Renewable Energy Development Engineer
You understand that a kilowatt generated today shapes decades of sustainable growth tomorrow. As a Renewable Energy Development Engineer, you will guide utility-scale solar, wind, and storage projects from blank-map sketches to bankable milestones. Using GIS tools, preliminary resource models, and sharp financial insight, you convert raw land into revenue-producing assets—while engaging landowners, grid operators, and regulators along the way.
Responsibilities
- Identify and screen green-field sites across the United States using ArcGIS, Google Earth, and constraint mapping.
- Quantify solar, wind, and hybrid resource potential with SAM, PVSyst, or WindPro to build defensible energy production estimates.
- Lead interconnection queue applications—translate one-line diagrams into clear submissions and track milestones with transmission providers.
- Support land acquisition strategy: craft option agreements, coordinate title review, and negotiate with landowners.
- Perform early-stage permitting analysis, flag critical environmental, cultural, and zoning hurdles, and outline mitigation paths.
- Develop preliminary pro-forma financial models in Excel, aligning capex, opex, tax credits, and merchant price curves.
- Evaluate technology options—tracking inverter, tracker, and storage trends—to optimize LCOE and project IRR.
- Direct consultants (environmental, geotech, wildlife) and synthesize findings into concise decision memos.
- Assist in offtake negotiations by translating technical risks into PPA terms that satisfy investors and utilities.
- Present project updates to internal investment committees and external stakeholders with clarity and conviction.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s in Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, Environmental Engineering, or similar discipline.
- 3+ years developing utility-scale renewable projects in the US market.
- Proficiency with ArcGIS, Google Earth, SAM, and advanced Excel modeling; familiarity with PVSyst or WindPro a plus.
- Demonstrated success shepherding projects through interconnection queues (MISO, PJM, ERCOT, CAISO, or SPP).
- Solid grasp of US power-market policy, ISO/RTO tariffs, and real-estate fundamentals.
- Strong negotiation chops—able to translate technical detail into value for landowners, regulators, and offtakers.
- Project-management mindset: schedule discipline, risk register upkeep, and budget stewardship.
- Superior written and verbal communication; you distill complexity into actionable insight.
- Eligibility to work in the United States; willingness to travel up to 25 %—otherwise, you may work from any US location.
What Sets You Apart
- Experience blending battery storage into solar or wind projects.
- GIS scripting (Python, QGIS) to automate constraint layers.
- Background in environmental permitting or wildlife studies.
- MBA or coursework in energy finance.