Director of Development - Irvine

Title: Director of Development

About the job Our client develops, invests, and delivers solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects through Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) services in North America. The company brings a decade of global leadership in solar PV to deliver utility-scale power generation plants customized for local and regional energy markets. Our client offers the full spectrum of PV solutions – from the core technology of cells and modules to large-scale project development and investment. With proven capabilities across the solar and battery storage value chain, our client minimizes uncertainty and risk and helps customers achieve a higher return on their investment in renewable energy. Summary The Director of Development position will be responsible for identification, assessment and execution of potential strategic partnerships, acquisitions and investments by the company. This position will also be responsible for managing the real estate, permitting and interconnection aspects of multiple utility scale photovoltaic (PV) solar and energy storage projects in targeted US markets. The Director of Development will also assist the Structured Finance team in the divestment of assets as well as in any third-party debt or equity financing. The Director of Development reports to the Head of Development, other senior management personnel that the Vice President and/or President of the Company may designate. This position is expected to travel up to 50% of the time. Responsibilities

· Business Development:

· Identify acquisition and greenfield development opportunities for utility- scale solar and battery energy storage projects throughout North America;

· Perform detailed strategic and financial analyses, including company evaluations and financial feasibility studies of potential acquisition opportunities;

· Acquire and maintain information on market, industry, economic, consumer, and competitive conditions and trends;

· Engage in industry groups to identify new market solutions;

· Follow tariff rate structures and market changes to establish "deal" opportunities;

· Build and maintain liaison with external parties such as investment banks, trade and professional associations, consulting and research firms;

· Prepare acquisition/divestiture and other strategic transaction summaries and recommendations for Executive Management Team.

Development

· Land and Real Estate: Manage all matters related to real estate from initial site control to issuance of the final title policy. This includes, but is not limited to:

· Obtain initial title commitments, perform all require title curative to achieve the proforma policy in a form acceptable to the financier;

· Manage title closing and issuance of the closing letter and final title policy with required endorsements;

· Manage all changes to the ALTA survey to provide a survey acceptable to the financier and the title company;

· Review and manage all lease agreements as well as any required amendments acceptable to the financing parties, including recoding the memorandums;

· Manage real estate land purchases and any sale lease backs;

· Obtain any needed easements in a form acceptable for financial close;

· Perform any subdivisions and or lot line adjustments needed for land acquisitions;

· Obtain any required crossing agreements such as, driveway, pipeline, transmission and distribution line, canal, DOT, communications, sewer and water, etc.;

· Manage key landowner relationships.

· Permitting: Acquire all permits needed to construct and operate utility scale solar and energy storage projects. This includes, but is not limited to:

· Obtain all local land use approvals from the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), such as Conditional Use Permits, Zoning Authorizations, Zoning Letters, etc.;

· Obtain required State siting and or facilities permits, such as Certificates of Public Necessity (CPCN), Electric Merchant Permits (EMP), Electrical Siting Permits, etc.;

· Hearing preparation and lead face for the project at all Local and State land use hearings;

· Receive all environmental clearances from Local, State, and Federal agencies as applicable, such as CEQA, NEPA, SEQR, etc.;

· Perform historic and cultural resource studies and obtain clearance from the State SHPO as required;

· Manage filings with the Federal Aviation Authority and any other effected airports;

· Evaluate and obtain any required threatened and endangered species initial screening, protocol surveys, and any required State or Federal take authorizations or permits. This includes consultations per Section 7 of the ESA, Section 10a Take Permits, or any State Take Authorization;

· Manage wetland surveys, filing of Preliminary and/or Approved Wetland Jurisdictional Determinations (PJD/AJD), and applying for and receiving approval of Preconstruction Notices (PCN) for issuance of the required Nationwide Wetland Permits.

· Interconnection: Manage interconnection applications through the process until commercial operation. This includes, but is not limited to:

· Working knowledge of the ISO/RTO interconnection processes for filing interconnection applications including (CAISO, PJM, ERCOT, SPP, and MISO);

· Manage relationship with the utility and RTO/ISO from application to COD;

· Manage internal and external resources to provide engineering support for the process;

· Make all required security postings and payments in a timely manner;

· Review and solicit comments from consultants and internal team on the feasibility, system impact, and facilities studies;

· Negotiate all agreements needed to construct the facilities including Interconnection agreements, engineering and procurement, and construction agreements;

· Asset Divestment

· Manage flow of information between HQC US, project investor, and third-party financing representatives;

· Provide support for HQC US Structured Finance and Legal departments during project sale, debt and equity closings;

· Prepare projects for debt and equity finance or divestment by addressing low and medium finance risk items identified during acquisition process;

· Confirm that project land control documents, easements, right-of-way agreements, etc. meet minimum finance thresholds;

· Manage all matters related to real estate for the project closing.

Required Qualifications

· Bachelor’s Degree or higher in a business, urban planning, engineering, finance related fields

· 8+ years of renewable energy project development, working on behalf of the owner/developer

· A proven track record as a lead developer with a “deal sheet of projects” 50MW+ in size

· Solid understanding of energy markets and renewable energy development in North America

· Ability to communicate effectively with audiences that include but are not limited to management, co-workers, clients, vendors, contractors, and other stakeholders

· Superior preparation, presentation, time management & interpersonal skills

· Willing to travel up to 50% of the time within North America and internationally

· Represent the company with the utmost professionalism with internal and external communications

· A valid driving license and passport

Our client provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics.