Development Manager Australia (m/f/d)

RWE Renewables Europe & Australia GmbH
To start as soon as possible, full time, permanent

The Development Manager will be responsible for the development of RWE’s Renewable Energy projects in Australia. This role will be focused on wind, solar and BESS projects from conception to final investment decision. The Development Manager will be joining existing project teams and supporting on the origination of new sites. The Development Manager will also be involved in strategic development, by providing commercial and planning advice to guide the projects from feasibility through to the construction and operational phases.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management and Coordination

• Take full project responsibility with capability to lead project teams, facilitating delivery of projects to budget, schedule and quality.

• Responsible for work package delivery of specific scopes for Wind, Solar and BESS projects.

• Able to take on work packages and manage them independently in co-ordination with a project team for the betterment of the project.

• Coordination of internal global Engineering & Construction, Environment & Planning, Finance, Legal, HSE (Health Safety and Environmental) and Community Relations team

• Management of external consultants to facilitate project development

• Management of projects to budget and agreed timelines

• Coordinate with internal stakeholders across procurement, budgeting, project tracking and investment approvals processes

Development Strategy and Assessment

• Work with technology leads and origination manager on desktop and field-based investigations into development constraints on short listed prospect sites and projects in feasibility stage.

• Provision of accurate and timely strategic assessment of development issues (across all development aspects: land, permitting, grid connection, procurement, resource assessment), risk and opportunity.

• Management of development issues as they emerge within projects with the appropriate stakeholders.

• Development and maintenance of relationships with stakeholders including local, state and federal Government staff (including AEMO (Australian Energy Market Operator) and respective NSPs (Network Service Providers)) and local community                    representatives.

• Preparation of project reports on progress, budget, schedule, issues, risk and opportunity.

• Attendance at community events and discussion of key development considerations.

• Liaison with landowners and neighbours regarding key development matters.

• Monitoring of development legislation and regulations.

Landholder liaison and negotiations

• Confidence and capability with stakeholder and community relations to ensure the successful delivery of project development

• Responsible for developing and maintaining trusting and productive project landowner relationships from initiation through to construction handover

• With assistance from legal counsel, negotiate tenure documents to secure all land required for the project

• Manage/implement tenure agreement process

Commercial Development

• Assess the technical and commercial viability of projects and identify acquisition opportunities

• Coordinate the development of project reports and investment cases.

Experience and Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in the renewables energy sector (pre-construction phase) preferably in large scale project development.

• Tertiary qualifications in engineering, town and regional planning, environmental planning, or other relevant field is preferred

• Demonstrated experience in planning and development application processes

• Experience mentoring and supporting team members to grow and develop

• Strong experience in a project management position within the renewable energy industry, Project Management certificates desirable

• Development experience in the renewable energy sector

• Understanding of the Grid and NER (National Electricity Rules) requirements to ensure successful development of renewable energy projects

• Ability to work autonomously and within a team

• Skills and experience in negotiation and an ability to influence outcomes and decisions

• Ability to operate at a detailed level, to organize and multi-task, with a dedication to seeing projects through to completion.

• Understanding of local community dynamics, with the ability to negotiate effectively with landowners, regulators, utilities, and other stakeholders

• Acting comfortably in cross-cultural teams, collaborating across country boundaries with a sense for diversity and inclusion;

• Excellent written and oral communications skills

Travel

• This position is to be based in Queensland or New South Wales, with regular regional and interstate travel requirements.

• The business is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria and travel to the office for regular team alignments is expected.

Apply with just a few clicks: ad code 89005, application period: 31/01/2025 .

We look forward to meeting you. Of course, you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Xing, too.

We value diversity and therefore welcome all applications - regardless of gender, disability, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, age, sexual orientation, and identity. #inclusionmatters

In the segments of onshore wind and solar, RWE Renewables Europe & Australia is among the largest electricity producers in Europe and has become a key player in the field of renewables. With its comprehensive „Growing Green“ investment and growth strategy, RWE is expanding green generation capacity – to more than 65 gigawatts by 2030.

To this end, RWE is investing €55 billion between 2024 and 2030. RWE Renewables Europe & Australia is focusing on its core markets in Europe and Australia. The team with 1,800 colleagues across 11 countries has come a long way already. With the project pipeline well filled in all technologies, battery storage, onshore wind power and solar energy, you’ll have the freedom to act with conviction and courage as we pivot to new technologies – and continuously improve, together.