Director, Thermal Project Development
Director, Thermal Project Development
Location: Houston, TX (Hybrid)
About the Opportunity
Our client is a well-capitalized power infrastructure developer and owner seeking a Director of Thermal Project Development to lead the advancement of utility-scale dispatchable generation projects across North America.
This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for overseeing the full project development lifecycle, from site origination and due diligence through permitting, interconnection, commercial negotiations, and pre-construction activities. The organization has an active pipeline of large-scale energy infrastructure projects and is investing heavily in new generation assets to support growing power demand, grid reliability, industrial electrification, and data center growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the development of utility-scale thermal generation projects from early-stage origination through construction readiness.
- Identify and evaluate new project opportunities, including site selection, market analysis, and development feasibility.
- Manage permitting, environmental review, zoning approvals, and regulatory processes at local, state, and federal levels.
- Coordinate interconnection activities with utilities, transmission providers, and regional grid operators.
- Negotiate and manage site control agreements, easements, commercial contracts, and key project development agreements.
- Oversee external consultants, engineering firms, environmental advisors, legal counsel, and other development partners.
- Work cross-functionally with finance, commercial, engineering, regulatory, and construction teams to advance project milestones.
- Develop and maintain relationships with utilities, regulators, governmental agencies, landowners, community stakeholders, and large energy users.
- Present project updates, development strategies, budgets, and risk assessments to senior leadership.
- Identify project risks and implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful project execution.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Environmental Science, Energy Management, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience developing power generation or energy infrastructure projects.
- Proven track record advancing thermal generation projects through permitting, interconnection, and development milestones.
- Strong understanding of power markets, transmission systems, utility coordination, and regulatory frameworks.
- Experience working within one or more organized power markets (PJM, ERCOT, MISO, NYISO, ISO-NE, etc.).
- Strong commercial acumen and experience negotiating complex agreements.
- Exceptional project management and stakeholder engagement skills.
Preferred Experience
- Combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT), simple-cycle peaker, reciprocating engine, or other dispatchable generation technologies.
- Development of projects supporting large commercial and industrial loads, including data centers.
- Experience with greenfield development and complex permitting environments.
- Familiarity with emerging technologies such as carbon capture, hydrogen-ready generation, battery storage integration, or other low-carbon solutions.
Why This Opportunity?
- Join a growing developer with a substantial pipeline of utility-scale energy infrastructure projects.
- Play a key role in advancing critical generation assets supporting grid reliability and rising electricity demand.
- Highly visible position with direct exposure to executive leadership and investment partners.
- Opportunity to shape long-term development strategy within one of the fastest-growing segments of the North American power market.
This role is ideal for an experienced power development professional looking to lead complex thermal generation projects and help deliver critical infrastructure to meet North America's growing energy demand.
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