VP of Development

Deca•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The VP of Development is a key operational leader within Deca Digital’s development function, responsible for driving a significant portion of the company’s national project portfolio through entitlement, permitting, and pre-construction readiness. Deca currently has active projects in Nebraska, Missouri, California, and Texas, with a rapidly expanding pipeline that includes additional sites in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and other markets across the country. The VP of Development will own a set of these projects end-to-end — managing both internal team members and external consultants, maintaining project schedules, and serving as a key interface with local governments, utilities, and regulatory agencies. This is a high-ownership role for a senior development professional who can operate independently across multiple markets, execute with precision, and bring creative problem-solving to complex entitlement challenges. The VP of Development reports to the SVP of Development and works closely with the acquisitions, energy, and community engagement teams.

Requirements

10–15 years of experience in land development, project entitlements, or infrastructure development.
Strong track record of independently driving complex projects through multi-jurisdictional entitlement and permitting processes.
Experience across multiple US states or regions; familiarity with CEQA, NEPA, and local land use frameworks in more than one market.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing a large, concurrent project workload with accountability and precision.
Collaborative by nature, with the ability to work effectively across internal teams (acquisitions, energy, finance, legal) and external advisors.
Self-directed and comfortable operating in a fast-moving, growth-stage environment where processes are still being built.

Nice To Haves

Experience with large-scale industrial, data center, energy, or similar infrastructure projects strongly preferred.
Established relationships with local government officials, planning departments, and regulatory agencies in one or more of Deca’s target markets.

Responsibilities

Own the development and entitlement process for assigned sites across Deca’s national portfolio, from initial feasibility through all required approvals and pre-construction milestones.
Manage entitlement and permitting strategies across multiple jurisdictions, including zoning approvals, conditional use permits, environmental review (CEQA, NEPA, and state equivalents), and site plan submissions.
Serve as the primary project interface with municipalities, counties, state agencies, utilities, and other regulatory bodies on assigned sites.
Direct and coordinate third-party entitlement consultants, environmental specialists, civil engineers, traffic engineers, and outside counsel.
Maintain detailed project schedules and milestone trackers, with regular status reporting to the SVP of Development.
Work closely with the acquisitions team during site diligence to assess entitlement feasibility and development risk.
Coordinate with the energy and power engineering teams to align development timelines with utility and interconnection milestones.
Represent Deca at public hearings, planning commission meetings, and community forums across assigned markets.
Identify and escalate emerging entitlement risks, community opposition, or regulatory changes that may affect project timelines.
Support community engagement efforts in coordination with Deca’s Director of Community Engagement & Government Relations.
Mentor and provide day-to-day guidance to development associates and project managers on assigned projects.