Head of Project Development

Job Title

Head of Project Development  – South Korea

Department

Development Team, South Korea

About Lightsource bp

we’re on a mission to become a global leader in onshore renewables, anchored by our proven track record in solar development.

For over a decade we’ve been actively working to diversify the way our world is powered with sustainable and responsible renewable power. We work to safely deliver affordable, reliable, large-scale onshore renewable and energy storage solutions to help the world decarbonise.

Our growing business is constantly innovating and investing to help drive the energy transition. Our people and projects are focused on supporting long-term sustainable growth and energy security.

Lightsource bp operates with five core values: Safety, Integrity, Respect, Sustainability, and Drive.

We seek to attract and hire individuals who share our commitment to creating a safe workplace, uphold the highest standards of integrity, and demonstrate respect for colleagues, communities, and the environment. Our recruitment process promotes sustainability by valuing long-term growth and responsible practices, while seeking candidates with the drive to innovate and lead in the global energy transition.

Together, these values shape how we engage, assess, and welcome talent to join us in delivering transformational solar power solutions worldwide. 

Lightsource bp was fully acquired by bp in 2024.

What You’ll do (the role)

Summary

Lightsourcebp’s team in South Korea is growing. The initial launch team are developing a portfolio of solar and BESS assets and the business is now looking to add a well-rounded individual with experience in solar utility scale project development to coordinate development activities across multiple projects and drive these to Ready to Build status (RTB). The successful candidate must be fluent in both English and Korean and have experience in developing through to closing of infrastructure projects in South Korea within an international organization reporting into regional leadership (Successful closing of a solar and an onshore wind project is a plus).

Role and Responsibilities

• Coordinate and track the progress of multiple solar, BESS and wind projects at different stages of development
• Support the development team with all project activities (land, grid, permits, yield assessment) and input from different teams - from project origination to financial close. The ideal candidate will have experience in contract negotiations, and due diligence (tax, legal, technical) coordination, as well as project development, experience in finance structure and finance modeling.
• Supervise third party consultants, suppliers and interact with local authorities linked to a project
• Coordinate the prefeasibility review of new greenfield opportunities
• Support due diligence and valuation of co-development opportunities and acquisitions
• Manage and oversee project timelines and budgets
• Ensure internal reporting is performed clearly and in a timely manner
• Run financial models to assess project returns and report for decision making

As the successful candidate develops, there will be increased exposure to business plan execution: company acquisitions, pipeline acquisition, recruitment & hiring, integration plan, tax/ legal structuring, project finance and marketing/ PR.

Who we’re looking for

Knowledge

• A broad understanding of the renewables industry, power markets and development related activities, especially in the solar market (solar and onshore wind is a plus)
• Proven experience in developing solar projects
• Understanding of project finance, capital structuring, financial modelling and financial indicators
• Strong understanding of general transaction management (managing internal resource/ consultants/ stakeholders, adhering to transaction timeline)
• Capability to run financial models and prepare Investment Committee presentations
• Strong understanding of power project/ real estate development (land, yield assessment, grid interconnection, permitting) to reach RTB stage
• Exposure to some project management skills with proven experience working with multi-disciplinary teams and cultures

Experience

• 8-10 years of relevant experience
• Formative years spent at any of the following: Infrastructure funds, Private Equity (power exposure), renewable energy developer, utility or oil major with specific focus on renewables, management consultancy.
• Must be able to demonstrate a track record in: Transaction support (multiple running in parallel), business development, working in multi-cultural/ multi-discipline environments.
• As a minimum, some experience in the following contracts: Co-development Agreements, Land related Agreements, Community Engagement Programs, Site Survey, Power Purchase Agreements, Engineering Procurement Construction contracts, Share Purchase Agreements, Asset Purchase Agreements, Investment Agreements.

Why you’ll make a great member of the team

Personal/Work Skills

• Fluent in English and Korean
• Ability to evaluate and convey complex concepts/ opportunities to others in an effective manner through persuasive communication, negotiating skills and clear presentation skills in both verbal and written contexts
• Excellent MS Office skills, in particular PowerPoint and Excel and Excellent project management skills
• Negotiation skills in various cultural environments and with various stakeholders
• Flexible and dynamic, the candidate must have a hands-on and proactive approach to business – Lightsource bp is proud of its culture and fit plays a very important role
• Able to understand and operate complex financial models (building them from scratch is a favorable experience, but not required)

Education and Qualifications

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree, ideally in sciences, finance, economics or engineering.
• Masters is beneficial but not required.

Why you’ll want to work for us

Our company is a place where you can be yourself and grow; a place where your ideas and opinions matter.

Be you: We pride ourselves on being an inclusive community, where every individual is valued and treated with respect.

Be responsible: Our culture is driven by our core values. From operating safely to ensuring our solar projects are responsible and promote biodiversity. 

Be recognized: Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a variety of benefits including annual bonus, retention bank, health insurance, pension and other local benefits.

Be inspired: Beyond your day-to-day working life at Lightsource bp, there’s a variety of initiatives that will contribute to your own personal development. Initiatives to get involved with including our charitable causes or supporting our solar honey project.