Project Development Director Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

Do you want to work with high-caliber professionals in a dynamic and growing company? Are you entrepreneurial, hard-working, and collegial? Join us at SB Energy, a leading infrastructure company backed by SoftBank Group and Ares Infrastructure, pairing cutting-edge innovation with best-in-class execution. Our mission is to deliver reliable and secure data center and power infrastructure to strengthen America's future.
Founded in 2019, SB Energy is a SoftBank Group company headquartered in Redwood City, California. In 2026, SoftBank Group and OpenAI announced a $1 billion investment to support SB Energy as their leading development and execution partner for data center campuses, while Ares Infrastructure continues its long-standing support of the company's growth. SB Energy develops, builds, owns, and operates some of the largest and most technically advanced energy and data center infrastructure projects in the United States. Since its founding, the company has rapidly grown into a top-tier integrated platform with more than 3 gigawatts (GW) in operation and a multi-GW pipeline of energy and data center infrastructure nationwide.
SB Energy also leverages a strong culture of innovation to identify and integrate new technologies into its projects, including its AI-based digital platform, delivering energy infrastructure that is local, reliable, and matched to load. We are building the energy and infrastructure future-today.
Come join us in accelerating the energy and infrastructure transition!
Basic Function
The Director of Project Development will lead the strategy, origination, and execution of large-scale energy infrastructure projects across the U.S., with a focus on natural gas, power generation, and data center-related energy solutions. This role is responsible for advancing projects from early-stage origination through financial close and notice-to-proceed (NTP), while driving cross-functional alignment and external partnerships.
The Director will play a critical leadership role in shaping the company's development pipeline, evaluating new market opportunities, and ensuring successful project execution in increasingly complex regulatory and commercial environments.
Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the full lifecycle development of large-scale energy infrastructure projects-including natural gas-fired generation, pipeline/interconnect infrastructure, renewable energy, and data center energy solutions-from origination through NTP.
• Own development strategy and pipeline growth, identifying and executing on greenfield and acquisition opportunities across target U.S. markets.
• Direct due diligence efforts on project and portfolio acquisitions, assessing commercial, technical, regulatory, and environmental risks and opportunities.
• Structure and negotiate complex transactions, including joint ventures, co-development agreements, and strategic partnerships to expand the development portfolio.
• Provide executive oversight of project financials, including pro forma modeling, capital structuring, and investment committee materials.
• Lead negotiation of key commercial agreements
• Drive projects through financing and investment approvals, partnering closely with Capital Markets and external financing partners.
• Oversee permitting and regulatory strategy, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local requirements, particularly as they relate to natural gas infrastructure and emissions frameworks.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Engineering, Strategy, Procurement, Construction, and external consultants to optimize project design, technology selection, and execution strategy.
• Manage senior stakeholder relationships, including utilities, ISOs/RTOs, regulators, landowners, and joint venture partners.
• Establish and enforce development best practices, including governance, risk management, budgeting, and scheduling across multiple concurrent projects.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing development team, providing strategic direction, coaching, and performance oversight.

Qualifications/Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Finance, Business, or a related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred).
• 10+ years of experience in project development within the energy and infrastructure sector, with significant exposure to natural gas, thermal generation, or midstream infrastructure.
• Proven track record of successfully advancing large-scale projects to financial close and NTP.
• Deep understanding of natural gas markets, including gas supply, transportation, storage, and integration with power generation assets.
• Strong experience with project structuring and commercial negotiations, including PPAs, gas agreements, EPC contracts, and joint ventures.
• Expertise in project permitting, environmental compliance, and regulatory processes, particularly for natural gas and power infrastructure.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing cross-functional teams and multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Strong financial acumen, including experience overseeing project pro formas and investment decision-making.
• Familiarity with grid interconnection processes, ISOs/RTOs, and energy market dynamics.
• Experience with land acquisition, real estate agreements, title review, and ALTA surveys.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence both internal and external executive audiences.
• Proficiency with standard business and project management tools (Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project, etc.).

Locations: San Francisco Bay Area; San Diego, CA; Denver, CO preferred.
The position requires up to 30% domestic travel.
Base Pay - $190,000 - $240,000
The pay range mentioned above is a guideline. We tailor each offer based on your unique skills, experience, location, and market benchmarks-while ensuring internal parity across our team. In addition to competitive base pay, total compensation may include a discretionary annual bonus, a long-term incentive plan aligned with our ownership mindset, and a market leading comprehensive health and wellness benefits package. Final details will be discussed during the later stages of the hiring process.
Our Health & Wellness Benefits
At SB Energy, we invest in our people and their families with benefits designed for flexibility, support, and peace of mind. Full-time employees enjoy:

• 100% Company-Paid Medical, Dental & Vision (for employees and dependents)
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Generous Paid Time Off + 11 Paid Holidays
• 12 Weeks Paid Parental Leave
• Life, AD&D & Long-Term Disability Coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Medical, Dependent Care, Transit & Parking (with company contributions)
• Mental, Physical & Social Wellness Support (with company contributions)
• Flexible Work Arrangements & Hybrid Office Setup Benefits
• Monthly Reimbursement for Phone, Internet & Data
• Optional Legal & Pet Insurance Plans
• Device Purchase Support

At SB Energy, the success of our projects is driven by a desire to see our projects benefit as many people as possible. We work to serve local communities through volunteering, fundraising, and much more. For example, we're proud to support access and opportunity in engineering and clean energy through impactful mentorship programs and workforce training. When you join SB Energy, you can become a part of these efforts, collaborating with team members who share a vision of building a better future now!
SB Energy is built on a foundation of collaboration and inclusion. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.
To learn more about us, visit www.sbenergy.com.
#LI-HYBRID
#LI-AM1