Director, Safety – APAC

Our Company

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. Our 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.

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.

Responsibilities

Development Strategy & Planning

• Define and implement the Japanese development and pre-construction campus strategy, aligned with Zerra’s business objectives and APAC governance frameworks.
• Lead feasibility, due diligence, and concept design to build robust investment cases and ensure early cost, schedule, and risk discipline.
• Develop scalable frameworks, tools, and processes that drive governance, consistency, and efficiency from concept through execution.
• Partner with senior leadership and cross-functional teams (Design, Capital Controls, Finance, Legal, ESG) to align development roadmaps with customer demand, regulatory requirements, and commercial priorities.

Programme Development & Delivery Readiness

• Develop and manage integrated project programmes spanning pre-construction through delivery.
• Define critical paths, milestones, and dependencies, incorporating realistic permitting timelines and market conditions.
• Establish standardised scheduling models to enhance predictability and enable early identification and mitigation of risks.
• Provide accurate forecasts, milestone reporting, and progress insights to support leadership and investment decisions.

Site Permitting & Approvals

• Manage all planning, zoning, and environmental approvals with local councils, authorities, and utilities.
• 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.

Stakeholder & Vendor Engagement

• Lead engagement with internal and external stakeholders — regulators, utilities, contractors, consultants, and customers — ensuring alignment and clear communication across all project stages.
• Represent Zerra professionally with government and industry bodies, promoting collaboration, transparency, and accountability.
• Manage vendor and consultant relationships, driving performance, governance, and long-term value creation.

Community Engagement

• Lead community and traditional owner engagement, demonstrating the positive social and economic contribution of Zerra’s developments.
• 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.

Enterprise Risk Management

• 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.

Sustainability & ESG Implementation

• Champion sustainability and ESG performance across all project phases.
• Integrate sustainability objectives into planning, design, procurement, and construction delivery.
• Promote low-carbon, resource-efficient solutions and innovative design and construction practices.
• Partner with contractors and consultants to achieve measurable ESG outcomes and provide transparent reporting to leadership and stakeholders.

Construction Delivery

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of base build, customer fit-out, OSE integration, 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.
• Manage OSE procurement, logistics, installation, and integration, ensuring alignment with construction sequencing and testing milestones.
• Oversee quality assurance, commissioning, and integrated system testing (IST) to confirm performance, reliability, and operational readiness.
• Manage delivery of high-voltage power and utility connections (water, gas, fibre) with external providers, ensuring compliance and reliability.
• Provide transparent reporting on construction progress, commissioning status, and key performance metrics to maintain programme and commercial discipline.
• Lead the handover to operations, ensuring documentation, training, and lessons learned are complete for a seamless transition.

People & Culture

• 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 Zerra’s Japanese portfolio expands.

Injury & Incident Free Safety Culture

• Promote a strong safety culture through risk identification, training, and proactive incident prevention.
• Champion EH&S standards and ensure full compliance across all project activities.
• Lead initiatives to address risks and embed a safety-first mindset.
• Ensure timely completion of all mandatory training and environmental checks.

Experience, skills and competencies (Mandatory)

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.
• Strong understanding of Japan authority planning, permitting, and regulatory frameworks, particularly in Victoria and New South Wales.
• 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 who can personally drive progress while establishing scalable systems and processes for growth.
• Prior data centre or mission-critical facility experience is highly regarded.
• Skilled in cross-functional collaboration, engaging Legal, Finance, Design, Engineering, Capital Controls, and Operations teams.
• Excellent stakeholder and authority engagement experience, with strong communication, negotiation, and reporting capability.
• Comfortable operating autonomously in fast-paced, dynamic environments, making clear, accountable decisions.
• Adaptable, commercially minded, and solutions-oriented, with high standards of ethics, professionalism, safety, and operational excellence.

Skills

• Expertise in programme development, scheduling, and risk identification across all phases of project delivery.
• Strong knowledge of permitting, entitlement, and planning approval processes within Japan local jurisdictions.
• 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.

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.

Desirable qualifications / professional certification (if applicable)

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, 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.
• Strong understanding of Japanese (Victorian and NSW) planning, permitting, and regulatory approval processes.