Microsoft Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers Microsoft's cloud services and our team is focused on delivering high quality infrastructure to support cloud operations. As Microsoft’s Cloud business continues to mature, our infrastructure expansion accelerates, and Data Centers are central to this growth. To support this, the acquisition and development of our owned, designed, and constructed Data Center facilities will scale to meet the demands of our customers, while we also continue to lease and acquire Data Center capacity at pace, particularly in our high growth markets, working closely with Data Center operators in each region, and across the Globe.  

The Senior Director for Site Acquisition in EMEA has regional responsibility for leasing and acquiring datacenter capacity in the EMEA region to support our customer growth. Working closely with our global strategy team, the leader will develop an EMEA strategy by market, aligning closely with key stakeholders to ensure optimal delivery to achieve our time to market needs. This role is accountable for the delivery of the overall EMEA leasing strategy, managing a team of site acquisition managers, as well as a technical diligence team who support the contracting and execution of high-quality contracts.

This is a key leadership role within EMEA that will regularly liaise with C-level executives in our supply chain, in the marketplace and within Microsoft. The Senior Director for Site Acquisition in EMEA will work closely with many internal teams including regional demand planning, finance, engineering, construction, security, networking, energy, and operations, as well as our global site acquisition & portfolio team and our Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I) Leadership Team.

#COICareers

Responsibilities

Responsibilities:

Alignment and execution of our Objectives & Key Results:

• Impactful leadership of the EMEA site acquisition team and management of EMEA site acquisition directors, EMEA site acquisition managers and business program managers through a model, coach, care approach

• Collaborate with internal business units and stakeholders to ensure primary responsibilities are aligned with the group’s strategic direction, delivering efficiently and effectively

• Executive level communication and presentations to Microsoft’s Leadership team including presentations of EMEA region plans and updates, and regional deal approval processes

• Be part of EMEA regional leadership team to collaborate and work cross functionally to deliver new and existing region data centres for our Customers

• Drive continuous improvement in our site acquisition processes in alignment with our global teams as well as colleagues and peers in the APAC and AMERS regions

• Develop key relationships with our strategic lessor partners to ensure they are delivering high quality data centres, in line with our design, safety and operational needs

• Oversee strategic acquisition opportunities in our core markets and enable Microsoft to grow at scale using flexible contract structures with strategic partners

Site Acquisition:

• Regional responsibility of the lease project execution in conjunction with the EMEA team, CO+I cross-functional teams, consultants, vendors and external stakeholders

• Shaping, building and execution of market strategy based on portfolio analytics & market research (market expertise)

• Working collaboratively within Microsoft to create and implement the best delivery model for our business, supporting all locations where leasing is needed, both short and long term

• Working with Capacity Planners and Network Specialists to understand capacity needs and site requirements and future growth security in assigned metros/regions

• Leading cross functional teams to evaluate, select, negotiate, and recommend leases for approval

• Fully accountable for the execution of the regional budget and achieving targets each quarter

• Working with leasing team, internal law & corporate affairs personnel to drive preparation of executable lease documents in alignment with our lease agreement template and lease negotiation escalation guidelines

• Align closely with design team to ensure our leased capacity meets our technical requirements

Qualifications

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain or technical discipline

• Extensive years of site selection or acquisition experience (data centre preferable), in a mission-critical site, large-scale production facility / plant or complex real estate company with high volume of acquisition

• Vast experience in people management in a fast paced, high-pressure environment experiencing significant growth

• Strong executive presence, owning and managing strategic relationships with external C-Suites, including management of constructive feedback discussions and escalations

• Considerable experience and highly capable of liaising with internal C-Suite Leadership teams, including preparing and delivering senior executive presentations

• Proven ability to apply critical thinking in complex situations and to drive change where needed, across a Global team (taking initiative)

• Proven experience in leading complex negotiations/initiatives, contract formation, and contract negotiations to successful completion

• Confident, takes ownership, willingness to “do what it takes” to get the job done

• Proven track record as a Regional Leader and managing high performing teams

• Must be able to deliver results in a timely manner

• Must be highly productive in a team environment, always looking left and right to ensure overall delivery is achieved for our customers (cross functional collaboration and support)

• General understanding of hybrid real estate solutions such as Build-to-Suit, Retail, commercial property and or hyperscale datacenter leases

• Strong analytical, creative thinking, written, and verbal communications skills

• Willing to travel internationally as needed

Preferred, not required:

• Data centre experience is not essential but preferred

• Experience with corporate communications and public relations strategies

• Background in real estate development and land acquisition, or degree or training

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .