Principal Land Acquisition Manager

Microsoft • Washington, DC

8d

About The Position

Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) team is responsible for the full lifecycle of Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, spanning site selection, development, and operations. Our global footprint includes more than 400 datacenters in 34 countries, supported by over 165,000 miles of fiber optic cable. These facilities form the backbone of Microsoft Azure and are central to our commitment to reliable, secure, and sustainable digital infrastructure.

As part of the CO+I Cloud Infrastructure Acquisition team, you will join a team of real estate professionals responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and closing strategic land transactions. You will drive market entry and expansion strategies by partnering with legal, finance, energy, engineering, and community engagement teams to enable site readiness and optionality. This role requires strong deal-making expertise, the ability to navigate diverse regulatory and cultural environments, and the leadership skills to build trusted partnerships across internal and external stakeholders. This role requires an exceptional ability to manage complexity, build systems for accountability, and deliver results at scale.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Real Estate, Project Management, or related field AND 7+ years in real estate acquisitions, land strategy, or large-scale infrastructure development or relevant experience OR 10+ years equivalent experience
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role.
• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Real Estate, Project Management, or related field AND 10+ years Portfolio Management, Real Estate, or Office Management experience OR 15+ years equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated success in sourcing and negotiating high-value, complex real estate transactions across multiple jurisdictions.
• Understanding of land use, zoning, permitting, and entitlement processes in US markets.
• Track record of building and managing high-performing, geographically dispersed teams.
• Proven ability to develop and execute regional strategies in alignment with global objectives.
• Stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across senior leadership, external partners, and government agencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the identification, evaluation, and acquisition of strategic land parcels across America's to meet Microsoft’s cloud growth needs.
• Develop regional market strategies informed by business demand, competitive dynamics, and regulatory landscapes.
• Negotiate complex real estate transactions, ensuring alignment with Microsoft’s financial, legal, and operational requirements.
• Manage relationships with brokers, landowners, developers, and government authorities to accelerate deal execution.
• Partner with internal teams (engineering, energy, community affairs, legal, finance) to ensure acquired sites can be advanced to development on schedule.
• Establish and track portfolio-level metrics on deal velocity, pipeline health, and transaction risk.
• Drive due diligence processes, ensuring proactive identification and mitigation of legal, zoning, and entitlement risks.
• Represent Microsoft in market engagements, industry forums, and with government stakeholders to advance Microsoft’s position as a trusted, long-term partner.
• Build, lead, and develop a regional acquisition team, fostering collaboration and operational excellence.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees