Project Developer, Built Environment

Remote; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 105,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vacation

Life insurance

Parental leave

401(k) matching

Home office stipend

Transit reimbursement

Volunteering PTO

Donation matching

Education reimbursements

Job summary

Pivot Energy is seeking a Project Developer, Built Environment, to lead the development of solar, storage, and hybrid energy projects across the US, from site receipt through permitting and interconnection to project delivery.

You will collaborate with internal teams and external contractors, manage complex permitting environments, engage communities, and drive interconnection strategies for rooftop, carport and energy storage projects nationwide. Travel up to 50% is required.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in renewable energy development or related field.
• Experience building in the built environment: rooftop, carport/canopy, and unique aspects vs greenfield development.
• Experience in BESS and SAS projects, including interconnection and permitting.
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to present to Pivot stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% for permitting & community meetings.
• Ability to navigate complex permitting and environmental diligence processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead permitting document creation and submission for energy/industrial facility development.
• Coordinate with third-party consultants and contractors to meet quality, budget and schedule goals.
• Attend community events and participate in local policy groups to support market success.
• Meet with landowners, manage leases, and amend lease terms for solar/BESS development.
• Coordinate with Engineering and Grid Integration on interconnection timelines and strategies.
• Prepare project deliverables for Pivot’s Structured Finance team to enable financial closings.
• Represent Project Development at handoff meetings and translate requirements across teams.
• Support client relationships with timely updates and meetings.
• Perform additional duties as required by leadership.

Skills

Renewable energy development

Interconnection processes

Stakeholder engagement

Public speaking

Project management

Permitting

Diligence

Communication

Job description

Defining the future of work & living globally

The Project Developer, Built Environment, will execute the development of assigned solar, solar + storage, and standalone energy storage projects located in urban, commercial, and infrastructure-adjacent settings across the US. These projects are originated by the C&I sales and/or greenfield site origination teams at Pivot and will be owned by the Developer through discretionary permitting, interconnection, environmental diligence, etc., until they are transitioned to the Project Delivery team for the EPC sequence.

The Project Developer will collaborate closely with other internal teams at Pivot as well as manage external contractors as needed throughout the project life cycle. This role requires strong organizational skills, comfort navigating complex jurisdictional environments w/ ambiguous or novel paths to permit approvals, and the ability to manage stakeholder views on multiple projects with clear communication and attention to detail.

Among other things, this role will own the project development responsibility from receipt of site through transition to project delivery (construction, pre-NTP) with a primary focus on interconnection, site diligence and permitting for renewable energy facilities with a focus on C&I projects (rooftop, ground-mount, or carport PV; battery energy storage, e.g.) and/or greenfield energy storage projects across the US.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage and lead the creation and submission of permitting documents for energy/industrial facility development, expansion, and maintenance, with a focus on local permitting
• Manage third-party consultants and contractors to complete required diligence items related to a portfolio of projects within quality/budget/schedule expectations and scope-specific assignments
• Attend community events to discuss solar with stakeholders; periodically participate in local policy working groups to ensure market success
• Meet with landowners, manage lease terms, and amend leases for solar/BESS development
• Manage, in coordination with Engineering and Grid Integration teams, interconnection timelines, processes, and strategies
• Complete title curative items for project finance requirements, in collaboration with the legal team
• Represent Project Development at internal and external handoff meetings, translating project requirements clearly between sales, engineering, preconstruction, project management, and other stakeholders
• Prepare project deliverables for and work closely with Pivot’s Structured Finance team to ensure qualifying projects are ready for financial closings
• Support client relationship managed by origination teams with meeting attendance and timely updates
• Additional duties as required by the Director or VP

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

• 4+ years of experience in renewable energy development, or comparable professional experience
• Substantial experience developing in the built environment; rooftop, carport/canopy, and the unique aspects that are different than greenfield development (including specialized diligence (i.e., GPRS), interconnection, discretionary permitting, etc)
• Substantial experience developing BESS and SAS projects, including (but not limited to) interconnection, discretionary permitting, community engagement, coordination with fire districts, and staff
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to communicate complex concepts within and outside of Pivot
• Comfort speaking in public while presenting Pivot project concepts to recommending and decision-making bodies
• Excellent communication and public relations skills, and a positive attitude to enhance the company’s reputation through interpersonal interactions
• Valid driver’s license and ability to drive to sites and permitting authorities
• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time for permitting & community engagement meetings (starting with Mountain West – Midwest – East Coast), make own travel arrangements, and be self-reliant
• Self-starter who can work with minimal supervision and who is not afraid to ask questions and take on tasks outside of their comfort zone
• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage complex evaluation processes for a significant number of sites to inform sound project siting and related project decision-making
• Experience with the preparation of applications and documents related to the development of renewable energy projects for federal, state, and local permitting.
• Understanding of real estate title, LLCs, tax maps, deeds, and parcel identification

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The estimated base salary range for this position is $105,000 -$140,000 depending on relevant experience, along with eligibility for the company’s substantial bonus plan, with a target bonus of 20% of annual salary (prorated in first year based on start date), and a commission based on project throughput.

Pivot Energy is dedicated to providing a great work experience for all employees, placing an emphasis on company culture, and a focus on our people. To that end, Pivot offers an outstanding benefits package that includes:

• Excellent health/dental/vision insurance benefits with up to 100% of premiums covered by the company
• Four weeks of vacation (prorated in first year)
• Company paid life insurance and short- & long-term disability coverage
• Generous parental leave
• 401(k) matching
• Home Office set-up stipend for new employees
• Public transit reimbursement
• PTO for volunteering in the community
• Charitable donation matching up to $500/year
• Professional development and educational reimbursements

A complete list of all the benefits Pivot offers may be provided upon request.

ABOUT PIVOT

Pivot Energy is a national renewable energy provider that develops, finances, builds, owns, and manages solar and energy storage projects that help decarbonize our nation’s electricity, increase equitable access to clean energy for local communities, and provide real cost-savings to American businesses and families.

We are fiercely dedicated to accelerating the rapid transition taking place in the energy industry to a more decentralized and cleaner approach to power generation. We are committed to positively contributing to the local communities and people we serve with more than clean energy. We believe global warming poses an existential threat to our planet and that we have a responsibility to help mitigate the threat. Our portfolio includes projects that reduce energy burden for income-limited families, create workforce pathways for under-represented groups within the solar industry, and include robust community investment opportunities.

As a Certified B Corporation and one of Denver’s “Best Places to Work”, we believe that company success is driven by a healthy environment, thriving society, and workplace where all individuals are respected. We evaluate every internal decision on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors to determine if our actions will result in a net positive impact on the community, our employees, customers, shareholders, and the environment. Learn more in our annual ESG Report.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION and JUSTICE STATEMENT

At Pivot, we are proactively developing and maintaining an inclusive culture, rooted in mutual respect, that supports a workforce of different generations, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, ability statuses, religions, and cultures to work collaboratively together for greater impact. We seek to build a team that invests in relationship building, celebrates each other’s successes, and makes space for the unique contributions and working styles people bring into Pivot.

Pivot invests in company-wide trainings, assessments, and programs to advance internal inclusion and equity practices, such as employee allyship building, cross-cultural communications, and equitable hiring and management protocols to increasingly recognize bias and ensure mutual respect and belonging.

EEO STATEMENT

Pivot Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce. We actively work to cultivate an inclusive culture that welcomes, empowers, and enables equitable career growth for employees regardless of background.