Construction Delivery Lead

Zerra develops and operates hyperscale data centre campuses across Australia, Japan and India, delivering capacity at scale into markets driven by the growth of cloud and AI. Zerra's flexible campus developments support hyperscale and neocloud organisations, enabling some of the world's fastest-scaling technology businesses to grow with certainty and ambition. 

At Zerra, we empower exceptional people to challenge convention, drive innovation and make a real impact in digital infrastructure. Our culture fuses entrepreneurial agility with global expertise, enabling our teams to deliver results that matter. 

We believe that diverse perspectives, inclusive leadership and equitable opportunities are essential to building stronger teams and better outcomes. We are committed to fostering a workplace where everyone feels respected, supported and empowered to thrive. 

Zerra is part of AGP, an independently owned investor and asset manager that develops and operates real assets across the energy, digital and real estate sectors. 

Western Downs Digital Park 
Western Downs Digital Park (WDDP) is a master-planned digital and energy precinct in regional Queensland, developed and operated by Zerra. Planned across multiple delivery phases, WDDP brings together AI-ready data centres, energy infrastructure and a purpose-built campus environment. 

Located close to major power infrastructure within the Western Downs Special Industry Area, WDDP represents a major investment in Queensland's digital future and an opportunity to help deliver the critical infrastructure supporting the continued growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Experience 

• 12+ years of experience in development management, construction delivery, or related leadership roles within the property, infrastructure, or data centre sectors.
• Proven success managing end-to-end project delivery — from feasibility and site permitting through construction, commissioning, and handover.
• Experience managing delivery across multi-building or multi-phase campus programmes, with demonstrated ability to sequence and prioritise across concurrent builds sharing site, power, or contractor resources.
• Strong understanding of Queensland planning, permitting, and regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrated capability in programme management, risk control, and commercial governance across complex capital projects.
• Experience building and leading project delivery teams comprising contractors, consultants, and internal stakeholders.
• Hands-on, execution-focused leader, comfortable operating autonomously in fast-paced environments and making clear, accountable decisions.
• Skilled in cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder/authority engagement, spanning Legal, Finance, Design, Engineering, Capital Project Controls, and Operations, with strong communication, negotiation, and reporting capability.

Skills 

• Expertise in programme development, scheduling, and risk identification across all phases of project delivery.
• Campus-level sequencing and resource trade-off management across concurrent construction phases.
• Strong knowledge of permitting, entitlement, and planning approval processes within Queensland.
• Proficiency in enterprise risk management and structured project governance.
• Ability to balance strategic oversight with hands-on execution, solving challenges directly when required.
• Strong commercial and contractual acumen, including procurement strategy and negotiation.
• Clear and confident communicator with excellent presentation, reporting, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strategic thinker capable of driving value and performance in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

Desirable Qualifications and Professional Certification 

• Bachelor’s degree in Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Construction Management, Architecture, or a related discipline.
• Postgraduate qualification in Project Management, Property Development, or Real Estate is advantageous.
• Professional membership with RICS, AIPM, CIOB, PMI, or other recognised industry bodies is desirable.
• Green Star Accredited Professional, LEED AP, or equivalent sustainability certification is highly regarded.

Competencies 
Leadership — Leads by example, empowers partners, and drives accountability across multidisciplinary teams. 
Collaboration — Builds alignment among diverse stakeholders, including authorities, consultants, contractors, and communities. 
Execution Mindset — Operates with urgency, discipline, and precision, ensuring consistent progress and delivery. 
Analytical Thinking — Uses data and insight from programme, cost, and risk metrics to inform decisions and optimise outcomes. 
Adaptability — Thrives in fast-changing, high-growth environments while maintaining focus on priorities. 
Integrity & Ethics — Acts transparently, upholds governance, and demonstrates the highest professional standards. 
Stakeholder Orientation — Keeps customer, community, and regulatory outcomes central to all decision-making. 
ESG Leadership — Embeds sustainability, safety, and social responsibility across every stage of development and delivery.  As Construction Delivery Lead, WDDP, you will be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of Zerra's flagship Queensland hyperscale data centre campus — from design development through construction, commissioning, and handover to operations — with initial focus on the first leased building, extending to future buildings as they come online. 

Based at the WDDP project site near Dalby, you will serve as WDDP’s primary delivery lead on the ground, owning delivery outcomes for the campus — programme, cost, quality, safety, and stakeholder performance. You will work closely with campus functions across the PMO, Capital Project Controls, Design, Technology, Legal, and ESG, and maintain a matrix relationship with the Director, Project Delivery, Australia to stay aligned with delivery standards and governance tools used across the Queensland portfolio. 

You will play a strategic and hands-on leadership role — shaping delivery strategy for the campus, driving programme certainty, managing risk, and ensuring excellence in safety, quality, time, and cost performance. Acting as the focal point between WDDP’s campus functions and on-the-ground execution, you will align project outcomes with business objectives and maintain transparent reporting to the Executive Project Director and senior leadership. 

A key part of this role is ensuring that development programmes, permitting pathways, and delivery sequencing are translated into clear capital forecasts and funding inputs — enabling Finance and leadership to align project readiness with investment decisions. You will also champion the adoption of digital tools and AI-enabled workflows to drive efficiency, consistency, and scalability across campus delivery.

Responsibilities 
Safety Leadership (Injury & Incident Free) 
This role carries personal accountability for maintaining an Injury & Incident Free (IIF) environment across all activities, teams, and sites it influences. 

• Promote an Injury & Incident Free (IIF) safety culture through risk identification, training, and proactive incident prevention.
• Champion EH&S standards and ensure full compliance across all WDDP project activities.
• Lead initiatives to address risks and embed a safety-first mindset across all delivery teams.
• Ensure timely completion of all mandatory training and environmental checks.
• Hold contractors and vendors accountable to site safety standards, escalating or stopping work where risk exposure is unacceptable.

Development Strategy & Planning 
This role executes the WDDP campus delivery programme in line with the investment case and concept strategy set upstream, and owns how the campus’s buildings are sequenced against one another. 

• Execute the WDDP campus delivery programme in alignment with the investment case and concept strategy set by the Pre-Construction and Development function.
• Own sequencing and prioritisation across buildings within the WDDP campus — the leased building now in delivery and future buildings as they mobilise — managing shared site, power, and contractor constraints.
• Carry cost, schedule, and risk discipline forward from concept into execution, applying Zerra’s standardised delivery frameworks and governance tools across the campus.
• Partner with Design, Capital Project Controls, Finance, Legal, and ESG to keep delivery execution aligned with customer commitments, regulatory conditions, and commercial parameters set upstream.
• Escalate to the Executive Project Director, WDDP where cross-building trade-offs, cost, or schedule assumptions exceed this role’s authority to resolve at the campus level.

Development & Capital Integration 
This role ensures WDDP’s delivery programme connects directly to the capital and funding picture Finance and leadership rely on. 

• Work closely with Finance to translate development programmes, permitting pathways, and delivery sequencing into capital forecasting and funding timelines.
• Ensure development programmes are aligned with project cash-flow profiles and capital deployment plans for the campus.
• Provide Finance and executive leadership with clear visibility of programme certainty, development risks, and regulatory dependencies that may influence investment decisions.
• Support investment committee processes by ensuring project readiness, programme maturity, and delivery pathways are clearly defined and communicated.
• Identify and flag emerging programme or cost risks that may affect investment assumptions or funding schedules — early and proactively.

AI, Digital & Productivity Enablement 
This role champions the digital and AI-enabled workflows that keep WDDP’s delivery reporting efficient and consistent. 

• Champion the identification and implementation of AI and digital tools across campus delivery functions to drive efficiency, consistency, and scalability.
• Evaluate and deploy platforms that improve programme development, reporting, document management, and decision-making workflows.
• Establish standardised digital frameworks for reporting, dashboards, and data management to enhance transparency and quality of insights.
• Partner with Technology, Capital Project Controls, and Finance to ensure alignment between digital tools, data structures, and business reporting requirements.
• Promote a data-driven culture — ensuring delivery decisions are supported by accurate, real-time information and analytics.

Programme Development & Delivery Readiness 
This role owns delivery readiness for the campus, working with the PMO Lead to keep the master programme realistic and construction-ready. 

• Develop and manage integrated project programmes spanning pre-construction through delivery, defining critical paths, milestones, and dependencies, in partnership with the PMO Lead.
• Establish standardised scheduling models to enhance predictability and enable early identification and mitigation of risks.
• Ensure programmes reflect realistic permitting timelines, authority approvals, and local market conditions.
• Provide accurate forecasts, milestone reporting, and progress insights to support leadership and investment decisions.
• Ensure each future building is construction-ready — with contractor procurement, design packages, permits, and interface coordination in place — ahead of its financial close.

Site Permitting & Approvals 
This role owns the regulatory approval pathway for the campus and the relationships that keep it moving. 

• Manage all planning, zoning, and environmental approvals with local councils, authorities, and utilities across the Western Downs region.
• Define approval pathways and schedules that align with programme objectives and compliance requirements.
• Build trusted relationships with regulators, consultants, and statutory agencies to secure timely, compliant approvals.
• Maintain permitting trackers and governance systems for transparent oversight and proactive risk management.
• Provide Finance and investment teams with clear visibility on permitting timelines and approval risks that may impact project funding schedules or investment approvals.

Construction Delivery 
This is the operational core of the role: leading end-to-end construction delivery for the leased building and, in turn, each future building as it mobilises. 

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of base build, customer fit-out, OSE integration, procurement, and commissioning to achieve Zerra’s safety, quality, time, and cost objectives.
• Coordinate design, contractor, vendor, and customer interfaces to ensure efficient execution, adherence to design intent, and commissioning readiness.
• Oversee quality assurance, commissioning, and integrated system testing (IST) to confirm performance, reliability, and operational readiness, working with the Senior Manager, Quality and Commissioning.
• Manage delivery of high-voltage power and utility connections (water, gas, fibre) with external providers, working with the Senior Project Manager, HV Utilities, to ensure compliance and reliability.
• Lead the handover to Operations, ensuring documentation, training, and lessons learned are complete for a seamless transition.

Stakeholder & Vendor Engagement 
This role leads WDDP’s external and internal stakeholder relationships through delivery. 

• Lead engagement with internal and external stakeholders — regulators, utilities, contractors, consultants, and customers — ensuring alignment and clear communication across all project stages.
• Represent Zerra DC professionally with government and industry bodies, promoting collaboration, transparency, and accountability.
• Manage vendor and consultant relationships, driving performance, governance, and long-term value creation.
• Ensure early engagement with Finance and Capital Project Controls so that procurement strategies, packaging approaches, and tender pathways are aligned with project financial governance and cost control frameworks.
• Maintain a structured stakeholder engagement plan across the project lifecycle, ensuring the right parties are informed and aligned at each delivery milestone.

Enterprise Risk Management 
This role owns the delivery risk picture for the campus and makes sure it reaches leadership honestly and early. 

• Implement a comprehensive risk framework covering technical, regulatory, commercial, and schedule exposures.
• Conduct regular risk reviews, maintain live registers, and embed mitigation actions into governance and decision-making.
• Collaborate with Finance and Legal to evaluate and manage commercial and contractual risks early in the project lifecycle.
• Provide clear reporting to leadership on key risks, emerging issues, and mitigation effectiveness.
• Ensure development risks are transparently communicated to Finance so that financial forecasts, contingencies, and investment assumptions appropriately reflect project risk exposure.

Sustainability & ESG 
This role embeds ESG performance into delivery decisions across the campus, not just at the design stage. 

• Champion sustainability and ESG performance across all project phases, from planning through commissioning.
• Integrate sustainability objectives into planning, design, procurement, and construction delivery.
• Align projects with relevant certification pathways (Green Star, LEED, BREEAM) and customer ESG commitments.
• Promote low-carbon, resource-efficient solutions and innovative design and construction practices.
• Partner with contractors and consultants to set measurable ESG benchmarks and provide transparent reporting to leadership and stakeholders.

Community Engagement 
This role protects and builds WDDP’s social licence to operate in the Western Downs region. 

• Lead community and traditional owner engagement, demonstrating the positive social and economic contribution of WDDP.
• Partner with government and local organisations to deliver initiatives in employment, skills development, and supply-chain participation.
• Strengthen Zerra’s social licence to operate through consistent, transparent engagement and active industry representation.
• Monitor and report on social and community commitments — employment targets, local supply-chain participation — throughout delivery.
• Proactively manage community and stakeholder concerns to protect programme continuity and reputation.

People & Culture 
This role builds the delivery leadership culture for the campus as it scales from one building to several. 

• Foster a high-performing, values-driven project culture that reflects Zerra’s standards of integrity, safety, and collaboration.
• Build and lead project delivery teams through strong relationships with contractors, consultants, and internal stakeholders.
• Coach, mentor, and coordinate cross-functional contributors to ensure alignment, accountability, and shared objectives.
• Support future resourcing and capability growth as the WDDP campus expands to future buildings.
• Model and reinforce delivery standards and accountability expectations across the project team, including contractors and secondees.