Head of Project Development

Zenobē • Chicago, IL

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Zenobē is seeking a hands-on technical leader to lead project development for fleet electrification projects in North America. The role builds and leads a team of technical sales engineers, managers, and associates while personally contributing to technical solutions, commercial development, and successful project delivery. It owns the technical project development function supporting the North American commercial group and works closely with Project Delivery, Product Management and Engineering, Operations, Commercial Analytics, Legal, Procurement, and Business Development.

The position combines electrical engineering and infrastructure development expertise with strong commercial judgment. The Head of Project Development will guide projects through feasibility, design, permitting, utility interconnection, EPC tendering, contracting, and development-stage assurance reviews. The role is evaluated on deal outcomes and project delivery, including the ability to understand how design and value-engineering choices affect project economics and how contractual risks flow from customer agreements to EPC and subcontractor terms.

The successful candidate will help build Zenobē’s North American technical function largely from scratch, develop scalable processes and tools, and manage a growing team and multi-project portfolio. The role includes travel to current and prospective job sites, sometimes on short notice, for surveys, customer engagement, and project reviews. Work combines remote, office, and on-site settings. The position reports directly to the EVP–Partnerships and Commercial Operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Demonstrated project development background in EV, energy, or broader infrastructure, such as P3, renewables, or utility-scale projects, with an electrical bias.
• Experience building and leading technical or engineering teams, including technical sales engineers, managers, and associates.
• Proficient working knowledge of and ability to interpret electrical schematics, drawings, single-line diagrams, and general arrangements.
• Experience with land-use planning and public/private property entitlements for early-stage site feasibility assessment.
• Detailed experience with permitting, AHJs, and construction management processes.
• Solid understanding of electrical contracting, construction processes, and cost estimation and scoping.
• Experience with utility interconnection processes, including service or line extensions, load letters, and capacity requests.
• Experience with EPC tendering and managing Tier 1–3 supplier-partners.
• Strong project management skills, including management of a multi-project portfolio and a growing team concurrently.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and internal and external stakeholders under deadline pressure.
• Strong commercial acumen, including understanding how design, scope, and value-engineering decisions affect deal economics, pricing, and win probability.
• Legal and contracting experience, including ability to review, negotiate, or structure contract terms and understand risk allocation from customer contracts to EPC and subcontractor agreements.
• Flexibility to work remotely, in an office, and on site, with travel required and sometimes on short notice.
• Collaborative, flexible, enthusiastic, and empathetic approach; ability to thrive as a self-starter in a fast-moving, dynamic team environment.

Nice To Haves

• EV or fleet electrification experience, including charge management, EVSE providers, OEMs, or grant programs.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering or an adjacent discipline; Electrical Engineering is strongly preferred.
• P3 or infrastructure development/finance background.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Experience with energy management, load modeling, and optimization.
• Familiarity with Salesforce, SiteTracker, P6/Primavera, Bluebeam, AutoCAD, and MS Project.
• Experience with EV charging infrastructure commissioning.
• Lean/TPMS and/or continuous improvement experience.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead, and personally work alongside a team of technical sales engineers, managers, and associates delivering fleet electrification project solutions.
• Own the technical project development function supporting Zenobē’s North American commercial group and coordinate across internal functional teams.
• Conduct site surveys, develop initial project designs for HV/LV equipment, EV charging equipment, and communications, and produce layouts using AutoCAD.
• Navigate permitting and Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) requirements across jurisdictions to keep projects on schedule.
• Develop and maintain costing models, Scopes of Work, RFQs, and SOPs to scale project development capability.
• Conduct high-volume feasibility reviews of prospective customer sites, identifying technical risks, costs, and feasibility early.
• Assess project designs during bidding and identify value-engineering opportunities to reduce costs, mitigate risk, or shorten schedules.
• Support EPC tendering and manage supplier-partner relationships across Tier 1–3 subcontractors.
• Own the technical value proposition for customer deals, promote Zenobē’s turnkey offering, and actively contribute to closing deals.
• Manage contractual risk flowing from customer contracts into EPC and subcontractor terms, keeping scope, price, and risk allocation aligned through execution.
• Represent Zenobē in technical engagements with customers and other stakeholders.
• Liaise with local utilities on current and upcoming projects, including grid constraints, site utility inputs, funding sources, and capacity-increase requests.
• Liaise with OEMs regarding products, technical specifications, and customer value.
• Coordinate with Legal, Procurement, and Delivery to source supplier-partners, review subcontractor bids, and ensure effective handoff at contract execution.
• Manage the growing team and project portfolio through resourcing, reporting, and delivery cadence.
• Own Stage Gate (Assurance Review) compliance for Development & Design phase AR3a and AR3b, ensuring design, permitting, subcontracts, and budget are complete and audit-ready.
• Identify and drive improvements to project development processes, tools, and best practices as the team and pipeline grow.
• Travel to current and prospective job sites, including on short notice, to conduct surveys, engage customers, and support deal progression.
• Integrate health, safety, wellbeing, and sustainability into daily work; support a safe and supportive environment, promote physical and mental health, and adopt sustainable and energy-efficient practices.

Benefits

• 20 days of holiday, increasing after five years’ service.
• 401(k) scheme with up to 4% matching.
• Training budget and opportunities for personal growth and responsibility.
• Up to 33% performance-related bonus; roles are also eligible for additional discretionary bonuses.
• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance, including three medical plans, one with 100% employer-paid employee coverage and 75% dependent/spouse coverage.
• Refer-a-friend bonus scheme.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity benefits.
• Flexible commuter programme.
• Fertility leave.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior