as providing support to all leasing activities, by helping with strategic leasing opportunities, contract amendments, completion of post lease/contract paperwork and ownership of contract expansions in stabilized and emerging markets.

The Global Acquisition team is responsible for delivering high quality Data Center capacity in line with our projected growth. This Director Role will be a pivotal member of the EMEA team, who owns the acquisition in region to support our Cloud growth in both existing and new geographies, as needed by the wider business. As we grow rapidly in both new and existing markets, we develop clear business strategies, aligning our lease portfolio, to ensure we can deliver high quality Data Centers both now and in the future, to tie to our Customer growth.

We are responsible for the development and ownership of key strategic partnerships with lessors, working collaboratively to ensure we deliver contracted capacity safely and effectively, on time and within budget. Microsoft Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers Microsoft's cloud services and our team is focused on delivering high quality infrastructure to support cloud operations. As Microsoft’s Cloud business continues to mature, our infrastructure expansion accelerates, and datacenters are central to this growth. To support this, the acquisition and development of our owned, designed and constructed Data Center facilities will scale to meet the demands of our customers, while we also continue to lease and acquire Data Center capacity at pace, particularly in our high growth markets, working closely with datacenter operators in each region, and across the Globe.

Responsibilities

• To develop high quality metro strategies based on market expertise, with time to market and cost efficiencies being core to this process.
• Lead cross functional teams to evaluate, select, negotiate and recommend leases for approval.
• To be accountable for lease execution delivering each milestone within critical timelines required by the business.
• Manage multiple lease projects and coordinate with internal team members, consultants, vendors, and external stakeholders.
• To align with our stakeholders teams to ensure effective co-ordination of activities to ensure region success (capacity planning, network, energy, security, engineering etc).
• Work with Finance reps to conduct Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) lease or build options to drive cost down, and help business to achieve its objectives.
• Work with internal law & corporate affairs personnel to drive preparation of executable lease documents which meet company standards.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• A strong experienced leader, with proven track record guiding teams through complex negotiations at senior level to lease execution.
• Extensive experience in site selection and acquisition role ideally within a Cloud Service Provider with a track record of meeting commitments.
• Experience in leading complex negotiations, contract formation, and contract negotiations to closure.
• Background in real estate development and lease acquisition – with a strong understanding of local laws, permitting etc.
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of the Data Center industry, operators in region and market dynamics in EMEA.
• General understanding of hybrid real estate solutions such as build-to-suit, Retail, and Wholesale datacenter leases.
• Strong reporting acumen and ability to manage metrics.