Director, West Region Development
Scout Clean Energy · Boulder · $205,000–$235,000 (stated in the posting)
As a Director on our West Region Team, you will lead a team of Project Managers and Associates who are driving the execution of Scout’s U.S.-based wind and solar projects through all development phases. With a focus on mid- and late-stage development phases, you will be a resource for the team, providing strategy, guidance, and accountability regarding the identification and delivery of the needed real estate, environmental, and permitting milestones. You will be responsible for your team’s delivery of profitable projects that have been appropriately de-risked.
Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:
Project Management
- Direct portfolio-wide activities with a focus on budget management and project profitability. Direct regular reporting of project and portfolio timeline, budgets, and documentation.
- Develop risk management frameworks and processes to provide frequent opportunities to identify, assess, and mitigate risks and add value to projects, or shelve the project.
Contract Management
- Provide proactive guidance and troubleshooting for contractor relationships and identify new contractor opportunities for the team.
- Identify and implement portfolio-wide standards for engagement with contractors to create efficiencies while respecting the unique characteristics of individual projects. Decision maker on complicated terms and conditions.
- Ensure contract review and administration are consistently managed across your portfolio.
- Final review and approval of contracts and expenditures through the AP system
Finance and Commercial Matters
- Oversee the development and refinement of Development-appropriate tools to assess the financial feasibility of a project at regular intervals. Create strong relationships and processes with the Finance & Accounting teams to create a foundation for straightforward collaboration at appropriate times.
- Demonstrate strong skills in working through financial model inputs and identifying flaws.
- Develop innovative approaches to resolving complex commercial matters in Scout's favor or creating new opportunities based on your synthesis of context from a range of complex market and commercial matters. Create new business models / strategies that advance your project(s) and Scout.
- Support the Senior PM/PM and be able to step in on complicated due diligence efforts and responses.
Stakeholder relationships and Real Estate
- Participate in strategic planning, troubleshooting, and resolution of conflicts with key landowners, community members, and community leadership needed to advance projects. Identify and implement relevant training and professional development needed for all team members.
- Cultivate shared best practices across the team to secure necessary land and related planning / use permits. Advise team members in resolving or resolve issues that arise.
- Frequent travel to project sites (potential and in development) to assess opportunities and acquire valuable land rights.
GIS
- Ensure team has access to needed resources to maximize use of mapping tools (e.g., training, SMEs, software). Create systems for sharing best practices across the team and continuously improve the tools being used by the team. Use the outputs of others' mapping activities to inform decision making.
Permitting (local, state, federal) Tax
- Create tools to institutionalize knowledge about federal, regional, and location-specific permitting and tax requirements; support team's ability to meet requirements in priority locations.
- Provide guidance on and ensure favorable resolution of complex permitting and tax abatement issues. Collaborate across teams to establish and integrate proven practices for permitting and tax abatement. Work with project leads to shape relevant negotiating strategies.
- Work closely with internal team and external consultants to improve studies and ensure team is using industry best practices and innovative methods to better understand the risks and opportunities associated with each project and transfer this knowledge to the team. Create and implement strategies based on competitive landscape.
Engineering Design, Technology, Construction and Operation (Includes Interconnection,
battery storage, solar, and wind)
- Work with the Development Engineering team to create tools that streamline the Development team's access to interconnection-related information.
- Develop and implement a process to secure needed reviews and approvals of site and system design at critical points in development.
- Work with Procurement, Construction and Operations teams to stay informed on changing fundamentals of these areas and keep team informed on this information.
Internal (Team work)
- Establish strong relationships with peers on other teams at Scout, establish frameworks for collaboration, and disseminate information about them to relevant team members. Work together with other teams at Scout to achieve collective success.
- Create and retain a productive and high functioning team of developers with diverse skillsets and a range of abilities while providing leadership and mentorship in all skills necessary for team success.
- Address most issues and concerns raised by more junior staff. Secure resources as needed. Identify and elevate to more senior staff issues that affect the broader business. Ensure implementation of agreed-upon resolution.
- Confidence and ability to address senior management and cross-functional teams on their level, speak their language. Anticipate how your team's goals fit into broader corporate strategy and translate that into a strategic plan that has the support of senior management and your team. Meet all internal administrative requirements.
- Create standard guidance for project hand-off from one stage of development to the next project phase, (e.g., Development, Construction, M&A).
Advance Scout
- Develop, own and execute the project development strategy and tactics appropriate for your team's geography/phase of project development.
- Create opportunities for the team that leads to project progress through the Tier structure.
- Deliver on the goals you set annually with your manager.
- Embody and model Scout's mission and values in all interactions.
Timeline and Location
Our ideal candidate will be located at our Boulder, CO office on a hybrid schedule. Remote candidate who are willing to relocate are encouraged to apply.
We plan to fill this position by January 2027.
Requirements
- A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college program.
- 5+ years of wind development experience.
- Considerable experience leading mid-late stage development projects, including extensive knowledge around real estate, interconnection, permitting, and environmental.
- Leadership of growing teams, demonstrating team member development and achievement of financial and other operational goals.
- Experience navigating tax equity, construction lender, and other due diligence processes.
- Strong understanding of the relationships within a project schedule in order to prioritize teams’ resource allocation.
- Prior experience with or interest in expanding to development of utility-scale solar and/or storage projects.
- Solid knowledge and understanding of key value drivers for renewable power projects.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a flat organization, successfully leveraging the expertise of multiple colleagues in different lines of reporting.
- Strong communication, project management and team-building skills experience working with cross- functional internal and external technical advisors and stakeholders.
- Ability to multi-task and arbitrate between conflicting priorities with clear target setting and follow- through capability in a fast-paced work environment.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Earth.
- Willing and available to travel as needed as enabled by travel guidance (approximately two trips per month).
Scout’s Values
- Mission-Orientation. High achievers who want to make a difference in this world and contribute to Scout’s stated mission.
- Teamwork. Respectful and appreciative colleagues with strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to fostering positive relationships across organizational boundaries to deliver on shared team goals.
- Safety. Uncompromising advocates for the health and safety of fellow employees, contractors, customers, and community members.
- Integrity. Ethical professionals who do the right thing even when it is difficult.
- Initiative. Resourceful self-motivators who thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment because of their exceptional leadership, work ethic, and organizational skills.
- Intelligence. Problem-solving learners who can make informed decisions quickly and create innovative and pragmatic solutions to challenging problems.
Benefits
Compensation
Target base salary: $205,000-235,000
Attractive bonus potential.
Scout offers a full range of benefits, including medical/dental/vision insurance with attractive premiums, 401(k) match, STD, LTD, an Employee Assistance Program, and a range of optional supplemental insurance coverage.