Development Manager

Climate17 is pleased to be working with a leading UK developer of low-carbon city heat networks to recruit a number of Development Managers as the business continues to expand its project portfolio across the UK. This is an opportunity to take ownership of complex energy infrastructure projects through the development lifecycle, from early strategic assessment and commercialisation through to investment readiness and financial close. Working closely with technical, commercial and project specialists, you will bring together the land, planning, utilities, stakeholder and commercial workstreams required to turn an opportunity into an investable and deliverable infrastructure project. Development-Manager The Role You will act as the day-to-day development lead across a portfolio of projects, with responsibilities including:

• Driving projects from origination and early-stage development through commercialisation and towards financial close.
• Coordinating multidisciplinary workstreams across engineering, commercial, planning, land and external consultants.
• Managing project programmes, budgets, risks, assumptions, interfaces and key development milestones.
• Supporting the preparation of business cases and working with commercial colleagues to ensure projects achieve required investment criteria.
• Securing land and property rights for infrastructure, including leases, easements and wayleaves where required.
• Coordinating planning applications, environmental assessments, consenting and public consultation.
• Leading engagement with utilities, including electricity/DNO connections and other required infrastructure services.
• Managing relationships with local authorities, landowners, communities, customers and other project stakeholders.
• Supporting procurement, consultant appointments, tendering and wider supply-chain engagement.
• Ensuring projects remain aligned with relevant funding, regulatory and governance requirements. Development-Manager About You We are interested in speaking with individuals who bring experience developing complex energy, infrastructure or property projects. You do not necessarily need to come directly from the heat-network sector. Candidates may come from backgrounds including renewable energy, utilities, energy infrastructure, property development or other complex infrastructure environments. You are likely to have experience across several of the following:
• Taking projects from origination or feasibility towards investment decision, financial close or delivery.
• Land acquisition, property agreements, planning or consenting.
• Utility or grid connections.
• Development-stage project management and stage-gate processes.
• Business cases, project economics or commercial appraisal.
• Coordinating technical, commercial and external consultant teams.
• Stakeholder engagement across both public and private-sector organisations.
• Managing complex projects to programme and budget. Experience within district heating, heat networks or low-carbon heat would be advantageous, as would knowledge of GHNF, CIBSE CP1 or UK heat-network regulation, but the business is building a team with complementary backgrounds and skillsets. Package
• Salary: Dependent on experience
• Bonus: Up to 20%
• Pension: Up to 7% matched
• Private medical insurance
• Travel insurance
• Hybrid working: 3 days per week from the South Oxfordshire office, alongside customer and project site visits
• National travel will be required This is a strong opportunity for an experienced energy or infrastructure developer looking to take greater ownership of the full project development lifecycle while contributing to the growth of one of the UK's most important emerging low-carbon infrastructure markets. To apply or discuss the opportunity confidentially, please contact neeraj@climate17.com