Senior Associate Project Developer, Utility-Scale - New Leaf Energy, Inc.

New Leaf Energy, Inc. is seeking a SeniorAssociate Project Developer to join our growing Utility-Scale Development team. We will also consider hiring an Associate Project Developer for this role who may have less professional experience. This position may be filled out of our Lowell, MA, Boston, MA, or Chicago, IL offices. We value in-person collaboration and offer a hybrid work environment. Hybrid employees work in the office at least two out of every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and are free to work from the office or from home on other days.

This position is an opportunity to join an outstanding company in a high-leverage role. Our ideal applicant will be a tenacious, determined, creative problem-solver, self-motivated and independent, a great communicator, and highly organized, with the ability to manage numerous tasks in parallel and to prioritize competing demands.

About the Role

The Associate Project Developer (APD) contributes directly to the success of the company by effectively and efficiently identifying leads and screening sites that will turn into project opportunities. The APD is a key support position to the Utility-Scale Project Developers and is vital to New Leaf Energy's go-to-market strategy in the regions they are assigned. Our most accomplished APDs bring an enthusiasm for renewable development and have strong communication, writing, analytical and organizational skills, and a hunger for success.

New Leaf Energy utilizes a Value Stream Mapping (VSM) process that takes a lean approach in managing project development opportunities from initial discovery through to closing. APDs are responsible for leading and supporting a wide range of activities across the project lifecycle.

• Lead Prospecting
• You will use a multi-disciplinary approach to target land that matches buildability with transmission injection/deliverability for utility-scale solar and storage projects. You will then identify and research leads through targeted land campaign work, including mailers, phone calls, and other outreach.
• Real Estate Negotiations
• You will support the Project Developer in managing landowner relationships and negotiating key real estate agreements including leases, easements, and purchase agreements to assemble all necessary land for the construction of the project.
• Site Due Diligence & Permitting
• APDs are responsible for desktop reviews of potential site characteristics including topography, soil conditions, access, and the likelihood of wetlands and environmental restrictions, among other site conditions. Your management will extend into requesting quotes and releasing additional on-site work such as surveying, wetlands flagging, site walks, and other activities necessary to sufficiently understand the viability of and de-risk a given site.
• Power Marketing
• Support the project team by assembling key information to respond to Requests for Proposals and/or bilateral power marketing opportunities to secure a Power Purchase Agreement or other revenue contract for mature projects in your market.
• Project Management
• You will be responsible for keeping project budgets and schedules up to date, and for monitoring and managing the completion of deliverables that are prepared by subcontractors.
• Market Diligence
• APDs are expected to grow a deep understanding of the market fundamentals and mechanics of the region where they are developing projects, to assist the New Leaf Policy and Development team in tracking key issues that impact project viability, and to anticipate new opportunities that are driven by policy or technology advancements.
• Project Closings
• You will prepare project data rooms to support the marketing of the projects, and support project teams during sale due diligence by gathering additional information as needed.

Additional duties include:

• Initiate and send initial Letters of Intent (LOI) and leases;
• Follow up with Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) administrators for timely delivery of decision documents;
• Complete cash flow models to assess the impact of changing cost or incentive conditions on projects;
• Review RFPs and complete RFP questionnaires to allow Project Developers to assess bid viability;
• Support the company's efforts towards continuous improvement and standard process development.

Desired Qualifications

While no one individual will possess them all, the successful candidate will bring many of the following experiences, skills, and attributes. If you're unsure of whether you meet enough of the qualifications below but believe that your experience and skill set is a good match for this position, we invite you to apply!

• 2 to 5 years' professional experience preferred;
• Bachelor's Degree required;
• Experience working on utility-scale solar, storage or wind project development, DG Solar development, or related experience preferred;
• Experience in proposal writing and/or responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) preferred;
• IT skills – proficiency in Microsoft Office required; Google Workspace, web-based GIS applications, and Salesforce experience a plus;
• Excitement about growing along with a fast-paced, dynamic company; comfort with ambiguity and a willingness to build, experiment, and iterate when the path forward is undefined;
• A passion for renewable energy, addressing the climate crisis, and accelerating the clean energy transformation.

Compensation

New Leaf Energy compensates all employees in three ways: market-competitive base salary, plus above-market variable compensation, plus an equity-like program such that all employees experience the benefits of ownership.  We use a data-driven and transparent methodology to calibrate compensation that is externally competitive and internally equitable, guided by the New Leaf Energy compensation manual, which is available to all employees.

The base salary for this position in the Chicago location is $91,920. Compensation for this position includes an incentive plan, about which we can go into detail in the interview process.