Diode Ventures President

Black & Veatch Family of Companies•Olathe, KS

33d

About The Position

Diode Ventures is an infrastructure development company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Black & Veatch. Diode partners with commercial, industrial, and technology-sector customers to develop and deliver innovative energy and data infrastructure solutions, leveraging site selection, comprehensive project development, strategic partnerships, and broader Black & Veatch capabilities. Purpose-built around client needs, Diode’s platform is designed to help organizations secure reliable, cost-effective, and more sustainable infrastructure while reducing complexity and execution risk. The business develops and structures projects across energy and data infrastructure markets—supporting everything from making sites “shovel-ready” to delivering critical off-site utilities and connectivity. With the depth of Black & Veatch’s engineering heritage and global footprint behind it, Diode combines developer mindset with world-class technical and delivery capabilities—bringing together development expertise, partner ecosystems, and end-to-end execution to help clients build, scale, and operate essential infrastructure in today’s rapidly evolving energy and digital economy. The President of Diode Ventures is the chief executive of the subsidiary and is accountable for enterprise strategy, commercial performance, operating execution, and financial results. This role calls for an entrepreneurial, market-facing leader who can anticipate demand, convert it into a scalable pipeline, and drive a repeatable origination-to-transaction operating model. The President will set and execute the growth agenda, build and deepen relationships across hyperscalers and the broader infrastructure ecosystem, and increase development throughput and transaction velocity. A critical mandate is to strengthen alignment and collaboration with Black & Veatch—leveraging the brand, capabilities, and relationships of the parent—while preserving the agility and speed of an asset-light, project-based platform. Diode President will report directly to the Board of Diode and will be a member of the Black & Veatch Executive Leadership Team. The President will lead a ~30-person organization and high functioning leadership team including a seasoned, long-tenured COO, CFO, Project Finance leader, and leader of business development and origination. . The President will establish clear priorities, performance standards, and operating cadence; lead key talent decisions; and evaluate adjacent growth opportunities over time while maintaining focus on the core digital strategy and ensuring strong governance and cultural continuity. The ideal candidate is an entrepreneurial, commercially driven infrastructure development leader with a deep understanding of the digital sector and how hyperscalers make siting and procurement decisions. They bring a demonstrated track record of originating opportunities and advancing projects through the front-end “heavy lift” required to create shovel-ready outcomes—site control and land optioning, zoning and permitting, stakeholder and incentives strategy, and early interconnection work/queue positioning—positioning projects for transaction at or near FID. They are an effective relationship-builder and negotiator with strong commercial judgment, capable of structuring creative, repeatable solutions in an asset-light, project-based model, including comfort with evolving partnership and ownership structures. This leader pairs strategic vision with operating discipline—setting priorities, driving accountability, and building a high-velocity development and transaction cadence across a lean organization. They have the presence to mobilize internal and external stakeholders, effectively leverage Black & Veatch’s resources and credibility without slowing execution, and apply sound judgment in pursuing adjacent growth vectors over time while maintaining focus on the core mandate.

Requirements

All applicants must be able to complete pre-employment onboarding requirements (if selected) which may include any/all of the following: criminal/civil background check, drug screen, and motor vehicle records search, in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.

Nice To Haves

Senior leadership experience in data center development, energy infrastructure, or adjacent technology sectors.
Demonstrated success launching, scaling, and/or transforming business units, ventures, or start-ups within the data center, energy infrastructure, or technology ecosystem.
Proven entrepreneurial track record building profitable, scalable platforms.
Demonstrated sales leadership, including building pipelines, negotiating complex deals, and closing strategic agreements.
Experience developing client relationships and partner ecosystems to deliver integrated solutions.
Deep understanding of the project development lifecycle—from site selection and permitting through value creation and divestment.
Strong financial acumen, including capital structuring, project finance, and risk management.
Global experience and the ability to navigate diverse regulatory environments.
Ability to create a sense of purpose that drives followership and aligns teams to a shared organizational mission.

Responsibilities

Define and drive the organization’s long-term vision, mission, and growth strategy; develop and execute a multi-year strategic plan aligned with Black & Veatch’s long-term goals, focused on expanding the client base, entering new markets, and accelerating growth.
Maintain a pulse on global market shifts, competitor strategies, and disruptive technologies to inform Diode’s positioning and growth priorities.
Instill an entrepreneurial culture that encourages calculated risk-taking, rapid innovation, and continuous learning.
Build and deepen relationships with key industry stakeholders, clients, and partners to unlock new opportunities and strengthen market presence.
Lead strategic negotiations with data center owners/operators, technology clients, and financial partners to secure long-term agreements.
Champion innovation in power solutions, renewable integration, and digital infrastructure to meet evolving client needs.
Ensure fiscal operations support strategic objectives, drive efficiency, and maintain compliance with governance and regulatory requirements.
Oversee budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and internal controls.
Establish clear performance metrics and lead disciplined performance management.
Approve major capital expenditures and oversee risk mitigation strategies.
Deliver sustained value creation through disciplined execution and portfolio optimization.
Develop and scale new business models and revenue streams, leveraging entrepreneurial thinking to stay ahead of market trends.
Lead Diode’s commercial strategy, including origination, deal structuring, negotiation, and closing of complex, multi-party agreements with hyperscalers, cloud providers, and large enterprise clients.
Build and lead a high-performing commercial organization (sales, business development, pricing, solutioning), including funnel management, account planning, and strategic key-account growth.
Serve as the primary executive representative to clients, partners, utilities, regulators, and community stakeholders.
Represent Diode Ventures at industry events, forums, and standards bodies to expand the company’s network and influence.
Shape the culture to attract, develop, and retain top-tier talent.
Foster a start-up mindset—empowering teams to innovate, take initiative, and act with urgency.
Leverage Black & Veatch’s professionals, capabilities, and global footprint to deliver projects efficiently and at scale.
Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and inclusion; champion ethical business practices.
Drive digital transformation and operational innovation, challenging traditional approaches.
Foster agility and continuous improvement across the organization.
Oversee greenfield and brownfield site development and end-to-end delivery, including zoning/entitlements, permitting, interconnection and grid studies, power procurement, EPC execution, commissioning, and O&M planning.
Ensure projects meet safety, schedule, budget, and quality standards.
Represent the company to investors, regulators, media, and strategic partners; serve as the primary executive interface with key external stakeholders.
Build deep client relationships that drive long-term partnerships and strengthen brand reputation.
Promote ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.
Anticipate and mitigate enterprise risks, including geopolitical, economic, and technological factors.
Oversee corporate governance, compliance, and enterprise risk management.
Ensure compliance with legal, safety, environmental, and market regulations across all jurisdictions.
Report to the Diode Board of Managers, providing regular updates on strategy, performance, and key initiatives, and seeking guidance/approval on major decisions.

Benefits

Our comprehensive benefits portfolio is a key component of this commitment and offers an array of health care benefits including but not limited to medical, dental and vision insurances along with disability and a robust wellness program.
To support a healthy work-life balance, we offer flexible work schedules, paid vacation and holiday time, sick time, and dependent sick time.
A variety of additional benefits are available to our professionals, including a company-matched 401k plan, adoption reimbursement, tuition reimbursement, vendor discounts, an employment referral program, AD&D insurance, pre-taxed accounts, voluntary legal plan and the B&V Credit Union.
Professionals may also be eligible for a performance-based bonus program.
We are proud to be a 100 percent ESOP-owned company. As employee-owners, our professionals are empowered to drive not only their personal growth, but the company's long-term achievements - and they share in the financial rewards of the success through stock ownership.

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