Project Development Associate

CycloKinetics•Salt Lake, UT

1d•Onsite

About The Position

CycloKinetics is developing high-performance propellants and fuels from biomass for aviation, aerospace, and defense applications. The Project Development Associate supports capital projects from concept through final investment decision (FID), helping shape the company’s project pipeline. The role combines technical, commercial, and regulatory work across multiple projects and reports directly to the SVP of Capital Projects. The associate supports project development workplans through front-end loading (FEL) stages 1–3, including preparation of gate packages and decision materials. Work includes site screening and selection, financial modeling, cost estimating and benchmarking, contractor and consultant deliverable management, and tracking permitting and environmental review. The role also supports commercial arrangements, government funding and financing applications, market and policy analysis, project risk and development tracking, coordination with internal and external stakeholders, and data-room preparation for lenders and investors. The position is based on-site in Salt Lake City, Utah. Travel to project sites or to support government reporting requirements may be required up to 25%. Physical requirements may include lifting or moving items up to 50 pounds, bending, standing, reaching, climbing, walking, and prolonged sitting. Safe work habits and use of company-provided personal protective equipment are required. Employment is contingent on successful completion of background verification and drug screens.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
4–7 years of scheduling experience on capital projects in industrial, energy, chemical, or infrastructure settings.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Project or Primavera P6, including baselines, calendars, relationships, and resource loading.
Working knowledge of enterprise scheduling concepts, including multi-project environments, EPS/OBS structures, portfolio roll-ups, and cross-project resource management.
Working knowledge of CPM scheduling, earned value management, and progress measurement.
Experience reviewing contractor schedules on EPC or EPCM execution.
Strong Excel skills and ability to communicate schedule drivers clearly to non-specialists.
Willingness to travel to project sites or support government reporting requirements up to 25%.
Safe work habits and compliance with company safety policies; use of provided personal protective equipment is mandatory.
Successful completion of background verification and drug screens is a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with enterprise scheduling platforms such as P6 EPPM, Primavera Cloud, or similar, and portfolio reporting.
Experience on government projects, including DOE, DoD, or other federally or state-funded programs.
Familiarity with IMS deliverables, EVMS (ANSI/EIA-748), and schedule quality assessments such as the DCMA 14-point check.
PSP (AACE) or PMI-SP certification, or certification in progress.
Experience with schedule risk tools such as Oracle Primavera Risk Analysis, Acumen, or similar.
Experience with synthetic and renewable fuels, power generation, oil and gas, process facilities, or defense-adjacent infrastructure projects.
Exposure to stage-gate/FEL frameworks and projects with grant, loan, or government-funded milestone reporting.
Familiarity with Power BI or similar reporting tools.

Responsibilities

Support project development workplans through FEL 1–3 and prepare gate packages and decision materials for investment committee and leadership review.
Conduct site screening and selection analyses covering feedstock and offtake logistics, utilities, permitting, community considerations, and infrastructure access.
Build and maintain project financial models, including capital costs, operating costs, sensitivities, and returns, in coordination with finance.
Support capital cost estimating and benchmarking, and manage engineering consultant and FEED contractor deliverables.
Track and support permitting, environmental review, and regulatory workstreams.
Assist in structuring feedstock supply, offtake, EPC/EPCM contracting strategy, joint ventures, and partner agreements.
Prepare applications and supporting documentation for government funding and financing programs, including DOE programs, OTAs, DFC, and export credit or multilateral structures.
Conduct market, policy, and incentive analyses, including analysis of tax credits and regulatory mechanisms relevant to project economics.
Maintain the project risk register, assumptions log, and development tracker.
Coordinate with legal, finance, engineering, and external advisors.
Support data-room preparation for lenders and investors.