Land Development & Permitting Program Manager
About The Position
Microsoft’s Cloud Infrastructure Acquisition (CIA) Land Development Organization is seeking a Land Development & Permitting Program Manager to support datacenter development across markets in the Southeastern United States. The role supports Microsoft’s complex, multidisciplinary, large-scale, multi-year datacenter construction portfolio, helping deliver operation-ready sites from site selection through entitlements, design, permitting, construction, and handover to operations. The Program Manager coordinates across internal teams including Environmental, Engineering & Design, Construction, Legal, Government Affairs, and Community Affairs. The role manages permitting and approvals, stakeholder relationships, project planning, contracts, budgets, regulatory compliance, and reporting to enable timely project development and construction.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Real Estate, Project Management, or a related field and 3+ years of relevant experience, or 5+ years of equivalent experience.
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including passing the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
Nice To Haves
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Engineering, Construction, Urban Planning, Architecture, Land Use, Law, Real Estate, or a related field.
- 7+ years of experience delivering large-scale and/or complex land development projects.
- Proven experience securing permits, planning approvals, and other entitlements for large-scale construction initiatives.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a portfolio of projects, including associated budgets and schedules.
- Ability to build and maintain cross-functional relationships with internal teams and external partners such as environmental consultants, attorneys, contractors, and regulatory agencies.
- Mission-critical design and/or construction experience.
- Experience delivering projects in multiple jurisdictions.
Responsibilities
- Manage permitting and approvals for a regional portfolio of datacenter projects to enable timely development and construction.
- Assess regulatory requirements and related risks during due diligence, design, and construction.
- Engage internal and external stakeholders to align project objectives, timelines, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Manage utility connections, construction agreements, and development contracts.
- Oversee integrated project planning and coordination across land development, design, construction, operations, and environmental teams.
- Administer contracts and budgets throughout the datacenter development lifecycle.
- Communicate key risks, mitigations, and permitting policies to internal Microsoft stakeholders.
- Work with stakeholders to develop solutions to schedule delays and permitting challenges.
- Represent Microsoft in meetings with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), external stakeholders, and the public to facilitate project approvals.
- Own strategic relationships with AHJs, government officials, and other key external stakeholders as the primary contact for permitting and pre-construction discussions.
- Support development and continuous improvement of tools and processes for permitting, approvals, and entitlements.
- Educate project teams on permitting requirements to support compliance and timely approvals.
- Monitor permit approval conditions to maintain regulatory compliance.
- Track and report metrics, including permitting and delivery timeline predictability.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
