Director or Senior Director of Development, Renewable Energy

Mission Clean Energy is seeking a Director or Senior Director of Development to manage and grow Mission’s pipeline of utility-scale Solar and Battery renewable energy projects in the Western United States.

Mission Clean Energy (“Mission”) is a values-driven company focused on accelerating the clean energy transition. Our mission is to decarbonize the grid responsibly, one renewable energy project at a time. We are leading the way by providing clean, abundant, and reliable energy to communities throughout the US.

Mission is a well-capitalized company with an established leadership team that has worked together for several years delivering extraordinary results. We value our strong employee culture rooted in collaboration and transparency and favor innovative thinkers who help us reach our ambitious growth and impact goals.

About the Role:

The Director or Senior Director Development, Renewable Energy will be responsible for driving the development of Mission's renewable energy projects in the Western and/or Central regions of the United States. Preference for experience in WECC, SPP, ERCOT, CAISO, or MISO. In this role, you’ll shape strategy, manage and coach developers, and be responsible for developing a portfolio of large and complex PV and BESS projects throughout their lifecycle with an emphasis on greenfielding through NTP.

Reporting to Mission’s CEO and working closely with our cross-functional groups, including finance, engineering, real estate, permitting, transmission/interconnection, GIS and revenue contract origination - you’ll oversee project schedules and budgets; partner with stakeholders; and identify, assess and execute on potential strategic partnerships, acquisitions and investments; and assist the finance team in the divestment of assets.

This position is a rare opportunity to join a well-capitalized, outstanding team in a critical role that will shape the growth and future of the company. This is an ideal job for a deeply skilled person who wants to lead in an entrepreneurial environment while maximizing their impact on the clean energy transition.

Key Responsibilities:

Development:

• Land and Real Estate: In partnership with Mission’s Real Estate Team, manage all matters related to real estate for mid to late stage projects. 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 changes to the ALTA survey to provide a survey acceptable to the financier and the title company;

• 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:

• In partnership with Mission’s Permitting Team, 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 primary spokesperson 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 affected 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:

• In partnership with Mission’s Transmission & Interconnection Team, 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

• Provide support 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.

Project Management:

• Act as the primary gatekeeper for project budget, schedule updates, risk management, and other essential functions for mid-stage projects.

• Define project objectives in partnership with stakeholders ensuring practicality

• Maintain project schedules with stakeholders using Smartsheet and other relevant software.

• Collaborate with in-house teams and external partners to execute projects seamlessly.

• Guarantee on-schedule, scope-aligned, and cost-effective project development advancement.

• Collaborate with leadership to develop dashboards showcasing pivotal milestones, schedule risks, and other essential data.

• Create standardized project schedule templates for different regions to optimize company operations.

Desired Qualifications:

The successful candidate must have utility-scale renewable energy experience, as well as the following experiences, skills, and attributes.

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

• Minimum of 7-9 years of experience in a similar position.

• Demonstrated experience in land development, entitlement, permitting and interconnection.

• A proven track record as a lead developer with a “deal sheet of projects” 1000MW+ in size

• Strong understanding of energy markets and renewable energy development in North America

• Strong project skills including creating and managing project budgets and schedules

• Ability to manage and support multiple projects simultaneously, with varying complexities and urgencies presented day to day

• Ability to communicate effectively with audiences that include but are not limited to management, coworkers, clients, vendors, contractors, and other stakeholders

• Superior preparation, presentation, time management & interpersonal skills

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

• Bias toward action in decision making

• A valid driver’s license.

• Ability and willingness to travel within the United States as much as 30% of the time, or as required by project needs

Mission offers highly competitive compensation. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, and health insurance; 401(k) plan with company match; and generous time-off policies. Compensation: $185,000 - 240,000 annual salary + bonuses (annual and project-based), depending on qualifications and relevant experience for Director to Senior Director level.

We seek a diverse candidate pool in this and every search. Mission Clean Energy is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you are a potential candidate interested in a role with Mission Clean Energy please submit an application directly. If you have any questions about the application process or the role itself, please reach out to a member of our Talent Acquisition team at careers@missioncleanenergy.com.

Mission Clean Energy is not accepting unsolicited third-party recruitment agencies in the hiring process for this role. Mission Clean Energy hereby reserves the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received from outside recruiting agencies and / or individual recruiters without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.