Pre-Development Project Manager - Data Center Portfolio

Quality Technology Services•Ashburn, VA

About The Position

As the Predevelopment Project Manager you will be responsible for leading and managing predevelopment activities for assigned projects. This role requires close collaboration with Civil & Environmental Engineers, Designers, Development Consultants, municipal and utility staff, and internal teams, including Corporate Real Estate, Development, Engineering, and Data Center Operations. The Project Manager must have strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively engage with key stakeholders and support decision-making processes.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in real estate development, with a strong focus on pre-development and entitlements
Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Urban Planning, Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred)
Strong understanding of zoning, land use, permitting, and environmental review processes
Strong financial modeling and project budgeting skills
Excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership abilities
Proficiency in Bluebeam, Smartsheets, and Microsoft Office Suite (Excel for budgeting, PowerPoint for executive reporting)
Ability to travel up to 50% of the time

Nice To Haves

MBA, Masters in Engineering, Management, or related field desirable
Experience in data center, industrial, or large-scale infrastructure development preferred
Experience with delivery of mission critical data center facilities
Extensive experience in large scale/complex land development

Responsibilities

Manage due diligence, entitlements, and permitting processes for multiple projects within a campus to support new data center development.
Develop and communicate monthly predevelopment program and project status updates tailored for executive-level review and decision-making.
Collaborate with QTS stakeholders, design consultants, and construction teams to create a comprehensive master campus development plan, including site-wide design solutions and capital budgeting.
Identify and communicate due diligence, entitlement, and permitting risks, along with risk mitigation strategies, to maintain project timelines and budget predictability.
Manage the creation and continuous refinement of multi-phased campus development plans to ensure adherence to time, budget, and quality standards.
Maintain and update campus master plans to provide accurate project forecasting in a dynamic development environment.
Develop scopes of work for due diligence, master planning, and permitting; participate in vendor screening, evaluations, cost leveling, selection, and contract negotiations.
Ensure key stakeholders are well-versed in entitlement and permitting strategies for assigned projects.
Monitor and manage project budgets to maintain cost predictability and effective cash flow management.
Establish and track due diligence, entitlement, and permit schedules, ensuring timely completion through effective internal and external team coordination.
Support Sales Engineers and Product teams in custom deal structuring for prospective clients within assigned sites’ budget and scheduling parameters.
Represent QTS’s interests in critical meetings with regulatory agencies, AHJs (Authorities Having Jurisdiction), economic development corporations (EDCs), and the public.
Build and foster strategic relationships to strengthen QTS’s leadership position in the data center real estate sector.
Enhance project management processes and protocols within the development team to improve operational efficiency.