Director, Data Center Strategy and Site Selection

About the Role

You are Together AI's inaugural Data Center Strategy hire, owning the physical backbone of our AI cloud. This position requires you to blend technical depth in power, cooling, and redundancy with commercial negotiation and long-term strategic planning. You will evaluate potential sites, structure complex deals, and influence infrastructure decisions across all regions. Your work will directly determine what we build, where we build it, and which partners we rely on to scale responsibly. You will balance cost, risk, and speed to meet product and customer demand effectively. This role grants significant ownership over the foundational infrastructure that supports our mission. You will act as a key strategic partner to executive leadership on major infrastructure investments.

Key facts

What you'll do

Develop Together's global data center strategy by defining where we invest and lease data center space and which partners we select to support our growth trajectory.

Own site selection and vendor relationships by evaluating new locations and negotiating large colocation and power contracts while actively managing vendor performance on cost, delivery, and SLAs.

Drive the technical site diligence process in collaboration with cross-functional partners, rigorously assessing power architecture, cooling solutions (including liquid cooling), redundancy schemes, grid capacity, and expansion potential.

Negotiate data center leases and other commercial agreements while interfacing confidently with executive and senior-level management to secure favorable terms.

Execute high-impact commercial and strategic transactions by proactively engaging with supplier and internal executive leadership to align on objectives and outcomes.

Support sovereign and large-scale customer deals by defining and scoping custom infrastructure requirements to meet specific compliance and operational needs.

Define and source site connectivity from a diverse range of network providers to ensure robust and scalable network performance.

Collaborate cross-functionally with Infrastructure, Finance, Product, and Go-to-Market teams to tightly link site investments with market demand and the product roadmap.

Maintain a sharp focus on financial discipline, constructing detailed TCO models and analyzing cost drivers across data center builds and ongoing power expenses.

Communicate complex technical trade-offs in a clear manner to enable non-technical stakeholders to make informed business decisions.

Identify and evaluate emerging locations and partners to future-proof our infrastructure strategy against evolving market demands.

Manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, prioritizing tasks to meet aggressive timelines without compromising on analytical rigor.

Leverage your knowledge of power markets and energy procurement to identify opportunities for efficient and sustainable power strategies.

Document processes and decisions to create a clear institutional knowledge base for ongoing strategy refinement.

Requirements

Bring 8+ years of experience in data center strategy, site selection, or infrastructure planning within a hyperscaler, AI infra company, or large colocation provider.

Demonstrate a strong technical grasp of DC fundamentals, including power architecture, cooling (including liquid cooling) systems, redundancy schemes, and rack density considerations.

Show a proven ability to lead large, complex, multi-party negotiations and to structure colocation and power contracts while managing formal RFP processes.

Possess knowledge of standard data center, power, and real estate contractual and legal frameworks relevant to global operations.

Exhibit financial fluency through expertise in TCO modeling and a deep understanding of cost drivers across both data center builds and power consumption.

Communicate clearly and effectively, translating intricate technical trade-offs into accessible business decisions for stakeholders without technical backgrounds.

Commit to equal opportunity and embrace diversity, as Together AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to inclusion.

Nice to have

Familiarity with power markets, energy procurement, or behind-the-meter strategies to optimize cost and efficiency.

A background in hyperscale or sovereign AI projects, providing insight into large-scale and regulated deployments.

Familiarity with ISPs and network service providers to evaluate connectivity options and performance.

Practical notes

This is a full-time role.

The position offers flexibility in terms of remote work.

The compensation package includes startup equity, health insurance, and other benefits.