Senior Director, Development

Description

About the Role

Vitis Energy is an independent power producer developing utility scale battery energy storage (BESS), solar, and flexible dispatchable generation across the United States. We are a small team by design: we win by choosing the right projects, not by volume. That means proactive siting ahead of market signals, a defendable revenue story before capital is deployed, and the discipline to kill weak projects fast and cheap.

The Senior Director of Development owns Vitis development end to end: from market and node level siting strategy through land control, interconnection, permitting, and early stage engineering, all the way to notice to proceed (NTP). The portfolio spans 2 to 4 hour BESS, solar and hybrid solar plus storage, and flexible thermal generation in our priority markets. This role leads the development team day to day, owns the company Tier 1 and Tier 2 siting playbook, and is accountable for converting siting theses into optioned sites, queue positions, and financeable, construction ready projects. It reports to the Vice President, Development & Commercial, and manages staff from day one.

This is a development first mandate with room to grow: for the right leader, the scope expands into commercial execution, including offtake structuring and RFP and bilateral negotiations, as the development platform matures under their ownership.

What You Will Own:

Siting Strategy & Origination

• Own and maintain the Tier 1 and Tier 2 market siting playbook: a dated, forward looking siting calendar for each priority market, working backward from interconnection windows, cluster study cycles, and anticipated utility RFPs, so Vitis is positioned ahead of demand rather than reacting to it.
• Direct node and substation level siting analysis (congestion, volatility, hosting capacity, load growth, IRP alignment, and, for natural gas projects, pipeline capacity and access) to build and refresh the priority node list that drives land origination.
• Originate new project theses across storage, solar, and dispatchable generation in ERCOT, MISO, PJM, SPP, SERC, and WECC markets, advancing them through internal review with a clear offtake pathway identified before meaningful capital is committed.
• Run structured after action reviews on every siting campaign, secured or not, and rescore market tiers so the greenfield strategy continuously improves with each cycle.

Development Execution & Portfolio Advancement

• Own projects across the full development arc, from origination and site control through advancement to NTP: land option strategy and negotiation support, interconnection application strategy, permitting pathways, and risk management appropriate to each stage.
• Enforce stage gate discipline across the pipeline. Every active project carries a current schedule, risk log, and budget; capital at risk is managed to preset limits; and weak theses are exited early.
• Run the standardized project review process that gives leadership timely, decision ready information on development priorities, risks, and portfolio trade offs.
• Coordinate development inputs to interconnection studies, restudy strategies, and network upgrade negotiations across regulated and unregulated markets.

Permitting, Community & Late Stage Advancement

• Set permitting strategy across jurisdictions: define the approval pathways for county and state land use, environmental reviews and studies, and air permitting for thermal projects, and sequence them against interconnection and offtake milestones so permits never become the critical path by surprise.
• Set the strategy for landowner and community engagement: define how Vitis builds the local relationships and trust that keep approvals on schedule, structured so landowner and community interests are heard and protected.
• Advance late stage projects through interconnection agreements, restudies, and network upgrade negotiations to NTP readiness, partnering with the VP on offtake structure and with finance on the financing package.

Team Leadership

• Manage and develop the development team from day one, including land origination and project execution staff, setting priorities, clearing obstacles, and building bench strength through structured mentorship.
• Direct siting analytics work (GIS, node screening, market research) performed in support of origination, and ensure analytical output translates into siting decisions.
• Operate transparently within the team shared KPI scoreboard and operating cadence: written weekly updates, working sessions focused on resolving issues, and collective accountability for team goals.

Market & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain relationships with utilities (IOUs, municipals, cooperatives), landowners, community stakeholders, and development partners in priority markets.
• Monitor regulatory, interconnection, and market developments affecting project economics and siting strategy, and translate them into concrete portfolio actions.
• Contribute to investment memoranda and internal presentations supporting capital decisions, and represent Vitis at industry conferences and stakeholder meetings.

Requirements

   What You Bring

• 8+ years in U.S. power project development, with demonstrated ownership of projects from greenfield origination through NTP or financial close for utility scale storage, solar, thermal, or other generation assets.
• Deep working knowledge of interconnection processes, queue strategy, and study cycles across major ISOs and RTOs (ERCOT, MISO, SPP, WECC, SERC), including regulated market dynamics such as IRPs, utility RFPs, and bilateral procurement.
• A track record of converting market analysis into secured sites: land control strategies, option structures, and landowner and community engagement.
• Hands on permitting experience across local, state, and federal processes, including public hearings and community engagement; air permitting experience for thermal generation is a plus.
• Experience coordinating engineering, EPC, and OEM workstreams during development: layouts, interconnection and injection studies, budgetary pricing, and equipment lead time management.
• Experience developing dispatchable thermal assets (reciprocating engines, gas turbines), or genuine interest in building that capability. Thermal development is a growing part of our portfolio, and we welcome candidates seeking that exposure alongside storage and solar.
• Fluency with the analytical foundations of siting, including nodal pricing and congestion data, hosting capacity, and GIS based screening, and the judgment to act on them.
• Proven people leadership: managing, mentoring, and growing small development teams; comfortable giving direction and being accountable for the output of others.
• Execution discipline: schedules, risk logs, budgets, and stage gates as second nature, and the willingness to recommend killing a project you originated when the thesis weakens.
• Strong commercial instincts, with an understanding of offtake structures (tolls, PPAs, hedges, build transfer agreements) sufficient to develop projects toward a revenue story, and appetite to take on commercial negotiation scope over time.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including crisp presentations ready for management and investors.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, finance, economics, business, or a related field; advanced degree a plus.
• Self starter with an entrepreneurial, hands on, team oriented approach, comfortable operating with autonomy and transparency in a fast paced, small company environment.

Working Environment

• Full time, exempt, onsite in St. Augustine, FL.
• Travel as required to project sites, landowner meetings, utility engagements, and industry events; overnight travel approximately 25%.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer; must be able to frequently lift or move items up to 10 pounds and occasionally up to 25 pounds.

Employer-Paid Benefits Package

At Vitis Energy, we believe in taking care of our team just as we care for our projects — with long-term vision and strong support. Our comprehensive, employer-paid benefits package is designed to support your health, well-being, and future. Full-time employees enjoy:

• 100% Employer-Paid Health Insurance
       Coverage for medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees.
• Life Insurance
       Employer-paid life insurance policies for peace of mind.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) & Holidays
       Paid time off, plus company-observed holidays to rest, recharge, and spend time with loved ones.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Contribution
       Employer-sponsored retirement plan with matching contributions to help you plan for the future.