Project Development Manager Jobs in Illinois

This is a senior individual contributor role with strategic oversight responsibility for leading full lifecycle development of on-site power generation and infrastructure projects to support speed-to-power for hyperscale data centers.

You will originate land opportunities, secure site control, manage interconnection strategy, oversee permitting and commercial structuring, and drive projects to notice to proceed and financial close. This role owns outcomes: it requires strong market knowledge, commercial discipline, regulatory awareness, on-the-ground expertise, and the ability to coordinate internal and external stakeholders without directly managing large teams.

This role will report to our VP, Development – Data Centers, and can be a hybrid role based in Ridgewood, NJ, NYC, Chicago, or West Palm Beach, FL offices.

Key responsibilities will include:

Project Origination & Strategy

- Identify and originate development opportunities to develop, own, and operate on-site energy infrastructure to support hyperscale data center loads
- Evaluate capacity, energy, and ancillary service market fundamentals
- Develop market entry strategies aligned with ISO planning cycles
- Lead site selection and land control strategy
- Assess transmission constraints and nodal pricing dynamics

Development Execution

- Oversee environmental and permitting strategy in coordination with environmental leadership
- Lead interconnection application strategy and coordinate directly with ISOs, utilities, and transmission owners
- Manage consultant teams, including engineering, environmental, and transmission advisors
- Develop and maintain integrated development schedules and budgets
- Identify and mitigate fatal flaw risks
- Drive projects toward financial close and construction readiness

Strategic Oversight

- Provide executive-level reporting on development pipeline status
- Present risk matrices and exposure analysis to leadership
- Advise on portfolio strategy and expansion regions
- Support the evaluation of joint ventures and M&A opportunities

Work Environment

- Office-based role with travel to projects as required
- Fast-paced development environment with shifting regulatory and market dynamics

The Ideal Candidate:

Required

- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Finance, Economics, Energy Systems, or related field
- 8+ years of experience in power project development within organized wholesale markets
- Experience developing natural gas generation or utility-scale energy assets
- Proven ability to independently drive projects from early-stage to advanced development
- Strong commercial negotiation skills
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

Preferred

- Experience with gas-fired generation paired with large data center loads
- Advanced financial modeling capabilities
- Experience in structuring tax equity or infrastructure capital partnerships
- MBA or advanced degree

Leadership Competencies

- Strategic thinker with strong market intuition
- High ownership mindset
- Comfortable operating with limited direction
- Strong risk evaluator
- Skilled at balancing technical, regulatory, and commercial variables
- Executive presence with the ability to influence without authority

This is a great opportunity to have a long-term impact on a fast-paced, private equity-backed growth business. Some of the core virtues embraced by Scales’ employees include:
- Do the Right Thing
- Act Like an Owner
- Hustle
- Demand Results
- Go Together
- Evolve or Disappear

We offer a competitive compensation package and a comprehensive benefits program including medical benefits, paid vacation and holidays, and 401K matching.

About Scale Microgrids

Scale is redefining resilience, with advanced microgrids that go beyond traditional backup power solutions to give businesses the power to adapt and thrive amid all of today’s growing energy challenges. As a vertically-integrated provider of turnkey advanced microgrid systems, Scale combines project design, engineering, and execution expertise with microgrid-as-a-service financing to offer our customers systems that are optimized to deliver maximum value from day one while ensuring ultra-reliable operations and fast time-to-power.

Scale is backed by EQT, a firm with ~$250B in assets, bringing a depth of experience, resources, and capital that will enable Scale to continue pursuing our vision of powering the world with distributed energy. The investment enables Scale to own and operate billions of dollars in distributed generation assets.

About EQT

EQT is a leading purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 246 billion in total assets under management, divided into two business segments: Private Capital and Real Assets. EQT owns portfolio companies and assets in Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Americas and supports them in achieving sustainable growth, operational excellence, and market leadership.

Scale strives to attract and retain a workforce that reflects the composition of our customer base and communities. We are committed to providing a work environment that provides everyone with equal access and opportunity to contribute and drive meaningful outcomes. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply and will consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.