Senior Counsel – Data Center Real Estate, Development & Investments

Senior Counsel – Data Center Real Estate, Development & Investments

Two Senior Counsel Positions: Real Estate/Development & Corporate Finance/Investments

Location: Arlington, VA | Onsite

About the Company

Our client is a rapidly growing data center real estate and infrastructure investment and development platform focused on the development of large-scale, mission-critical facilities supporting hyperscale, cloud and AI-driven demand.

The organization operates across the full development and investment lifecycle—from site origination, land acquisition and capital formation through development, design, construction, infrastructure delivery and long-term asset management. With a growing portfolio of large-scale data center developments, the company operates at the intersection of real estate, institutional capital, power and infrastructure, and mission-critical construction.

As the platform continues to scale, the organization is expanding its internal legal function and seeking two experienced Senior Counsel attorneys to partner directly with executive leadership and cross-functional teams across investments, finance, development, construction, procurement and operations.

The two positions will focus on distinct but complementary areas of the business:

Senior Counsel – Real Estate, Development & Procurement

This attorney will serve as a strategic legal partner across the full data center development lifecycle, from site acquisition and entitlement through construction, energization, procurement and ongoing asset operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead legal support for site acquisitions, dispositions, ground leases, purchase and sale agreements, easements, rights-of-way, title, survey and real estate due diligence.
• Advise development teams on zoning, entitlement, permitting, environmental and infrastructure-development matters.
• Draft and negotiate complex construction and development agreements, including GC, EPC, design, engineering and professional-services contracts.
• Support agreements involving utility service, power delivery, substations, interconnection, water, fiber and other mission-critical infrastructure.
• Partner with procurement and construction teams on contracts for long-lead equipment, electrical and mechanical systems, owner-furnished equipment and critical vendors.
• Advise on project risk, change orders, warranties, indemnification, insurance, performance obligations and dispute resolution.
• Support leasing and operational matters involving data center tenants, access rights and facility operations.
• Develop scalable contract templates, approval standards and legal processes to support continued portfolio growth.
• Manage outside counsel and specialized legal resources.

Ideal Background

• JD from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• Significant transactional experience involving commercial real estate development, construction, procurement and/or infrastructure.
• Experience with land acquisitions, development agreements, construction contracts and complex vendor/equipment procurement agreements.
• Strong understanding of title, survey, easements, zoning, entitlement, environmental and utility matters.
• Experience within data centers, digital infrastructure, institutional real estate, REITs or infrastructure development strongly preferred.
• Exposure to power procurement, utility infrastructure, energization, phased development or long-lead equipment is highly valuable.
• Ability to balance legal protection with commercial urgency and provide practical guidance to business leaders.

Senior Counsel – Corporate Finance & Investments

This attorney will work closely with executive, investment and finance leadership on the capital and transactional side of the data center platform, supporting acquisitions, investments, joint ventures and complex financing activity.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide legal counsel on acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, strategic investments, recapitalizations and portfolio transactions.
• Draft and negotiate purchase agreements, contribution agreements, joint venture agreements, operating agreements, shareholder agreements and investment documentation.
• Support debt and equity financings, including acquisition financing, construction financing, project-level debt, corporate credit facilities, preferred equity and institutional capital partnerships.
• Advise on transaction structuring, legal due diligence, risk allocation, governance rights, investment approvals and closing requirements.
• Partner closely with investments, finance, accounting, tax, development, asset management and executive leadership.
• Support transactions involving private equity sponsors, institutional investors, lenders and strategic partners.
• Advise on corporate governance, board and committee matters, delegated authority, entity management and internal approval processes.
• Support REIT-related legal considerations in partnership with tax professionals and outside counsel.
• Manage legal workstreams and outside counsel across large, multifaceted transactions.
• Establish repeatable transaction processes and legal controls that support rapid and disciplined portfolio growth.

Ideal Background

• JD from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• Significant transactional experience across corporate finance, M&A, real estate investments, joint ventures, private equity and/or capital markets.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating sophisticated financing, investment, acquisition and joint venture agreements.
• Strong understanding of corporate governance, entity structuring and complex transaction execution.
• Familiarity with REIT structures and institutional real estate investment is highly valued.
• Experience with a data center or digital infrastructure company, REIT, private equity sponsor, institutional investor or comparable capital-intensive organization strongly preferred.
• Ability to analyze complex legal and commercial issues and communicate clear, practical recommendations to senior executives.

What We're Looking For Across Both Positions

These positions are designed for attorneys who want to operate as strategic business partners rather than traditional legal advisors.

The successful candidates will be comfortable working directly alongside senior decision-makers, understanding the commercial objectives behind a transaction or development, identifying and mitigating risk, and helping the organization execute efficiently as its data center portfolio continues to scale.

The strongest candidates will bring sophisticated transactional experience, excellent drafting and negotiation skills, strong commercial judgment and the ability to operate effectively within a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and highly collaborative environment.