Director of Construction

Director of Construction | Mission-Critical Data Centers

Philadelphia/Mid-Atlantic | Confidential Client

Build the digital backbone of the economy with a company that puts substance over form.

Valor Front Executive Search has been exclusively retained to identify a Director of Construction for a fully integrated builder, owner, and operator of mission-critical data centers with a multi-billion-dollar active development pipeline across the Mid-Atlantic region.

About Our Client

Our client is a mission-critical data center developer founded in the early days of wholesale/hyperscale development and still led by its founders. The company's mission is construction-centric: align best-in-class infrastructure, engineering, construction, and operations to sustain secure, uninterrupted power, cooling, and connectivity for the world's most quality-sensitive customers.

With recent announcements of $4B+ in new large-scale developments across New Jersey and Virginia—plus a growing Mid-Atlantic and national pre-development pipeline—the company has strong momentum and a long runway for senior construction leadership to make a visible impact.

What Makes This Company Different

Culture Built Around Non-Negotiables:

• "Substance over form" – The company is explicit that it does not cut corners and pursues excellence in every detail
• Transparency and trust – Structures programs to be clear, collaborative, and predictable for customers and internal teams
• Quality-sensitive execution – Track record defined by repeat delivery for hyperscale and enterprise clients with the highest standards in the industry
• Operational empathy – Designs and builds are meant to be operated flawlessly for decades; construction and ops are tightly aligned, not siloed
• Flexibility without chaos – Modular, pre-planned growth and densification allow construction leaders to scale campuses cleanly while adapting to client nuance

The Opportunity

This is not "just another DC build role." Construction leaders at this company get to:

• Own End-to-End Delivery – True turn-key developer model from entitlement and precon through commissioning and handoff to operations

• Build Big, Complex, Hyperscale-Grade Campuses – Work in one of the fastest-growing data center regions in the U.S., where projects require sophisticated stakeholder and utility coordination

• Lead Programs That Are Already Capitalized and Real – Current projects are fully pre-leased/blue-chip-anchored, meaning your work is tied to committed demand, not speculative starts

• Set the Regional Standard for Resiliency and Efficiency – Including rigor around PUE performance and transmission-grade power strategies
• What This Role Offers

• Impact & Scale – Deliver facilities that keep global finance, cloud, AI, and enterprise systems online through multi-year campus programs delivering between late-2025 and mid-2027, with follow-on pipeline beyond that

• Autonomy with Real Backing – Trusted to build the execution team and drive outcomes, with clear executive sponsorship from founders with deep construction DNA who remain highly engaged in delivery

• Pride in Craftsmanship – The company's brand is quality-first, no-corner-cutting. If your reputation is built on predictable, high-reliability delivery, this environment amplifies it

• Long-Term Career Runway – The size of current and future developments creates pathways into regional VP/national construction leadership as Mid-Atlantic capacity scales

• A Builder's Environment – Culture favors people who are hands-on, humble, technically credible, and calm under pressure

Why Join Now?

• Major Growth Cycle – A $4B+ active program and broader national pipeline mean the Philadelphia Director will be shaping a key region during expansion, not inheriting a mature, locked-in machine

• Mid-Atlantic is a Priority Theater – With recent Loudoun County land acquisition and NJ/VA builds underway, Philadelphia becomes a strategic extension of the company's Mid-Atlantic delivery platform

• Build the Team and the Playbook – The company's "flexibility to accommodate program nuance" is a real invitation for a senior builder to set standards and elevate execution

Ideal Leadership Profile

The company's best Directors of Construction typically demonstrate:

• Veteran mission-critical builders with hyperscale/enterprise DC delivery pedigree and high-stakes client exposure
• Execution-team architects who can recruit, coach, and scale superintendents, PMs, MEP leaders, safety, and commissioning partners
• Technically fluent and process-disciplined (utility coordination, redundancy tiers, MEP, commissioning, vendor ecosystems)
• Calm, transparent communicators who win trust with owners, AHJs, utilities, and contractors
• Builders who take pride in "doing it right," not "doing it fast at any cost"

Key Responsibilities

• Lead data center construction program from entitlement and preconstruction through commissioning and handoff to operations
• Drive delivery certainty across scope, schedule, budget, quality, and safety for hyperscale/enterprise-grade builds
• Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing regional execution team
• Enforce quality and resiliency standards for critical infrastructure systems
• Own capital project budgets, forecasting, change control, and cost-to-complete accuracy
• Champion zero-incident culture and ensure OSHA compliance

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive mission-critical or complex industrial construction leadership; 5+ years leading multi-site programs or campuses
• Proven delivery of hyperscale/enterprise data centers or similarly complex critical facilities
• Deep knowledge of MEP systems, redundancy architectures, commissioning/IST, and operational turnover
• Strong record in preconstruction, scheduling, cost control, change management, and risk mitigation
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead execution teams
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or related field (or equivalent experience)

This is a confidential search being conducted by Valor Front Executive Search.

Valor Front is a top 1% nationally ranked executive search firm with 25+ years of executive search experience, 1,500+ leadership placements, and 6+ years of data center expertise.

To express interest or learn more, please apply!

All inquiries will be handled with complete confidentiality.