Colocation executive search

Retained search across colocation, from development and design through construction, critical operations and the commercial teams selling capacity. Vice president to C‑suite.

Key roles we place ↓

Overview

What we do in colocation

Metric DCX places senior and executive leaders across colocation, covering site development and design, construction delivery, critical facility operations, and the sales and leasing teams that fill the space. Searches are retained and run from vice president through C-suite.

Colocation is a real estate business and an engineering business at the same time, and the leadership has to respect both. A development director who cannot talk to an engineer will build the wrong thing. An operations leader who cannot talk to a customer will lose one. We look hard at that in the middle of the process, because it is where these hires usually fail.

Roles

The roles we place in colocation

VP Development Site acquisition, power procurement and the path to shovel ready.
VP Operations Critical facility operations across a portfolio of sites.
Chief Revenue Officer Leasing, sales and the commercial strategy behind capacity.
Director of Design Engineering Electrical and mechanical design standards and vendor selection.
Construction Director Build delivery across multiple sites and phases.
Director of Commissioning Integrated systems testing and commissioning from design through handover.
Director of Critical Facilities Site level operations, maintenance and uptime accountability.
Director of Cost Management Cost planning and commercial control across data center builds.
Chief Operating Officer Operational leadership across a colocation platform.

+ many others

Within this sector

What colocation covers

Development & Land

Land, power and entitlement for new capacity.

Design & Construction

Design standards, vendor selection and build delivery.

Critical Operations

Uptime, maintenance and site leadership across a portfolio.

Commercial & Leasing

Sales, sales engineering and the leasing that fills capacity.

Market

Hiring in colocation right now

Colocation has turned into a different business. Leases that were measured in megawatts are now measured in tens of megawatts, and the customers signing them are hyperscalers and AI companies rather than enterprises. The leadership that grew the retail business is not automatically the leadership for that.

Development capability is the difference between the providers who are growing and the ones who are not. Land with power attached is the scarce asset, and the people who can find it and secure it are paid accordingly. Several providers have effectively rebuilt their development teams from outside the industry.

Private capital has changed the pressure too. A lot of these businesses now answer to an investor with a defined hold period, and that pulls hiring toward leaders who have been through a growth cycle and an exit rather than operators who have run a steady portfolio.

Common questions

Colocation hiring questions

The questions clients ask most often before briefing a colocation search.

How long does a colocation leadership search take?

We work to seven days to a shortlist on most briefs. How long the search takes after that depends on the role and on notice periods, so we set out a realistic timeline with you at the start.

Do you work retained or contingent?

Retained. Our colocation consultants have spent years building relationships in this market, so most shortlists start from people we already know, and talent mapping, backed by our marketing reach, covers the rest of the market so nobody credible gets missed. Retained is what lets us give that kind of time to one brief.

Do you place below vice president?

Yes. Most briefs sit at vice president and above, but we regularly run director and senior manager searches where the role carries a site or a major account. A director of critical facilities on a flagship site, or a sales engineering lead on large deals would be typical. What matters is whether it is a hire you cannot afford to get wrong.

Can you find commercial leaders who understand the technical side?

Yes, and it is worth insisting on. Colocation customers buy from people who can answer an engineering question in the room, and a commercial leader who has to go away and check loses deals slowly rather than quickly. The group who can do both is small, which is why we would rather start that search early.