Research And Development Associate Jobs in Texas

About ContourGlobal
ContourGlobal, a KKR company, is an established Independent Power Producer (IPP) focused on developing, acquiring, and operating electricity generation and storage assets across Europe, North and South America, with a presence in Africa and Asia. The company currently manages 6 GW of installed capacity across multiple technologies and asset classes, with an additional 1.3 MW of renewables under construction and nearly 12 GW under development.
ContourGlobal is accelerating the decarbonization of its portfolio and evolving into a predominantly renewable IPP, supported by long- term contracts and innovative PPAs coupled with energy management solutions that deliver value beyond market standards. As a symbol of its ongoing transformation and growth, the company recently unveiled a new brand identity, celebrating 20 years of history and embracing The Right Power Forward as its guiding purpose.
We are looking for a
Development Associate
Houston, TX (Hybrid)
Job Summary
As the Development Associate, you oversee key aspects of project development and due diligence for utility-scale renewable energy projects. This role operates within a fast-growing development group of a global energy company and offers the opportunity to shape processes and influence team growth. The position leads cross-functional project teams, manages issues proactively, and drives progress through structured communication, analytical decision-making, and strong stakeholder engagement. Candidates with three to five+ years of experience in any area of the renewable energy sector are encouraged to apply, particularly those ready to step into a project leadership role within an expanding organization. Join us to drive the right power forward and make clean energy the natural choice for all!
Key Responsibilities:
Project & Due Diligence Team Leadership (Primary Focus)

• Lead cross-functional development and due diligence teams spanning engineering, land, environmental, permitting, interconnection, legal, finance, commercial, and external developers.
• Drive team alignment, set priorities, manage timelines, and ensure accountability across all workstreams.
• Facilitate structured and efficient team meetings; monitor action items; escalate key issues with clear recommendations.
• Provide concise, strategic updates to senior leadership regarding project needs, decisions, risks, and status.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Act as the central point of coordination for both internal and external stakeholders.

• Maintain strong working relationships with utilities, consultants, external developers, permitting agencies, landowners, and cross-functional teams.
• Present complex technical and commercial issues in a clear and actionable manner.
• Engage with senior leadership regularly to communicate resource needs, project decisions, and risk mitigation strategies.

Problem-Solving & Decision-Making

• Identify issues, involve relevant stakeholders, and develop solutions collaboratively using logic, structured reasoning, and data.
• Make informed recommendations quickly and escalate when appropriate.
• Maintain measured, professional, and thoughtful decision-making in fast-moving situations.

Process Building & Continuous Improvement

• Help identify, create, refine, and implement development processes, tools, and workflows as the organization grows. Contribute to building a scalable, repeatable development model for a rapidly expanding team.
• Be effective in environments without rigid or well-defined processes and navigate ambiguity effectively.

Acquisitions Due Diligence

• Lead development-focused due diligence for project acquisitions, coordinating technical, environmental, legal, commercial, financial, and land reviews.
• Evaluate land control, permitting, environmental studies, interconnection status, engineering completeness, and regulatory requirements.
• Prepare red-flag reports, risk assessments, and investment committee inputs.
• Provide development assumptions and constraints for valuation and financial modeling.

Targeted Greenfield Initiatives

• Help inform greenfield strategy.
• Participate in early-stage screening of new project opportunities using GIS, constraints analysis, and market research.
• Work with land teams on targeted outreach and site evaluation where appropriate.

Qualifications and Skills:
Your profile is a natural match if you have:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Finance, Environmental Science, Economics, Renewable Energy, or related field.
• 3-5 years of renewable energy industry experience, not limited to development (engineering, procurement, interconnection, finance, accounting, valuation, permitting, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to self-direct and lead project teams effectively.
• Comfortable with project budgets, models, and other analytical knowledge base
• Strong problem-solving abilities and a structured, logical approach to decision-making.
• Action-oriented and proactive, with the ability to drive projects forward while maintaining measured and professional responses under pressure.
• Preparing and presenting updates, presentations, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Ability to succeed in an organization with evolving processes and help build and improve systems as the team grows.
• Familiarity with U.S. ISO/RTO markets (ERCOT, CAISO, SPP, PJM, MISO, NYISO); experience in multiple markets preferred.
• Willingness to travel ~25% of the time.

What drives your application forward:

• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in a dynamic environment.

Our Values
«We» is our greatest asset
We respect and protect the environment
We are doers, committed to doing things right
We act with integrity and transparency
We think and act like entrepreneurs
You can find here more about our Purpose, Mission and Values.
Working@CG:
As a globally integrated team, we push boundaries, work collaboratively, and remain agile in the pursuit of excellence. With an entrepreneurial mindset, we encourage initiative and innovation. At ContourGlobal you are an employee, and you are also an owner. Our Employee Ownership Program allows our employee-owners to make a difference and drive the right power forward and make clean energy the natural choice for all!
We foster a culture where individuals are empowered to succeed, contribute and shape the future of sustainable energy.
Cross-border collaboration shapes our way of working: our diverse workforce reflects the multicultural environment we embrace every day.
We offer a competitive compensation package: we believe in meritocracy and rewarding meaningful contributions.
We enjoy making the most of our shared spaces to foster teamwork and collaboration. At the same time, our flexible working policy allows us to prioritize results while supporting wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance.
Interested in joining our company?
We know that skills and experience come in different forms, and we value diverse perspectives.
If you're excited about this role but you think you still need to learn some of the required skills, we'd still love to hear from you. You are much more than your CV, so come as you are and tell us who you aspire to become! The most important skills are collaboration, respect, trustworthiness and execution. So go ahead-apply, and let's contribute to the new energy transition together!
ContourGlobal provides equal employment opportunities and maintains a diverse workforce that reflects the rich environment of our society and the markets in which we operate.
ContourGlobal provides equal employment opportunities and maintains a diverse workforce that reflects the rich environment of our society and the markets in which we operate.
ABOUT CONTOURGLOBAL
ContourGlobal, a KKR Company, led by CEO Antonio Cammisecra, is an established Independent Power Producer (IPP) developing, acquiring, and operating electricity generation and storage assets worldwide. The company currently manages 5.3 GW of installed capacity across different power generation technologies and asset categories, with an additional 1 GW of renewables under construction and a further 9.8 GW under development.
The operational footprint of the company extends to 18 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America. The company has committed to speed up the decarbonization of its portfolio with a sustainable transition of its thermal fleet, the repowering of existing renewable assets and the organic development of new renewable projects. ContourGlobal boasts 20 years of a strong collaboration with communities, institutions, and customers that benefit from its electricity supply through long-term contracts or innovative PPAs, coupled with energy management solutions
OUR VALUES
- «We» is our greatest asset
- We respect and protect the environment
- We are doers, committed to doing things right
- We act with integrity and transparency
- We think and act like entrepreneurs