Director of Data Center Certification

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director of Data Center Certification based in the United States. The Director of Data Center Certification will establish and lead an independent certification organization designed to define trusted standards for powering AI data centers with clean, reliable energy. This is a founding leadership opportunity to build an institution from the ground up, shaping its strategy, certification framework, business model, and team. You will work with data center developers, utilities, municipalities, regulators, and technical experts to create a standard that is both rigorous and commercially viable. The role combines organizational leadership, commercial development, technical oversight, and stakeholder engagement, with a strong emphasis on independence and credibility. You will also help make certification a recognized benchmark for data center siting, permitting, and procurement decisions. This is a fully remote position within the United States, with travel expected for key stakeholder engagements. 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.