Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Development Analysts and Coordinators
Entry-level roles in renewable energy development include "development analyst or coordinator" positions supporting daily tasks, and "landmen" roles focused on land acquisition through community engagement. Other entry points exist in finance as a financial analyst or in engineering with electrical or civil engineering firms, often serving as a pathway to in-house developer roles.
Entry-Level Positions, Renewable Energy Development, Land Acquisition, Community Engagement, Financial Analysis
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Matthew Gilliland
Director of Development
GridStor
UC Santa Barbara
UCLA Anderson MBA
Environmental & Related Sciences
Energy & Utilities
Operations and Project Management
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Entry-level roles in development include development analyst or coordinator, focusing on coordination between the development team and external parties, involving tasks such as community engagement and landowner communication.
2. A career path involves working as a landman, focusing on land acquisition by contacting landowners, negotiating leases or sales, and gaining experience in community engagement and real estate.
3. Financial analyst roles are available for those with business, economics, or finance backgrounds, while electrical and civil engineers are in high demand, often starting with third-party engineering companies before potentially transitioning to in-house engineering roles at development firms.
Transcript
What entry-level positions in this field might an undergraduate college student consider?
There are a few different ways an undergrad can get into this field, depending on your degree and interests. I'll break it down by discipline.
Within development, there are entry-level roles like development analyst or development coordinator. In these positions, you'd coordinate between the development team and external parties. This could involve calling landowners, sending letters, or doing community engagement work.
A development analyst or coordinator supports the day-to-day aspects of what a developer does. I also think there's a related entry-level role in land acquisition. Many development companies work with real estate acquisition or land survey companies, and they hire landmen.
These landmen contact landowners, send letters, travel, and meet people to get them to agree to lease or sell their land for renewable energy projects. These are great positions for someone motivated to gain experience on the community and real estate sides before moving into a development career.
On the finance side, there are entry-level financial analyst roles for those with a business, economics, or finance background. On the engineering side, electrical and civil engineers are in high demand. These professionals often start their careers at third-party engineering companies hired by developers.
There are many different companies that do this. If you wanted to be an in-house engineer at a developer, those tend to be more senior roles, but developers frequently hire from those consulting engineering firms.