Sr. Manager, Land Acquisition

Avantus; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 146,064 - 171,840; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Medical and dental plan options

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Avantus seeks a Sr. Manager, Land Acquisition to lead negotiations for real estate contracts and oversee due diligence for a large solar and storage portfolio. The role collaborates with landowners, attorneys, surveyors, utilities, and finance teams across Western U.S., including San Diego.

The candidate will manage land budgets, draft key agreements, and ensure compliance with energy financing requirements while traveling up to two times per month.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; JD preferred.
• 3+ years renewable energy development experience.
• 3+ years real estate development experience.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations for real estate contracts underlying Avantus’ solar and storage projects.
• Lead due diligence tracking and project status reporting for the development pipeline.
• Assist with market/site analysis and land ownership investigations.
• Review and report on title matters to support project financing.
• Coordinate with landowners, attorneys, surveyors, utilities, and title companies.
• Draft and execute purchase, lease, easements, estoppels, and related agreements.
• Prepare land project budgets and cost projection spreadsheets.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve project hurdles.

Skills

Negotiation

Due diligence

Real estate analysis

Project management

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree; JD preferred

Tools

Google Earth

MS Office Suite

Job description

ABOUT AVANTUS

Avantus develops, owns, and operates utility-scale clean energy projects across California and the Desert Southwest. Our development pipeline represents one of the nation's largest portfolios of solar with integrated storage, capable of providing dispatchable power to 17 million Americans, day and night. With over a decade of industry leadership and strategic investment from KKR and EIG, Avantus delivers affordable, reliable clean energy solutions that meet America’s growing energy demand.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are seeking a highly motivated and organized candidate for a Sr. Manager, Land Acquisition position. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound industry knowledge, superior communication and negotiation capability, and detail-oriented contract analysis and organizational skills. This role reports to the VP, Land Development. The land team is a highly talented, hard-working, dynamic group with extensive legacy knowledge in the renewable energy industry. The ideal candidate will have the right mix of skills, experience and enthusiasm to succeed in early-stage development and ongoing asset management of large-scale solar projects.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead negotiations for real estate contracts underlying Avantus’ portfolio of solar and storage projects.
• Lead due diligence tracking and project status reporting for one of the largest development pipelines in the industry.
• Assist with new market and site analysis including investigation of land development criteria and land ownership.
• Assist with review, resolution, and reporting of title matters to support financing of projects, including vesting, mineral rights, liens, taxes, and other critical matters
• Coordinate efforts among landowners, attorneys, surveyors, utilities, title companies, and other key project stakeholders.
• Assist with drafting, abstraction, and execution of agreements including purchase and lease agreements, amendments, easements, crossing agreements, estoppels, subordination agreements, affidavits, etc.
• Preparation of land project budgets and upkeep of other various spreadsheets in connection with cost projections, including option payment spreadsheets.
• Solve cross-functional project hurdles in coordination with other functional groups in the company, including transmission, permitting, engineering, origination, and finance teams.

REQUIREDSKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree, preference give to candidates with Juris Doctor.
• Minimum of 3+ years of renewable energy project development experience.
• Minimum of 3+ years of real estate development experience.
• Highly proficient in Google Earth, and MS Office Suite, including use of advanced features.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Understanding of real estate issues specific to energy development and renewable energy financing requirements.
• Ability to read, understand and interpret legal documents and real estate contracts.
• Resourcefulness, a meticulous eye for detail, and investigative skills are essential.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills with the ability to read and analyze large amounts of project data.
• Self-motivated, possesses an eagerness to learn and take initiative.
• Highly personable demeanor, able to connect with and deal with all personality types
• Passion for green energy and responsible development.
• Experience with title insurance, survey,etc.
• Direct experience leading real estate workflow for utility scale solar projects from greenfield siting stage to financial closing.
• Experience managing ALTA surveys, mapping out and resolving a myriad of title issues.
• Experience managing large scale greenfield siting campaigns.
• Willingness to travel up to (2) times a month.
• Resides in western United States, preferably San Diego.

NICE TO HAVES

• Experience managing large mineral rights mitigation efforts on solar projects and has a demonstrated understanding of mineral rights.
• Experience providing clear and concise updates to executive teams and creating simple and effective tools to provide said updates.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

Avantus offers competitive compensation with an excellent benefits package, including 401(k) matching; comprehensive medical and dental plan options; and flexible PTO.

• 401(k) matching
• comprehensive medical and dental plan options
• flexible PTO

We are an equal-opportunity employer.

The base salary range for this full-time position is listed below (plus bonus and benefits). Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position in California. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus and benefits.

Pay Range: $146,064—$171,840 USD