Corporate Development Associate

nLighten is growing fast and taking a step change in data center sustainability and building Europe’s premier edge data center platform. In 2023, I Squared Capital committed more than 700 million dollars’ equity to support nLighten’s high growth strategy. Their Corporate Development Associate will drive the company’s buy-and-build goals into the thriving European market.

About nLighten

nLighten’s founders, Harro Beusker and Chad McCarthy, are veterans of the European data center industry. They created nLighten as a leading-edge data center platform that combines today’s top-level performance with tomorrow’s sustainability needs. With the strategic distribution of its edge data centers, nLighten is developing a pan-European presence in all major cities. Their services provide end users with more proximate- and low-latency data exchanges.

The company delivers more than just data centers: customers can benefit from an entire ecosystem in European cities too. By integrating data centers into the local energy infrastructure, they can share and conserve energy within their local community. This is how nLighten forms a collaborative role in the energy transition, laying the foundation for a more sustainable digital economy.

In February 2023, I Squared Capital, a global infrastructure investor with thirty-eight billion dollars of assets under management, initially committed more than 700 million dollars of equity to support nLighten’s ambition to develop the first truly pan-European edge data center platform. In the past year, nLighten has been on an acquisition mission, adding twenty-eight facilities in Germany, France, the UK, and The Netherlands to its portfolio, boosting its workforce to a current total of 140 employees. The company’s headquarters are in Amsterdam, where around thirty people are employed.

Job description: Corporate Development Associate

The Corporate Development Associate plays a crucial role in realizing nLighten’s ambitious growth plans. They are the driving force behind the company’s buy-and-build strategy in Europe, in a market with abundant opportunities. The role involves keen market analysis, identifying potential acquisitions, valuing targets, building and assessing business cases and supporting due diligence efforts. Experience with the complete M&A process is a prerequisite for this role.

The Associate will manage a variety of projects, including financial modeling, valuation, preparing business cases, and deal structuring. Collaborating with external advisors, the Corporate Development Associate conducts due diligence investigations and provides information and advice to senior leadership and the investment team at I Squared Capital. They deliver insightful presentations, proactively offer advice, and challenge the status quo.

The Corporate Development Associate, alongside Nick Marshall, VP of Corporate Development, and Alex Appierdo, VP of Real Estate, form the Corporate Development team. In day-to-day operations, they collaborate with I Squared Capital, a shareholder known for their hands-on approach.

“The Corporate Development Associate joins a dynamically growing company with a mission. They have the opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading fund managers. It provides an invaluable experience for those aspiring to enter this field,” – Nick Marshall, Vice President Corporate Development of nLighten

This role offers an exciting opportunity for an M&A professional with a few years’ experience, who wants to gain business skills in a fast-growing environment. At nLighten, the Corporate Development Associate will work closely with a renowned infrastructure private equity firm and operate directly under the organization’s VPs. This allows the ideal candidate to contribute significantly, as well as take advantage of a great learning opportunity. There’s great potential for participation in the management equity plan once the Corporate Development Associate secures their reputation as a strong contributor.

Interested?

nLighten is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Sophie Jansen at sophie.jansen@topofminds.com.