Director, Real Estate

Who are we?

Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company®, operating over 260 data centers across the globe. Digital leaders harness Equinix's trusted platform to bring together and interconnect foundational infrastructure at software speed. Equinix enables organizations to access all the right places, partners and possibilities to scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, deliver world-class experiences and multiply their value, while supporting their sustainability goals. 

A career at Equinix means you will collaborate on work that impacts the world and be surrounded by endless opportunities to learn new skills and grow in varied directions. We embrace diversity in thought and contribution and are committed to providing an equitable work environment that is foundational to our core values as a company and is vital to our success. 

Job Summary

The Director of Real Estate plays a critical leadership role in expanding and optimizing the real estate footprint across the Americas (North and Latin America) for the colocation and hyperscale businesses. Reporting directly to the Senior Director, Real Estate, Americas, this position is responsible for leading high-impact real estate initiatives, including land acquisition, site development, M&A due diligence, and asset optimization strategies to support revenue growth and drive Adjusted Funds From Operations (AFFO).

This role requires a seasoned real estate professional with a deep understanding of development strategy, transaction execution, site selection and market dynamics within the data center or digital infrastructure sectors.

Responsibilities

• Lead real estate underwriting, diligence, and deal structuring efforts for strategic transactions across the Americas.

• Manage multiple concurrent site searches and acquisition initiatives, identifying new markets and optimizing entry strategies.

• Direct land acquisition, ground-up development, and build-to-suit initiatives in alignment with business growth objectives.

• Collaborate cross-functionally to support due diligence and real estate integration for M&A opportunities.

• Partner with regional business leaders to shape long-term metro and regional real estate strategies, including capital planning and forecasting.

• Negotiate complex real estate transactions—including land purchases, leases, expansions, and dispositions—with internal legal counsel and external advisors.

• Provide strategic input on asset management initiatives, including expansions, reconfigurations, lease administration, and portfolio optimization.

• Guide the development of site-specific business cases, including build-out plans, development budgets, and ROI models.

Real Estate Development Expertise

• Oversee the full lifecycle of real estate development projects—from site acquisition through entitlement, permitting, and construction interface.

• Drive pre-development activities including feasibility studies, zoning analysis, and engagement with municipalities and development partners.

• Collaborate with design and construction teams to ensure real estate deliverables align with commercial, operational, and infrastructure objectives.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of progressive experience in commercial real estate, site selection, or real estate development; data center or digital infrastructure experience highly preferred.

• Proven experience in sourcing and executing land acquisition and development projects across multiple geographies.

• Demonstrated success managing real estate strategy in high-growth, capital-intensive environments.

• Strong understanding of real estate finance, development risk management, and valuation methodologies.

• Excellent financial modeling skills, particularly in Excel; experience presenting to investment committees.

• Adept at building partnerships with senior leadership, legal, finance, construction, and engineering stakeholders.

• Effective communicator with strong negotiation and influencing skills.

• Comfortable navigating a complex, matrixed organization and managing multiple priorities simultaneously.

• Experience working in multinational corporate environments i