Director of Data Center Certification

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. Commercial expertise, including designing pricing and revenue models, developing sustainable business strategies, and selling to skeptical or sophisticated buyers. Demonstrated leadership experience, including recruiting, developing, and managing effective teams. Sound judgment regarding organizational independence, conflicts of interest, and the ability to protect certification integrity under commercial pressure. Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to make technical standards compelling and understandable to industry leaders, public officials, and broader audiences. Strong personal commitment to advancing clean, reliable energy for the growth of AI infrastructure. Strongly preferred qualifications: Experience in standards development, certification, ratings, or accreditation, such as LEED, ENERGY STAR, ISO, or ESG frameworks. Direct experience in data centers, AI infrastructure, utilities, or energy development. Experience working with municipalities, permitting authorities, or state energy regulators. Previous leadership in a nonprofit or membership organization, or experience working with philanthropic funders. An engineering or technical background, or an advanced degree in a relevant discipline. An established professional network across hyperscalers, data center developers, utilities, and climate investors. Benefits: Competitive salary and benefits package. Fully remote work within the United States. Founding leadership opportunity to establish and shape an independent certification institution from the ground up. Seed backing from a philanthropic foundation to support the development of the initiative. Direct reporting relationship to the Foundation's CEO. Close collaboration with the leadership of the broader data center energy strategy. Opportunity to influence industry standards and accelerate the adoption of clean, reliable energy for AI infrastructure. Travel opportunities to engage with developers, utilities, municipalities, and other key stakeholders. Salary range and specific details of healthcare, retirement, and paid leave benefits are not specified in the posting.