Development Associate Jobs in Charleston, WV (NOW HIRING)

We’re a team of friends bound together by a mission to preserve our planet for future generations through innovative energy solutions and modern infrastructure. Intersect develops, constructs, and operates the most ambitious power and data center infrastructure in the country by co-locating industrial demand with dedicated gas and renewable power generation.

Intersect was acquired by Google in March 2026 and operates as an independent subsidiary. We are developing and constructing multiple gigawatts of energy and data center projects in the U.S., enabling more data center and generation capacity to come online faster. We’re on an aggressive growth trajectory and looking for people hungry to tackle the largest energy challenges on the planet.

Location & Team Gatherings

Intersect has been a fully flexible workplace since its founding in 2016.  We’ve been very intentional about the way we do things. We are not work-from-home, hybrid, or in-office - we are any and all of those options! Deepening social connections and offering shared experiences is a cornerstone of the way we work. We connect as a team at our Team Week experiences four times a year and at our recently established Hub locations - SF Bay Area, NYC Metro Area, NY; Denver, CO; Austin, TX; Calgary, AB; and Toronto, ON.

We are currently looking for candidates located within 60 miles of any of the listed hubs to foster more in-person connections while maintaining our flexible remote culture.

About This Role

As part of Intersect’s Business Development team, you’ll build and evolve the engineering and techno-economic tools that shape how we evaluate, size, and structure energy infrastructure investments. Working at the intersection of engineering, strategy, and finance, you’ll develop first-principles models that translate complex physical systems into decision-making tools used across the company.

Team Overview

This team plays a critical role in advancing Intersect’s mission to accelerate the clean energy transition by identifying and developing high-impact opportunities across energy and infrastructure markets. The Business Development team works at the intersection of strategy, finance, and engineering—partnering across functions to evaluate partnerships, shape market entry approaches, and drive long-term value creation. Joining this team offers exposure to complex, high-visibility work and the opportunity to build foundational skills in a fast-moving, collaborative environment.

What You'll Do

Build and Advance Engineering Models

• Develop first-principles techno-economic models that capture the chemical, electrical, and mechanical behavior of energy infrastructure.

• Own model architecture end-to-end, including physical assumptions, numerical methods, algorithms, validation, and input/output design.

• Leverage AI-assisted development tools to transform engineering models into lightweight web applications that enable self-service analysis across the organization.

• Continuously improve and maintain model accuracy as project designs evolve, new technologies are introduced, and commercial requirements expand.

Enable Strategic Business Decisions

• Evaluate development opportunities by sizing assets, estimating technical performance, identifying risks, and stress-testing assumptions across a range of scenarios.

• Partner with Business Development, Finance, Project Development, and Engineering teams to ensure models reflect commercial structures and decision-relevant outputs.

• Translate complex engineering analyses into clear, actionable insights for technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Provide quantitative support for investment theses by evaluating technology performance, cost drivers, and technical risk.

Strengthen the Analytical Platform

• Identify opportunities to improve modeling speed, accuracy, scalability, and accessibility across the organization.

• Establish and maintain best practices for model governance, including documentation, version control, assumption management, and scenario analysis.

• Evaluate external datasets, vendor specifications, and published research to continuously improve model quality and relevance.

What You'll Bring

The following experiences and qualities will help you succeed in this role:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative discipline.

• Demonstrated ability to develop engineering models from first principles through academic research, coursework, or professional experience.

• Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals, applied mathematics, and quantitative analysis.

• Proficiency in Python preferred, or experience with similar technical computing languages such as Julia, MATLAB, or R.

• Experience building structured, well-documented models with clear separation between physical assumptions, computational logic, and outputs.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize complex technical information into practical business insights.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Interest in energy, infrastructure, or climate-related industries.

Experience or coursework in one or more of the following areas is a plus:

• Power systems engineering, including grid interconnection, power flow analysis, EMT modeling, or wholesale electricity markets.

• Natural gas power generation, including combined-cycle or simple-cycle turbine performance, heat rate, or emissions modeling.

• Optimization techniques such as linear programming (LP) or mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) applied to dispatch, resource planning, or unit commitment.

• Electrochemical systems, including battery storage, degradation modeling, state-of-charge dynamics, or fuel cell technologies.

• A proactive, self-directed approach with the ability to navigate ambiguity and manage competing priorities.

• Curiosity, humility, resilience, and a growth mindset that embraces continuous learning and feedback.

• A commitment to integrity, accountability, collaboration, and delivering high-quality work that supports Intersect's values.

Total Rewards

Total Compensation: $118,750 - $137,500 (total compensation includes base salary + bonus in USD)

Equity: Beyond your salary, you’ll receive an Equity Grant, giving you a meaningful stake in our parent company. 

Health & wellness: 100% premium coverage for you and your dependents on medical, dental, and vision

Time to recharge: Unlimited PTO, plus two company-wide breaks (Fourth of July & end of year)

Family support: Up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, plus 6 additional weeks for birth parents; access to family planning and family care support through Carrot and Maven

Mental health: Free access to Spring Health, including 5 free therapy and psychiatry sessions, plus a Headspace account for mindfulness and meditation through our physical health vendor, Wellhub+

Perks & extras: $150 monthly food stipend, $150 monthly reimbursement for cell phone and internet, pet insurance allowance, full home office setup, free access to UrbanSitter with $625 in quarterly company-paid credits, ActiveHero, and One Medical

Intersect maintains a work environment free from discrimination, one where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. All employees share in the responsibility for fulfilling Intersect's commitment to equal employment opportunity. Intersect does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by and consistent with applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. We adhere to these principles in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, benefits, social and recreational programs, and discipline.

We sometimes use AI-powered note taking tools during interviews to support our team. They're used only for documentation and don't replace human judgment.