Director, Data Center Contracts & Commercial Strategy

Lambda•San Francisco, CA

1d•$227,000 - $336,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Lambda is hiring a Director, Data Center Contracts & Commercial Strategy to own contracting and commercial strategy for securing data center capacity. The role covers leased and colocation sites, as well as owned greenfield builds as Lambda’s portfolio grows. The position requires working from Lambda’s San Francisco, San Jose, or Bellevue office four days per week; Tuesday is currently the designated work-from-home day. The Director will lead negotiations for high-value capacity agreements and establish contracting standards and governance that support growth. The role partners closely with Data Center Development, Construction, Design, Capacity Planning, Finance, Legal, and Operations, and provides executive-level briefings on deal strategy, risks, and contingency plans. Lambda is an AI cloud infrastructure company serving customers from AI researchers to enterprises and hyperscalers. It was founded in 2012 and has more than 500 employees. The company describes its mission as making compute as ubiquitous as electricity and giving everyone the power of superintelligence.

Requirements

At least 10 years of experience in data center or complex infrastructure contracting, commercial real estate or capacity leasing, strategic sourcing, or procurement.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Real Estate, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Demonstrated experience personally closing large, complex agreements, typically valued at $100 million or more.
Experience negotiating data center leases or colocation agreements and understanding how landlords and providers price, structure, and deliver capacity, and/or experience negotiating construction, design, or equipment contracts and understanding delivery models and cost types.
Understanding of the data center lifecycle, including land, power and utilities, design, equipment, construction, and commissioning, and how each affects deliverability.
Experience managing contracts after signature, including renewals, amendments, change orders, claims, and closeout.
Experience establishing process, policy, or governance standards adopted by an organization.
Ability to brief and persuade executives and build a business case to support decisions.
Ability to work in ambiguity and on compressed timelines while managing parallel deals in a supply-constrained market.

Nice To Haves

Experience securing capacity for hyperscalers, AI clouds, or large GPU/HPC deployments.
Experience on the landlord, developer, colocation provider, or contractor side.
Experience with complex construction programs such as semiconductor, oil and gas, or energy.
Experience establishing a contracts or sourcing function where little previously existed.

Responsibilities

Own contracting and commercial strategy for securing data center capacity, including leased and colocation sites and future owned greenfield builds.
Lead negotiations for high-value capacity agreements, including leases, colocation and service agreements, master agreements, design, equipment, and construction contracts; set negotiation strategy and partner with Legal and Finance on terms.
Lead lease and colocation negotiations with landlords, providers, and developers from letters of intent through definitive agreements and service orders, balancing rent, power pricing, delivery dates, expansion rights, and performance obligations.
Manage the existing lease portfolio, including renewals, expansions, amendments, restructurings, exits, and landlord performance; keep obligations, milestones, and critical dates current.
Protect delivery schedules through ready-for-service dates, delay credits, step-in rights, milestones, and service-level agreements, and hold landlords, suppliers, and contractors accountable.
Develop contracting strategy for owned capacity, including design firms and Engineers of Record, long-lead equipment procurement, and GC, EPC, or EPCM delivery models and cost types.
Run competitive bids and requests for proposals, evaluate proposals, and recommend awards across leases, equipment, and construction.
Negotiate and execute master agreements with key providers, OEMs, design firms, and contractors to secure capacity and favorable terms across sites.
Drive change-order, claims, and dispute discipline in partnership with Construction, Legal, and Finance.
Establish contract-execution standards, including term sheets, negotiation guardrails, templates, contract abstraction, approval workflows, and governance.
Partner with Data Center Development, Construction, Design, Capacity Planning, Finance, Legal, and Operations.
Deliver executive-level briefings on deal strategy, risks, and contingency plans.