Senior Associate, Site Selection, North America

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Key responsibilities include managing site selection strategies, negotiating real estate transactions, overseeing due diligence processes. The ideal candidate brings a proven track record in real estate acquisition, site selection for large-scale infrastructure, and project leadership, along with deep knowledge of data center industry standards and requirements.

Role and Responsibilities

• Site Selection & Strategy

  • Develop and execute strategies for identifying and evaluating data center locations.

  • Analyze geographic, market, and technical criteria to support business growth.

  • Support growth of pipeline of available land transactions

• Real Estate Transactions

  • Lead negotiations for land acquisitions

  • Manage relationships with brokers, legal teams, and regulatory agencies.

• Due Diligence & Feasibility

  • Evaluate site level due diligence, including environmental and utility assessments.

  • Evaluate risks, costs, and site suitability for data center requirements.

• Project Management

  • Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure project timelines and budgets are met.

  • Manage external consultants and vendors for site development.

• Stakeholder Collaboration

  • Partner with internal teams and external stakeholders to align site selection with business goals.

  • Maintain strong relationships with local authorities and community stakeholders.

• Financial Oversight

  • Manage budgets and evaluate financial models for cost-effective site selection.

  • Report on KPIs and provide recommendations to leadership.

• Leadership

  • Grow and mentor a high-performing team to support site acquisition initiatives.

  • Foster a collaborative and innovative work culture.

Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate, business, engineering, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.

• 6-8 years of experience in site selection, real estate transactions, or related roles, ideally in data center or large-scale infrastructure projects.

• Deep understanding of data center requirements, including power, cooling, connectivity, and scalability.

• Proficiency in real estate acquisition, zoning regulations, permitting, and environmental assessments.

• Proven ability to manage complex, cross-functional projects with tight deadlines and budgets.

• Strong organizational and planning skills, with attention to detail and risk management.

• Experience with financial modeling, cost analysis, and budget management.

• Ability to assess market trends and translate data into actionable insights.

• Exceptional negotiation skills with a track record of successful real estate transactions.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills to interact with internal teams, stakeholders, and external partners.

• Experience building and leading high-performing teams.

• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and drive alignment across stakeholders.

• Familiarity with international site selection processes and regulations, particularly in emerging markets.

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

• Proficiency in project management tools, GIS mapping software, and Microsoft Office Suite.

• Knowledge of data center-specific software is a plus.

Reporting Relationships

Compensation

$0.00 - $0.00

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.