Executive Search: Senior Director, Solar Development
Location: Charlotte, NC (Hybrid - in office 3-4 days)
Reporting To: Senior Director of Development
Travel: Approximately 30%
Executive Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated, entrepreneurial development leader to spearhead a massive, high-priority regional pipeline. This critical hire will drive the advancement of more than 3 GW of mid-to-late-stage solar and hybrid co-located storage assets from inception through to Notice to Proceed (NTP).
Key Responsibilities
Pipeline Execution: Take ownership of a scaling regional pipeline, managing the full lifecycle of competitive, customer-centric utility-scale solar and co-located storage projects.
Commercial Agreements: Drive project value maximization by structuring and negotiating high-value agreements, including Interconnection Agreements (GIAs), Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and EPC contracts.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner seamlessly with internal departments—including corporate finance, engineering, environmental/permitting, legal, underwriting, and tax—to de-risk projects and secure internal investment approvals.
External Stakeholder Management: Champion community, landowner, regulatory, and utility relations. Serve as the primary representative to advance land-use permitting and resolve complex interconnection bottlenecks.
Financial & Budgetary Stewardship: Oversee assigned regional development budgets, performing rigorous risk assessments and strategic business impact analyses to deploy capital prudently.
Team Mentorship: Provide day-to-day guidance, strategic direction, and mentorship to junior development staff working within the region.
Candidate Profile & Qualifications
Core PrerequisitesEducation & Tenure: A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, or a related field combined with 8+ years of industry experience. Alternatively, 13+ years of direct industry experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.
Utility-Scale Track Record: 5+ years of dedicated experience in utility-scale renewable energy development with a proven portfolio of successfully bringing assets to construction handover.
Market Intelligence: Deep knowledge of wholesale electricity markets, tax incentives, and the specific interconnection and real estate frameworks of major ISOs (specifically PJM, MISO, SPP, and/or SERC).
Project Leadership: Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary project teams and navigating matrixed corporate environments.
Executive Presence: Exceptional communication, business acumen, and negotiation skills, with a comfort level presenting complex project risk-profiles directly to executive leadership and enterprise customers.