Join a high-performing team deploying capital in one of the fastest-growing real estate sectors. As an Investment Director of Digital Transactions and Asset Management, you'll drive the performance and optimization of a data center portfolio. This role carries responsibility for transactions underwriting and execution as well as financial and operational performance of assets, driving value creation, and ensuring alignment with broader investment strategies and risk management parameters.
The ideal candidate has deep experience in the data center sector with prior roles in underwriting, acquisitions, leasing, financing, power infrastructure, construction oversight, and hyperscale/enterprise tenant dynamics. The ideal candidate will be well versed in partnering across multiple functional areas including portfolio management and capital markets.
Job Description: The Director is responsible for driving asset-level performance and value creation, while also leading and supporting acquisitions, developments, and capital markets activity.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the financial and operational performance of a national and/or international portfolio of data center assets, driving NOI growth, tenant satisfaction, and long-term value creation.
- Develop and execute detailed asset-level business plans, including leasing strategies, capital improvement programs, power optimization, risk management, and redevelopment or expansion initiatives.
- Monitor and optimize asset performance across key metrics including occupancy, lease performance, operating expenses, power usage effectiveness (PUE), and return on invested capital.
- Manage relationships with data center operating and development partners, overseeing performance, governance, and strategic alignment.
- Collaborate closely with internal teams (development, engineering, ESG, finance, legal) and third-party property and facility managers to ensure operational excellence and alignment with investment objectives.
- Prepare and present asset and portfolio-level reporting, forecasts, and performance updates for senior leadership, Investment Committee, and institutional investors.
- Stay current on data center market trends, tenant demand dynamics (hyperscale and enterprise), power availability, sustainability considerations, and technological developments to inform asset strategy.
- Lead and support the origination, underwriting, and execution of data center acquisitions, developments, and structured investments.
- Execute transaction processes including due diligence, financial modeling, deal structuring, negotiation, and preparation of Investment Committee materials.
- Work with Partners and Capital Markets on a range of transaction strategies, including:
- Entity-level investments and programmatic joint ventures with operating partners
- Portfolio acquisitions
- Opportunistic development and redevelopment
- Loan acquisitions and workouts
- Provide asset-level and market insight to inform acquisition and disposition decisions.
- Support capitalization strategies, financing, and dispositions in coordination with Portfolio Management and Capital Markets teams.
Asset Management & Portfolio Performance
Transactions, Acquisitions & Capital Deployment
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree (real estate and finance concentrations preferred);
- 8+ years of experience in real estate investment, asset management, infrastructure, or private equity, with direct data center or mission-critical facilities experience required.
- Demonstrated expertise in data center operations, including power, cooling, network infrastructure, leasing, and tenant requirements.
- Core knowledge of real estate investment and finance principles, as well as a working understanding of real estate accounting;
- Strong written and verbal communication skills;
- Ability to draw conclusions from research and data analysis and communicate them concisely and effectively;
- Thorough understanding of business software (Excel at minimum - Argus preferred).
This position requires frequent travel to visit properties, property managers, and operating partners.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree (real estate and finance concentrations preferred)
- 8+ years of experience in real estate investment, asset management, infrastructure, or private equity, with direct data center experience
- Expertise in data center operations, including power, cooling, network infrastructure, and leasing
- Core knowledge of real estate investment and finance principles
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to draw conclusions from research and data analysis
- Thorough understanding of business software (Excel at minimum, Argus preferred)
What We Do
Harrison Street is one of the leading investment management firms exclusively focused on alternative real assets. Since inception in 2005, the firm has created a series of differentiated investment solutions focused on demographic-driven, needs-based assets. The firm has invested across senior housing, student housing, build-to-rent, healthcare delivery, life sciences and storage real estate as well as social, utility and digital infrastructure. Headquartered in Chicago and London, with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia, the firm has more than 290-employees and approximately $55 billion in assets under management. Clients of the firm include a global institutional investor base domiciled in North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Latin America. Harrison Street was awarded Best Places to Work by Pensions & Investments for ten years (2014-2020, 2022-2024) and since 2019 has won 15 awards from PERE, including three for the 2023 Awards: Alternatives Investor of the Year – Global, Data Centers Investor of the Year – North America, and ESG Firm of the Year - North America. Harrison Street did not pay any compensation in exchange for the aforementioned awards. For more information, please visit www.harrisonst.com. Assets under management ("AUM") reflects AUM for the Firm’s investment advisory and asset management clients. The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or as a recommendation of any particular strategy or investment product. This profile should not be considered as a solicitation for services *As used in this website, unless the context otherwise requires, "Harrison Street," “HSRE”, “HS” or the "Firm" refers collectively to Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC, its subsidiaries, including Harrison Street Advisors.
