Head of Project Development at PowerGen Renewable Energy

Purpose

PowerGen is expanding into large-scale generation and grid projects for mining, industrial and utility-scale offtakers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Head of Project Development has two mandates:

• Develop / Deliver: lead the development of PowerGen’s large-scale solar PV + storage projects (and other technologies) from award through to financial close.
• Build / Lead: establish and lead a mature project development function (team, processes, governance and tools) so that PowerGen can develop large-scale projects repeatedly and at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Lead development of large-scale projects (award to financial close)

• Development lead: own and be accountable for the development of each of PowerGen’s large-scale projects from award to financial close, within budget and on timeline. 
• Workstreams: lead and integrate across development workstreams: PPA / commercial, EPC and O&M, technical / design, regulatory and permitting, tax, grid interconnection, land, environmental & social (E&S), and overall project governance and risk management (see preliminary RACI in Annex).
• Development plan and schedule: develop and own integrated development plans and critical path to financial close / COD
• Development budgets: set and secure approval for development budgets; own spend against budget.
• Consultants and advisors: be responsible/accountable for selection, contracting and management of consultants and service providers across workstreams (technical, legal, E&S, grid, tax, etc.), holding them to scope, quality, timeline and cost.
• Risk: lead identification of development risks early, define and implement mitigation strategies, maintain project risk registers, and escalate material issues.
• Bankability: keep projects bankable from award to financial close (e.g., appropriate risk allocation across contracts and counterparties, consistency across the project agreements, risk mitigation, permits and approvals, offtaker credit support).
• Project agreements: Lead / support (TBD) negotiation and documentation of project agreements (PPA, EPC, O&M, land, grid, JV/partners).
• Financing: support debt and equity raising together with the Investments team (lender and investor due diligence, financial model inputs, information packs and satisfaction of conditions precedent).
• Business development: support business development in securing new large-scale awards through development feasibility, project structuring and input to proposals and pricing.
• Handover: ensure a complete, well-documented handover to Implementation and Asset Management at financial close.

Build a mature project development function

The role holder will build PowerGen’s dedicated project development function and formal development process for large-scale projects, including:

• Team: define the target structure and resource requirements for the project development team and phase hiring in line with the pipeline.
• Capability building: grow internal talent through training, apprenticing on live projects and coaching; spread development know-how across BD, Engineering, Strategic Procurement, Project Execution / Implement, Operations / Asset Management.
• Development process: design and implement a stage-gated development process with gate criteria, deliverables and investment committee touchpoints.
• Governance: set up and lead project governance (e.g. decision rights/accountability (RACI), reporting cadence, risk monitoring / mitigation framework, approval of development spend at each gate).
• Partner and supplier ecosystem: build a pool of pre-qualified advisors, consultants, etc.; put framework agreements in place where useful.
• Interfaces: define how Project Development works with BD, Investments / Finance, Engineering, Implementation / Project Execution, Strategic Procurement, Legal and Asset Management / Operations.
• Tools and templates: build and maintain a standard toolkit through development of priority projects listed above; i.e. not as a separate exercise (e.g., development plans / schedules, risk registers, due diligence checklists, CP trackers, term sheets / contract templates)

Development leadership

• Strategic oversight: provide oversight across the large-scale development portfolio; prioritise resources and development capital across projects.
• Development strategy: shape key development choices, e.g., EPC / contracting strategy (e.g., full wrap vs. multi-contract), early works decisions, procurement approach, PPA structuring and negotiation tactics, financing structure and local partnering.
• Market insight: bring market intelligence (e.g., regulation, costs, competitors, lender and investor appetite) into PowerGen’s strategic and investment decision-making.
• Senior representation: represent PowerGen with offtakers, governments, regulators, utilities, lenders, investors and partners.
• Learning: capture lessons learned and benchmark development costs and timelines, feeding these back into strategic decisions, processes and pricing.
• People management: lead, develop and motivate the project development team; set objectives, run performance reviews and build an accountable, high-performance culture.
• Leadership team: contribute to the Commercial & Development leadership team and to Group strategy

Success Measures

• Project delivery: priority large-scale projects developed from award to financial close on time and within approved development budgets.
• Bankability: projects remain bankable from award through to financial close (e.g., appropriate risk allocation across contracts and parties, budget discipline, and regulatory approvals secured on plan).
• Risk management: material development risks identified early and mitigated, no unmanaged surprises at gate reviews or financial close.
• New awards: effective support to BD in securing new large-scale pipeline.
• Function build: a performing project development team in place, with a formalised development process, governance and tooling adopted across projects, and clear, working interfaces in place with other teams / functions.
• Team leadership: team members developing to lead workstreams and projects independently; healthy engagement and retention, key hires made on plan.
• Strategic contribution: clear, timely recommendations on development strategy (contracting, PPA, financing structure) that are adopted at management/IC level and improve project outcomes.

Competencies

• Proven track record as lead developer of large-scale solar PV and/or BESS projects taken to financial close, including project-financed transactions with DFIs and/or commercial lenders.
• Hands-on command across development workstreams: PPA, EPC / O&M, technical, grid interconnection, land, permitting, E&S (IFC Performance Standards), tax and regulatory.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills (PPA structuring, EPC / O&M contracting and risk allocation across project agreements).
• Sound understanding of project bankability drivers and standards.
• Demonstrated management and leadership: building and leading teams, hiring and coaching, and managing consultants and development budgets.
• Builder mindset: experience setting up processes, governance and tools in a growing organisation.
• Strategic thinking and sound judgment; credible input into senior and investment decisions.
• Senior stakeholder management with governments, regulators, utilities, mining / industrial offtakers, lenders and investors.
• Entrepreneurial and hands-on; comfortable in dynamic, ambiguous environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English; French a strong advantage.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Finance, Business, Law, Renewable Energy or a related field.
• 10–15 years’ experience in energy or infrastructure project development, of which at least 5 years in a lead developer or development management role.
• Multiple large-scale (50 MW+) renewable energy projects taken to financial close.
• At least 3 years managing teams with direct reports, as well as development budgets and consultant portfolios.
• Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa or other emerging markets; DRC or francophone Africa experience an advantage.
• Experience with mining / industrial offtakers, hydro, or mini- / metro-grids an advantage.