The Opportunity

This is a rare and exciting opportunity for a driven development director to join a growing team who manage largescale solar and wind energy technologies. The successfull candidate will lead and expand the solar development portfolio by establishing and maintaining key relationships with potential landowners, solar developers, and energy off-takers. This position is part of a small, collaborative, entrepreneurial team, exposed to all aspects of the project development life cycle.  

The Role

• Identify land and sign land option agreements with property owners
• Evaluate new markets and work with management team to develop new strategies
• Develop projects from lead inception to executed EPC construction contracts, including obtaining site control, directing the interconnection process, and supporting the permit approval processes
• Gather market intelligence and expand relationships with appropriate regulatory and utility officials to understand project approval process, regulations, and incentives structures of new solar markets
• Create project milestones and schedule for projects to track internally and externally
• Manage the utility rebates and incentive processes
• Assist the management team, create a standardized set of documents
• Create PPT deck’s for approval process
• Identify and manage land use permitting requirements, submit use permitting applications, solicit supporting documentation from Engineering and Environmental subcontractors as needed, outline timelines and costs and track use permitting progress
• Mitigate potential neighbor / community opposition and manage neighborhood / community public meetings necessary for land use changes and rezoning
• Manage Interconnection Process, including Interconnection Application, scoping meetings, feasibility studies, system impact studies, and Interconnection Agreement.
• Work with engineering subcontractors to create relevant single-lines, drawings and specifications
• Negotiate Power Purchase Agreement with off-taker. Identify key issues in Power Purchase Agreement draft and final contracts to identify any development issues and timelines. Incorporate into design and development process
• Create detailed project development budgets and track projected vs. actual costs throughout the development lifecycle
• Work closely with EPC Team, Finance Team, Sales, Legal and other departments
• Effectively communicate relevant information to a variety of internal and external audiences during all stages of the project development and financing process
• Conduct site visits, significant travel expected.

The Person 

• BS or MS Degree in Engineering, Biology, Business or other relevant field
• Minimum 5 years solar or renewable energy experience or experience with project development, project acquisition, land acquisition
• Self-motivated, independent professional with excellent communication skills, strong technical aptitude and the ability to thrive under pressure
• Large commercial or utility-scale solar energy experience strongly preferred
• Experience with IOU, COOPs, and Municipal Electric Utilities
• Proven track record of managing projects from conception to completion
• Ability to learn new skills and processes, and demonstrate understanding and ability to perform new tasks
• Ability to analyze and synthesize information accurately and effectively, multi-task and dynamically decide key priorities
• Ability to read and comprehend legal documents such as legal descriptions, surveys, ground leases, easements, deeds, land purchase contracts, mortgages, title policies, power purchase agreements, subordination and CAD drawings
• Effective written and verbal communicator of difficult or sensitive information.
• Excel, Word, PPT required
• AutoCAD, helioscope, Smartsheets and PVsyst skills helpful but not required
• Must treat deadlines and commitments with the utmost seriousness and urgency