Senior Project Manager - Renewable Energy (Chile)

Location

Santiago, Chile

Mission

At Zelestra, we are looking for a Senior Project Manager to join the Chile Office of our Latam Business Unit. Their main mission will be to coordinate and implement all required actions from a development perspective to contribute to the financial and operational feasibility of greenfield renewable energy projects within their portfolio. In this role, they will be responsible for coordinating due diligence activities for the acquisition of projects under development or operating assets, managing relationships with counterparts, and/or supervising co-development contracts.

Aligned with this, they will be responsible for managing and coordinating all aspects and activities of project development up to the start of construction, including but not limited to: analyzing project feasibility to maximize financial and commercial outcomes, land selection, environmental studies, permitting, engineering, landowner and stakeholder engagement, grid access management, and other requirements related to financial closing, in coordination and alignment with other relevant areas.

All of the above aims to contribute to the efficient development of Zelestra’s renewable energy project pipeline and support the achievement of the company’s strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop business cases for utility-scale renewable energy projects, including preliminary analysis of project competitiveness for proper evaluation and prioritization.
• Support the Country Director, as the development lead in the country, in managing and growing the development pipeline in line with corporate growth goals.
• Coordinate the development of assigned projects to bring them to Ready to Build status on time, within budget, and meeting Zelestra's quality standards.
• Identify and communicate risks for assigned projects, and propose mitigation strategies to the development team.
• Identify optimal land for project development, considering construction, logistics, and resource-related variables, and complement this with grid interconnection, environmental, and social information to support decision-making, in coordination with other departments.
• Manage and coordinate key permits and contracts required for the projects to reach Ready to Build status, in alignment with other company areas.
• Maintain timely relationships with public and private authorities, agencies, and other entities to process required permits, and manage community engagement for assigned projects.
• Coordinate, and support the grid interconnection process and negotiation of interconnection agreements.
• Coordinate, and support the preparation of technical documentation and studies with the technical team: production studies, designs, budgets.
• Support the construction team in construction-related matters, contract negotiations, and potential claims with contractors.
• Coordinate all development activities to ensure NTP (Notice to Proceed) is achieved according to schedule and budget.

Job Requirements

• Degree in Engineering, Civil Engineering (any specialization), Economics, Architecture, or a related field.
• At least 15 years of professional experience in the power sector.
• Over 7 years of experience in renewable energy companies, leading solar and/or other technology projects.
• Relevant experience in the development of utility-scale projects (mandatory).

• Experience in project finance
• Experience in the full lifecycle of a renewable energy project (utility scale)
• Intermediate English
• Knowledge of:
o Environmental Impact Assessment System
o Project evaluation (discounted cash flow)

o Project management (PMI or similar)
o Electricity market
o Open access process with the National Electric Coordinator
o Cost estimation

What we offer

• Hybrid work.
• Health insurance.
• Other benefits.

Zelestra celebrates the diversity of thought and experience that comes from a variety of backgrounds including, but not limited to, gender, age and ethnicity. Our mission is to contribute to a more just and equitable society.

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