Development Project Manager

STANDARD SOLAR INC•Rockville, MD

8d•$90,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Development Project Manager coordinates and executes early-stage development activities to advance solar and energy storage projects from site control through development completion. The role manages execution of approved development plans rather than project origination, market selection, site identification, or commercial development strategy. It coordinates internal stakeholders, third-party consultants, regulatory agencies, utilities, and landowners to retire project risks, achieve development milestones, and prepare projects for handoff to downstream execution teams. The position is responsible for discretionary permitting, interconnection advancement, environmental due diligence, consultant management, development budgets and schedules, risk management, and project reporting. It is based in person at the company's Rockville, Maryland headquarters five days per week, with office work and local and out-of-state site visits. Travel to potential project sites and job sites nationwide is required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Environmental Science, Planning, Construction Management, Project Management, Real Estate, or a related field.
3–7 years of experience in renewable energy development, land development, utility infrastructure, permitting, or project management.
Experience managing discretionary permitting processes and public meetings.
Experience managing environmental, civil, survey, and engineering consultants.
Familiarity with utility interconnection processes.
Strong project scheduling, budget management, and organizational skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Ability to travel to project sites locally and out of state, including potential project sites and job sites nationwide.
Ability to walk and navigate uneven terrain during site visits.

Nice To Haves

Experience with solar PV and battery energy storage projects.
Experience working with local planning commissions, zoning boards, and regulatory agencies.
Knowledge of environmental permitting and land-use regulations.
PMP certification.
Experience with Procore, MS Project, Smartsheet, Salesforce, GIS, or related project management tools.

Responsibilities

Advance greenfield solar and energy storage projects from site control through development completion.
Develop and execute project-specific permitting strategies and manage discretionary permitting processes, including zoning approvals, conditional use permits, site plan approvals, special exceptions, variances, and other local land-use entitlements.
Prepare and manage schedules covering permitting, interconnection, environmental, and land milestones.
Organize and manage public hearings, planning commission meetings, zoning board meetings, county council meetings, and other regulatory proceedings.
Support community engagement and public outreach, coordinate responses to agency comments and approval conditions, and maintain permitting logs, approval matrices, risk registers, and status reports.
Coordinate utility interconnection applications and technical deliverables; manage utility communications; and track study schedules, milestones, deposits, and deadlines.
Coordinate engineering support for interconnection applications, studies, and technical reviews; review study results; identify risks and mitigation strategies; and support utility negotiations and technical discussions.
Support land acquisition, including lease negotiations, purchase agreements, easements, and access agreements.
Coordinate title reviews, ALTA and boundary surveys, related due diligence, legal review of development and land documents, and the tracking of real estate deliverables and contractual obligations.
Maintain relationships with landowners and development partners and help secure and maintain site control.
Procure, negotiate, and manage third-party consultant agreements; develop scopes of work, budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
Manage environmental, engineering, surveying, geotechnical, wetlands, permitting, and other technical consultants; review their reports and monitor performance, budgets, schedules, and invoices.
Coordinate interdisciplinary consultant deliverables to support permitting and interconnection requirements.
Coordinate environmental assessments, wetlands delineations, Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, geotechnical investigations, topographic surveys, and other development studies.
Identify environmental, permitting, and constructability risks; coordinate with development engineering on conceptual layouts and technical feasibility; and ensure project assumptions are supported by appropriate studies and documentation.
Assist in evaluating site constraints and development opportunities.
Manage development budgets and consultant expenditures; track schedules, critical paths, and milestones; and prepare status reports and executive summaries.
Maintain risk registers and mitigation plans, present updates to management, investment committees, and stakeholders, and support advancement decisions through data-driven risk and financial analysis.