Sr Land Development & Strategic Permitting Manager, Risk & Resiliency

AWS Infrastructure Services owns the design, planning, delivery, and operation of all AWS global infrastructure. In other words, we"re the people who keep the cloud running. We support all AWS data centers and all of the servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling equipment that ensure our customers have continual access to the innovation they rely on. We work on the most challenging problems, with thousands of variables impacting the supply chain - and we"re looking for talented people who want to help.

You"ll join a diverse team of real estate, engineering, construction, and infrastructure professionals and collaborate with people across AWS to deliver the highest standards for safety and security while providing seemingly infinite capacity at the lowest possible cost for our customers. You"ll experience an inclusive culture that welcomes bold ideas and empowers you to own them to completion.

The Sr Land Development and Strategic Permitting Manager - based in Seattle, WA; Arlington, VA; or Austin, TX - owns the end-to-end real estate entitlement, permitting, and land development path required to acquire and develop new data center sites, including in jurisdictions where AWS does not have an existing infrastructure presence. You will work directly with land owners/investors, data center developers, local jurisdictions (Authorities Having Jurisdiction, "AHJs"), land use attorneys, and consultants to identify and navigate the entitlements and government approvals needed to bring sites from raw land through development-ready, and you will lead the land development effort that turns those approvals into deliverable sites.

You will be the primary owner of direct AHJ engagement - developing, negotiating, and executing the entitlement and permit strategy and mitigating approval risk - while also leading land development: site feasibility, required infrastructure strategy, site planning, and the complex contract negotiations that unlock delivery. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with a technical background who can independently guide and communicate AWS"s vision for development in new and complex markets, manage multi-disciplinary internal and external stakeholders, and produce outcomes that support sustainable growth and are sensitive to the communities in which we expand.

A successful candidate will have a proven track record of independently delivering multiple, high-priority projects with tight timelines that require strong project management, deal negotiation, and extensive communication with partner teams, outside consultants and counsel, and authorities having jurisdiction. Candidate must be able to work in the assigned office as needed up to five days a week, with the exception of work travel 25-50% of the time.

Key job responsibilities

Lead land development efforts on new projects.

Own the end-to-end entitlement and permitting path - identify all required government/AHJ approvals (including development agreements and discretionary approvals such as CUPs, rezonings, variances, and plan amendments) and lead them to issuance, including in jurisdictions with no existing AWS presence.

Serve as the primary owner of direct AHJ engagement, cultivating local-government relationships and representing AWS in strategic approval discussions, public hearings, and escalations.

Develop, negotiate, and execute the permitting/entitlement plan across internal and external project teams; identify, mitigate, and communicate approval risk to stakeholders and leadership.

Drive and track approval delivery against plan - own approval-status reporting and timeline-predictability metrics, surface schedule variances early, and capture/hand off post-issuance permit conditions to construction teams.

Lead the broader land development effort: site feasibility, infrastructure-improvement strategy, site planning, and the complex contract negotiations that unlock delivery.

Build and manage teams of vendors, consultants, and design/development partners; work cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Legal, Economic Development, Public Policy, Construction, Capacity Planning, utility, and environmental teams to inform regional real estate strategy.

A day in the life

Each day you will interact with the different teams responsible for all aspects of the data centers, prioritizing the actions most impactful to data center capacity availability. You will coordinate communications with internal teams and consultants to plan and execute projects; analyze and develop technical AHJ approval and entitlement materials; help shape site plans and infrastructure-improvement strategy; meet virtually and in person with AHJ staff, developers, and land-use counsel to coordinate requirements and approval strategy; develop, maintain, and report on entitlement/AHJ approval schedules and timeline-predictability metrics; track open permit conditions to closure; and travel to in-person internal and external meetings, hearings, and workshops across the nation.

About the team

Why AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating - that's why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.

Inclusive Team Culture

AWS values curiosity and connection. Our employee-led and company-sponsored affinity groups promote inclusion and empower our people to take pride in what makes us unique. Our inclusion events foster stronger, more collaborative teams. Our continual innovation is fueled by the bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and passionate voices our teams bring to everything we do.

Mentorship & Career Growth

We're continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth's Best Employer. That's why you'll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.