Data Center Site Selection Technical Program Manager - APAC Region, Singapore

Role Overview

The Site Selection team is responsible for conducting in-depth market research on overseas facilities, leading negotiations, managing relationships with vendors and partners, and presenting strategic proposals to leadership. Effective site analysis and selection can yield substantial operational cost savings, mitigate site availability risks, and influence diverse aspects of the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with networking, procurement, and finance teams to identify potential locations for self-developed, build-to-suit, or co-location data center facilities.
• Establish and nurture relationships with third-party facility providers, developers, landowners, government officials, power grid and energy companies, and telecommunications providers.
• Lead negotiations for technical and service contracts ensuring alignment with compliance, local relationships, and corporate objectives.
• Advocate compliance issues regarding site and infrastructure development strategies and track milestones.
• Define and pursue site selection projects that meet Alibaba’s facility needs, including procurement of traditional and renewable energy sources.
• Oversee site evaluation and selection processes from initiation through completion, delivering regular progress reports and utilizing financial metrics to support site and energy-related decisions.
• Develop strategic agreements with vendors, landowners, and utility suppliers for space and service provisioning.
• Partner with capacity planning teams to manage growth strategies at existing sites, creating metrics for portfolio management concerning site and infrastructure development.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in technology, engineering, natural sciences, economics, or related disciplines.
• Minimum of 5 years international experience in site selection or acquisition for mission-critical, large scale facilities such as manufacturing plants or data centers.
• Proven skills in developing strategic agreements, project management, and financial modeling.
• Basic knowledge of hybrid real estate models like build-to-suit, retail, and wholesale leasing.
• Strong analytical abilities combined with creative thinking and excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the capability to manage multiple competing priorities effectively.
• Adaptability to thrive in high-energy, fast-paced environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree such as an MBA or master’s degree.
• Experience with large colocation agreements, industrial-scale site selection, real estate evaluation and acquisition, development, construction, utility agreement negotiation, and financial analysis.
• Exposure to full lifecycle industrial-scale infrastructure development supporting facilities.
• Knowledge of economic development policies, infrastructure development, and build-to-suit real estate solutions.
• Familiarity with facility technologies and related technical domains.
• Experience in corporate communication and public relations is advantageous.
• Proficiency in Mandarin due to regular communication with headquarters in Hangzhou.