Director of Data Center Certification

Accountabilities:

• Define and lead the certification organization's strategy, including its three-year vision, scope, priorities, and alignment with the broader clean-energy initiative.

• Develop an independent certification standard in collaboration with technical experts, data center developers, utilities, and municipalities.

• Ensure certification criteria are technically rigorous, credible, practical, and attractive enough to encourage industry adoption.

• Design a sustainable business model, including facility-size-based fees, annual recertification, membership tiers, and professional credentials.

• Establish a clear path to financial self-sufficiency while ensuring revenue supports the organization's long-term impact objectives.

• Build a lean, digital-first operating model, including certification processes, a remote auditor network, and consistent quality assurance.

• Secure early adopters among data center developers and municipalities, positioning certification as a trusted reference for siting, permitting, and procurement.

• Safeguard the organization's independence and manage potential conflicts of interest between commercial relationships and certification integrity.

• Collaborate closely with the Director of Data Center Energy Strategy to align certification with developer engagement and energy partnership initiatives.

• Recruit and lead the core certification team, develop the auditor network, and scale the organization as adoption grows.

• Build and maintain relationships across hyperscalers, data center developers, utilities, grid operators, municipalities, regulators, standards organizations, and climate funders.

• Partner with the Foundation's CEO on budgeting, impact measurement, risk management, and the deployment of surplus revenue through grants and impact investing.

• Deliver key first-year milestones, including an approved three-year strategy, publication of the first certification standard, established governance and fee structures, trained auditors, and initial pilot certifications with committed adopters.

Requirements:

• Experience building a new organization, product, or market from an early stage, ideally including creating demand as well as developing the offering.

• Strong credibility with both data center developers and energy executives, as well as municipal officials and regulators.

• Working knowledge of data center and energy fundamentals, including power procurement, grid interconnection, renewable energy, energy storage, and load flexibility.

• Ability to lead technical experts, assess their work, and translate complex technical concepts into practical certification requirements.

• Commercial expertise, including designing pricing and revenue models, developing sustainable business strategies, and selling to skeptical or sophisticated buyers.

• Demonstrated leadership experience, including recruiting, developing, and managing effective teams.

• Sound judgment regarding organizational independence, conflicts of interest, and the ability to protect certification integrity under commercial pressure.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to make technical standards compelling and understandable to industry leaders, public officials, and broader audiences.

• Strong personal commitment to advancing clean, reliable energy for the growth of AI infrastructure.

• Strongly preferred qualifications:

  • Experience in standards development, certification, ratings, or accreditation, such as LEED, ENERGY STAR, ISO, or ESG frameworks.

  • Direct experience in data centers, AI infrastructure, utilities, or energy development.

  • Experience working with municipalities, permitting authorities, or state energy regulators.

  • Previous leadership in a nonprofit or membership organization, or experience working with philanthropic funders.

  • An engineering or technical background, or an advanced degree in a relevant discipline.

  • An established professional network across hyperscalers, data center developers, utilities, and climate investors.

  Benefits:

  • Competitive salary and benefits package.

  • Fully remote work within the United States.

  • Founding leadership opportunity to establish and shape an independent certification institution from the ground up.

  • Seed backing from a philanthropic foundation to support the development of the initiative.

  • Direct reporting relationship to the Foundation's CEO.

  • Close collaboration with the leadership of the broader data center energy strategy.

  • Opportunity to influence industry standards and accelerate the adoption of clean, reliable energy for AI infrastructure.

  • Travel opportunities to engage with developers, utilities, municipalities, and other key stakeholders.

  • Salary range and specific details of healthcare, retirement, and paid leave benefits are not specified in the posting.