Director, EDG Commercial Development (Thermal)

Crusoe; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Restricted Stock Units

Paid time off

HSA contributions

Parental leave

Mental health & wellness support

Commuter benefits

Cell phone stipend

401(k) with company match

Job summary

Crusoe is seeking a Commercial Energy Lead to originate and develop GW-scale energy projects supporting next-gen AI compute campuses across North America. You’ll drive project execution, siting, and scaling of energy infrastructure while optimizing power procurement and CCS-enabled solutions.

You will work with internal teams and external partners to land deals, navigate regulatory dynamics, and shape strategic growth in Crusoe’s Energy Development Group.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in energy, particularly thermal asset development.
• Experience negotiating PPAs for thermal resources with IPPs/utilities.
• Understanding of US energy markets, ISO/RTO rules, nodal pricing.

Responsibilities

• AI infrastructure enablement: site, design, and deliver power and land for AI compute deployments.
• Strategic project development: define and deploy strategic frameworks for new projects in the US.
• Deal execution: lead fast-paced, complex energy and real estate deals to completion.
• Cross-functional collaboration to align with company goals.
• Market & regulatory analysis to guide business strategies.
• Power sourcing and market research to optimize LCOE for thermal resources.
• Relationship management with asset owners, IPPs, and end users.
• Contract negotiation & structuring for PPAs and real estate, incl. CCS considerations.
• Interconnection & tax abatement negotiations; compliance with legal/financial objectives.

Skills

Energy industry experience

PPA negotiation

Thermal asset expertise

Market & regulatory understanding

AI compute / data center experience

Negotiation & leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education in business/economics/eng

Education

Relevant degree in Business / Economics / Engineering

Job description

Crusoe is on a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence. As the only vertically integrated AI infrastructure company built from the ground up, we own and operate each layer of the stack — from electrons to tokens — to power the world's most ambitious AI workloads. When you join Crusoe, you join a team that is building the future, faster.

We're in the midst of the greatest industrial revolution of our time. The demand for AI compute is boundless, and power is a bottleneck. We're solving that — with an energy-first approach that makes AI infrastructure better for the world and faster for the people innovating with AI.

We're looking for problem-solving, opportunity-finding teammates with a sense of urgency, who believe in the scale of our ambition and thrive on a path not fully paved — people who want to grow their careers alongside a team of experts across energy, manufacturing, data center construction, and cloud services.

If you want to do the most meaningful work of your career, help our customers and partners advance their AI strategies, and be part of a high-performing team that believes in each other, come build with us at Crusoe.

About This Role

As a Commercial Energy Lead, you will play a pivotal role in this mission by originating and developing GW-scale energy and infrastructure projects to support next-generation compute campuses. You'll drive execution across all aspects of those projects and help define strategic plans for growth in our Energy Development Group, serving as a key player in siting and scaling infrastructure to support high-performance computing and AI workloads, and helping Crusoe pioneer reliable, energy-first compute at scale.

You will work on projects across North America, focusing on delivering industry-leading time-to-market, scale, and creative energy solutions. While delivering robust power systems, you will leverage the industry's energy demand to catalyze baseload power with a focus on thermal assets paired with carbon capture and storage (CCS). This position directly impacts Crusoe's mission by delivering opportunities to execute on global-scale, climate-aligned data center infrastructure.

What You'll Be Working On

• AI Infrastructure Enablement: Work directly with internal technical teams and external partners to site, design, and deliver power and land to energy-intensive AI compute deployments, including high-density GPU data centers.

• Strategic Project Development: Define and deploy strategic frameworks for new project development, primarily within the US.

• Deal Execution & Leadership: Develop and execute fast-paced, highly complex energy and real estate deals from start to finish. Act as the central point (\"quarterback\") to drive these deals to completion.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with company goals and market needs.

• Market & Regulatory Analysis: Analyze regulatory and policy developments impacting the energy and AI industries, and recommend proactive adjustments to business strategies based on market intelligence.

• Power Sourcing & Market Research: Develop and implement comprehensive power sourcing strategies to reduce overall LCOE focused on thermal resources. Evaluate energy market dynamics, nodal pricing, and dispatch economics to optimize procurement timing and structure. Conduct market research to identify and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

• Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with thermal asset project owners, brokers, Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and AI workload end users.

• Contract Negotiation & Structuring: Lead negotiation and structuring of power purchase agreements and real estate agreements needed to build HPC data centers, including complex commercial frameworks such as physical and financial hedges, tolling agreements, and behind-the-meter configurations for thermal resources. Experience structuring agreements that incorporate or accommodate CCS infrastructure is a plus.

• Interconnection & Tax Abatement: Lead interconnection submittals and approvals for data center load, and lead property tax abatement negotiations.

• Compliance & Financial Alignment: Work closely with legal and financial teams to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and financial objectives.

What You'll Bring to the Team

• Energy Industry Experience: 8+ years of experience in the energy industry, specifically in thermal asset project development, financing, and/or origination roles.

• Power Marketing & PPA Negotiation: Proven experience in power marketing and PPA negotiation for thermal resources, including utility-scale agreements with IPPs and utilities.

• Thermal Asset Expertise: Strong understanding of thermal power generation (natural gas), including heat rates, fuel supply logistics, dispatch economics, and the structuring of complex commercial frameworks such as physical and financial hedges, tolling agreements, and behind-the-meter configurations. Familiarity with carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a complement to thermal development is a plus.

• Market & Regulatory Understanding: Strong understanding of U.S. energy markets and the regulatory environment, including ISO/RTO market rules, nodal pricing dynamics, and the evolving regulatory landscape for large-load energy consumers. Familiarity with ERCOT is a plus.

• AI Compute or Data Center Experience (Preferred): Deep interest in AI workloads and experience working with AI infrastructure providers, hyperscalers, or compute developers is a strong plus.

• Key Skills: Excellent negotiation, strategic thinking, and leadership skills, with the ability to mentor and informally guide junior team members.

• Team Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally and influence without direct authority.

• Education: Relevant degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, or a related field.

Bonus Points

• Growth Mindset: Curious, eager, tenacious, and a quick learner.

• Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where the industry changes quickly and goals evolve in real-time.

Project Leadership: Highly organized with strong interpersonal and project management skills to drive complex deals to completion.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation

• Restricted Stock Units

• Paid time off & paid holidays

• Comprehensive health, dental & vision insurance

• Employer contributions to HSA account

• Paid parental leave

• Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability

• Professional development & tuition reimbursement

• Mental health & wellness support

• Commuter benefits (parking & transit)

• Cell phone stipend

• 401(k) Retirement plan with company match up to 4% of salary

• Volunteer time off

Compensation Range

Compensation will be paid in the range of up to $190,000 - $230,000 + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicants knowledge, education, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation.