Director, Data Centre Partnerships & Business Development

Director, Data Centre Partnerships & Business Development

Join one of the largest privately owned real estate companies in North America, and help build Onni's data centre partnerships, leasing and development business from the ground up.

For over half a century, we've been building communities for people to live, work, and play spanning real estate development and construction, commercial property ownership and management, hospitality, and a growing presence in venture capital and technology. Our expertise reaches across major North American cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Phoenix, Toronto, and Vancouver. To date, we've developed, built, and now own or manage well over 50 million square feet of residential, office, retail, and industrial space including more than 15,000 homes and 11,200 rental apartments with another 28 million square feet underway across our markets. Employing thousands of people across North America, Onni continues to diversify beyond our real estate roots, including through Grey Owl, our technology company delivering managed IT, AI-driven security, and smart building solutions to commercial properties across North America.

In 2009, Onni entered the hospitality space with Level Hotels & Furnished Suites, and our portfolio has since grown to various hotels in Vancouver, Chicago, and Seattle, with plans to add and grow more. We've also expanded into dining, with restaurant concepts including Capo & The Spritz and Solette in Vancouver and Chicago, Fora in Chicago's Fulton Market, and Dialtone, our coffee-by-day, wine-by-night concept.

At Onni, you'll learn from experienced professionals across every part of our business, take on real responsibility early, and have clear room to grow whether your path is in commercial real estate, hospitality, or the technology and innovation shaping what comes next.

Onni operates a full-time, work-from-the-office culture vibrant, dynamic, and fun, with an open floor plan built on our belief in the strength of in-person interaction and collaboration. Employees also enjoy three days a month of work-from-home flexibility, along with an exciting calendar of employee events throughout the year including quarterly team-building events, sports day, an annual holiday party, and other seasonal celebrations throughout the year, along with regular office events like food trucks and local favorites, and the following perks and benefits:

• Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits package.
• Benefits include health care, including a $0 premium health care plan, dental care, vision care, health savings account, flexible spending account, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, accident insurance, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance, and a 401(k) plan with an employer match.
• Annual education allowance.
• Generous referral program.
• Fun and collaborative company culture with lots of team-building events.
• Free access to a fully equipped gym.
• Friends and Family rates for hospitality brands.

Onni is seeking a resourceful Director to help grow its data centre partnerships and business market share. This role suits an ambitious professional building a career in the sector who can identify opportunities, make direct approaches and turn initial interest into a well-managed deal process. You will work closely with senior Onni leadership to expand existing relationships, attract new operators and pursue leases, development projects and build-out opportunities, owning day-to-day prospecting and follow-through, with senior support on strategy, technical assessment and major commercial negotiations. The initial focus is on smaller and mid-sized data centre opportunities, including AI inference, edge and colocation uses, phased expansions within existing Onni properties, and selective new developments.

• Lead commercial relationships with existing partners, and negotiate future phases, additional power capacity and opportunities at other Onni properties, subject to technical feasibility and internal approvals.
• Proactively approach competing operators, colocation providers, cloud and AI infrastructure companies, investors and other prospective partners, positioning Onni as a landlord, development partner and construction provider.
• Lead proposals, letters of intent, leases, expansion agreements and development or construction commercial terms with legal and executive support, addressing rent, term, delivery milestones, power commitments, infrastructure funding, operating costs, security and expansion rights.
• Develop relationships with utilities, economic development agencies, specialist brokers, engineering firms and industry advisers, identifying potential sites, power pathways, referrals and partnership opportunities.
• Work with Onni teams to understand suitable properties and development capabilities, preparing concise site summaries and proposals explaining the opportunity and the proposed path to a transaction.
• Track operators, competing projects, partner requirements and relevant transactions, keeping the CRM current with decision-makers, opportunity stage, indicative economics, outstanding issues and next actions.

What Success Looks Like

• Signed leases, phase expansions, development agreements and construction mandates that meet approved commercial objectives.
• A reliable prospect list, regular meetings with relevant decision-makers and a qualified pipeline with clear next actions.
• Well-prepared proposals and feasibility reviews that allow leadership to make timely commercial decisions.
• Increasing responsibility for negotiations and transactions as commercial judgment and sector knowledge develop.

What You Will Bring

• Typically 36 years of relevant experience in commercial real estate, leasing, business development, infrastructure, construction services or technology partnerships. Candidates with less tenure and strong evidence of results may also be considered.
• Evidence of proactive outreach, relationship building and advancing opportunities toward a commercial outcome. A large existing industry network is helpful but is not essential.
• Strong research, writing, presentation and organizational skills; comfortable contacting senior decision-makers and maintaining consistent follow-up.
• Commercial numeracy and the ability to compare rent, fees, capital costs, timelines and basic project economics using spreadsheets.
• An interest in data centre infrastructure and the ability to learn how power, cooling, connectivity and construction affect a deal. Direct sector experience is an asset.
• Good judgment about when to proceed independently and when to involve senior commercial, legal or technical colleagues.
• Willingness to travel for meetings, site visits and industry events. Relevant education or equivalent practical experience.

Onni Properties, LLC ("Onni") will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, and other local ordinance, as applicable. You do need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Onni is concerned about a conviction or convictions that is/are directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction(s), provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. A criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship upon certain job duties of this employment position, and such criminal history may result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment.

Salary Range: $150,000 $240,000

About The Company: Onni

For over half a century, Onni has been building communities for people to live, work, and play. Our success reflects our commitment to our employees and partners, and our dedication to quality construction, innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. Our expertise expands across North America, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, and Chicago.

AI Use: This role may involve the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support research, analysis, content development, design, reporting, or operational efficiency. Employees are expected to use AI responsibly and in compliance with company policies, data privacy requirements, confidentiality obligations, and applicable laws.

All AI-generated or AI-assisted outputs must be reviewed for accuracy, quality, and appropriateness before use. Employees are also expected to disclose when AI tools have been used in the creation of work and must not present AI-generated content as solely their own original work.

How To Apply: Please apply through the link on the job posting and attach your resume and any other required documents.

We thank all applicants for your interest in the Onni Group. Note that only those applicants under consideration will be contacted.