Director of Corporate Business Development - Asia

About us:

At NEXTDC we have been building the heart of Australia’s high-tech future. We design, build and operate world class, next generation data centres, using cutting edge, environmentally efficient infrastructure to service the broad requirements of local and international companies.

We are establishing a new data centre in Malaysia meeting the current and future digital needs of Malaysia by accelerating job skills, direct investment and economic prosperity.

At NEXTDC, we know that our success depends on the talents of our people and we foster a culture of continued learning and development. Our culture is built on collaboration and innovation, we are passionate about what we do and we are committed to our mission to be the leading customer-centric data centre services company.

NEXTDC is where the Cloud Lives, and where AI Thrives.

About the role:

As our Director of Corporate and Business Development, Asia you’ll be responsible for investigating and enabling new data centre markets (country, market, site), via successful site acquisition. This includes government engagement, corporate enablement, stakeholder negotiations, market appraisal, business model assessment, data centre site search, evaluation and selection, and the initial financial modelling of potential data centre developments.

Being successful in this role will include:

• Appraising key economic and industry-relevant trends to identify and prioritise markets to as targets for entry
• Conducting analysis and recommending prioritisation to meet NEXTDC strategic priorities and customer opportunities
• Working with external parties, incl Government Agencies, Real Estate Agencies, Land Owners, and others to identify potential sites
• Working with relevant internal and external stakeholders to undertake the end-to-end site selection process from site identification and assessment to the handover of acquired sites to Project Initiation and the relevant NEXTDC development teams.

Some of your core functions will include:

• Being responsible for financial, risk and planning analysis of NEXTDC new market entries, and related new sites
• Leading the process to obtain necessary regulatory permissions and concessions to establish market presence in new jurisdictions, including by working and lobbying through relevant government agencies (within target countries and Australian) and industry associations.
• Identifying potential development opportunities and managing the site identification, assessment and acquisition process, including recruitment of development partners as required
• Leading (with support from Finance, Legal, Engineering and others) the site purchase due diligence process, including assessment of new development/funding partners to participate in the project
• Partner with NEXTDC’s Finance, Legal, Engineering teams, and external consultants in the preparation of site fit, concept designs project cost estimates and development programs
• Ensure smooth handover of the acquired site to relevant NEXTDC Development teams to enable the long-term success of each project
• Meet with and negotiate with Government Departments, Councils, vendors, contractors, NEXTDC leaders and team members and any other applicable stakeholders to achieve required outcomes for the NEXTDC development and its’ targeted customer needs

This opportunity will see you working with world leaders in our space. Join our journey now and be an integral part of our success.

We are happy for this position to be based in Malaysia, Thailand or Singapore

About you:

• Strong stakeholder management, regulatory compliance and negotiation skills
• Extensive knowledge of all project development and management methodologies
• Knowledge of data centre build, fit-out, operate and related technologies, or the equivalent in other mission critical infrastructure
• Knowledge of various building codes and regulations across different regions in Southeast Asia
• Knowledge of relevant data centre and building design standards such as Uptime Institute, TIA-942, NABERS and BCA
• Exceptional planning, organising and analytical skills
• Possess strong interpersonal skills and an understanding of cultural communication differences to successfully build relationships with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds.
• Minimum business level proficiency in the English language, and preferably business level proficiency in Japanese, and/or Southeast Asian languages (e.g. Bahasa Malay, Thai, Indonesian)

What you bring:

• 10+ years’ experience in market analysis & large-scale land acquisition (ideally for Data Centres)
• Experience in managing land development portfolios in excess of $150m
• Experience in leading geographically distributed projects (Pan-Asia Pacific)
• Relevant tertiary level qualifications in Finance, Property or Government
• Experience of Australian and Southeast Asian property development and authorities’ approvals

Why NEXTDC:

• Seize this exciting opportunity to join one of Australia’s fastest growing companies and play a key contributing role in the future of AI and the digital economy
• Join an inclusive, diverse and values-driven working culture with hybrid working practices
• Enjoy awesome employee benefits (NEXTDC days, volunteer days, professional development, holistic wellbeing and mental health programs and more)
• Great opportunities to progress within our company (grow as we grow)