Principal, AI Data Centres

Job Summary

This role leads Echelon’s infrastructure partnerships and related business activities, including partner relationships, customer programs, capability development, and investment cases for new capacity. The position involves team building and defining collaboration models with partners.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain long-term partnerships with operators and suppliers, managing shared plans, commitments, and governance.
• Secure large-scale capacity programs with partners, structured for full lifecycle management and rewarding Echelon’s value contribution.
• Expand the pipeline by identifying new customers and partners to enhance Echelon’s delivery capabilities.
• Recruit and lead the team, defining the operating model regarding Echelon’s and partners’ roles, costs, governance, and in-house capability timing.
• Implement quality standards, operating procedures, and liability agreements with partners to ensure all sites meet top operator benchmarks.
• Develop Echelon’s team capabilities from engineering and build management to network, security, and facility operations.
• Create investment cases for new capacity covering demand, power, chip-generation ramp, capital structure, offtake, and returns for customers, partners, and investors.

Requirements

• Experience building or leading data centre, cloud, or power programs for operators, developers, hyperscalers, or advisory firms.
• Proven leadership of partnerships between companies of different sizes and cultures, maintaining commitment through delivery.
• Strong commercial and financial knowledge including deal structuring, project modeling, capital and operating costs, revenue share, offtake, and returns.
• Understanding of AI infrastructure impacts such as power density, liquid cooling, chip generation pace, and their effects on design, cost, and schedule.
• Experience hiring and leading specialist teams, building capabilities from initial hires and projects, and setting scalable standards.
• Exposure to hyperscale and AI campuses of 100 MW and above, including site, power, handover, and operations.
• Experience with licensed or franchised operating models where one company’s design and standards are delivered by another.
• Familiarity with infrastructure investors, project finance, or joint ventures.
• Professional fluency in Arabic.

What the company offers

• Base salary with housing, transport, and education allowances.
• Medical coverage.
• Equity participation through the employee equity programme.
• Regular travel to customers, sites, and partners’ teams in the United States.

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