Chief Development Officer - Path to President - Battery Energy Storage

Sunland America; United States; On-site; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

Performance bonus

Job summary

Sunland America seeks a transformative Chief Development Officer to lead the growth of its battery storage development platform. You will own the development portfolio, shape strategy, and drive execution from land origination to interconnection and permitting.

This succession role starts with a paid consulting period, then transitions to full-time leadership with a clear path to President. We value deep energy market knowledge, PJM experience, capital discipline, and a proven ability to build

Qualifications

• Led US energy development and personally taken projects to NTP, sale, or operation.
• Strong PJM experience and knowledge of interconnection, permitting, and utilities.
• Proven track record of scaling development platforms and selling development-stage assets.

Responsibilities

• Own portfolio strategy: decide which projects to advance, sell, or stop.
• Oversee origination: target land and projects to move forward.
• Manage execution: schedules, budgets, interconnection, permitting, engineering milestones.
• Drive growth: expansion and acquisition strategy in PJM and beyond.
• Build and lead a small, exceptional development team and coordinate with outside experts.
• Align capital with project plans in collaboration with CFO.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Energy development

PJM experience

Capital discipline

Team building

Communication

Job description

Sunland America develops battery energy storage projects. Our portfolio is 19 projects under site control, concentrated in PJM. We have perfected a highly effective origination system that will allow us to scale our portfolio considerably. With our Series A approaching, we need the leader who will turn this foundation into a much larger company. Sunland is built for extreme growth, and we are setting the bar for this hire accordingly: we are looking for one of the best development leaders in the country.

The opportunity

This is a succession role. Our founder is moving to executive chairman, focused on company strategy and building the company’s operational infrastructure. You will own the development business first, then the company’s day-to-day operations as President.

You will have full authority over the portfolio: which projects advance, which get cut, where capital goes, and who is on the team.

What you’ll own

• Portfolio strategy: prioritizing the projects, and deciding what to advance, sell, or stop.
• Origination: overseeing the process, deciding what land to target, and which projects to move forward with.
• Execution: schedules, budgets, interconnection, permitting, engineering, and commercial milestones.
• Growth: setting expansion and acquisition strategy in PJM and beyond.
• Team: recruiting and leading a small, exceptional development group and the outside specialists around it.
• Capital alignment: working with our CFO to match project plans to available funding.

Who you are

• You have led US energy development and personally taken projects to NTP, sale, or operation. Battery storage experience is a strong plus, and we welcome exceptional solar and wind developers.
• You know how interconnection, utilities, and state and local permitting decide whether a project lives. PJM experience is especially valuable.
• You have a record of capital discipline, including projects you stopped and why.
• You have built and led a team, and have sold development-stage assets or helped scale a platform.
• You work at the strategic level and still go deep when a project needs it.
• You are highly driven and growth-minded, and you bring a positive attitude that lifts the people around you.
• You want to run a company, not just a department.
• You have excellent connections in the industry.

How we’ll start

We begin with a paid 60 to 90 day consulting engagement so both sides can confirm the fit. During that time you will be onboarded by our current Chief Development Officer, giving you a full handover of the portfolio, the relationships, and the origination system. From there the role converts to a full-time executive position as Chief Development Officer, with a defined path to President. For the right candidate, we are open to moving straight to the executive role.

Compensation

Base salary starting at $250,000, depending on experience and qualifications, plus a performance bonus and meaningful equity that vests over time. Minimal travel is expected.

Sunland America is an equal opportunity employer.