Head of Wind Development
Szczecin
Vortex
Vortex Energy is a 100% subsidiary of Vitol, and is a leading renewable energy company in Poland. To date, it has delivered over 400 MW of operational renewable generation capacity in wind and solar and has a development pipeline of over 3 GW. Vitol will initiate construction of over 120 MW of PV solar and onshore wind projects in the next 12 months and plans to deploy $1 bn of capital over the next 5 years into renewables in Poland and expand the business into the wider region.
This is Vitol’s first major investment in renewable power in Europe and is aligned with its strategy of investing in the energy transition and growing its sustainable business activities. It is expected that Vortex will grow to become Vitol’s renewable energy investment platform in Central Eastern and South Europe.
Overview of Vitol
Vitol is a leader in the energy sector with a presence across the spectrum: from oil through to power, renewables and carbon. It trades 7 million barrels per day of crude oil and products, and charters around 6,650 ship voyages every year.
Vitol’s clients include national oil companies, multinationals, leading industrial and chemical companies and the world’s largest airlines. Founded in Rotterdam in 1966, today Vitol serves clients from some 40 offices worldwide and is invested in energy assets globally including: circa 17mm3 of storage across seven continents, 500kbpd of refining capacity and more than 7,000 service stations across Africa, Australia, Asia, Brazil and Europe. Vitol has committed $2bn to renewable investments and has 1,200 MW in operation across US and Asia. Revenues in 2022 was in excess of $500bn. For more information please visit: https://www.vitol.com/
Our people
Our people are our business. It is our people’s expertise, innovation, drive and relationships that develop and grow our business. Talent is precious to us and we create an environment in which we believe individuals can reach their full potential, unfettered by hierarchy.
Vortex has a flat, meritocratic organisational structure, which encourages an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, with everyone primarily focused on delivering results, and delivering them efficiently and safely while maintaining strong and talent enabling team culture.
Position Summary
You will be responsible for managing the Wind Development team, driving the project pipeline from land securement to Ready to Build phase (RTB), supporting the Construction department throughout the construction phase on any development matters, working closely with the Field and Solar teams and leading the wind development strategy in collaboration with other senior leaders and teams at Vortex and Vitol.
The successful candidate will be responsible for:
Team leadership and management
· Managing a current team of 4 planners and 3 project managers in an organized and structured way, allocating responsibilities for development of projects and completion of tasks, with the aim of delivering on the team and the company’s annual targets.
· Fostering a collaborative, initiative-driven and results-oriented culture within the team.
· Providing guidance and advice to the team (and mentoring the junior team members) with their daily tasks, including identifying suitable new land for greenfield sites, applying for environmental decisions, changes to master and zoning plans, grid conditions applications, building permits, etc. to get projects to RTB.
· Leading meetings with mayors and municipalities to strengthen relationships with local stakeholders, build community engagement and foster support for our wind projects.
· Overseeing the appointment of external advisors (e.g. environmental monitoring, wind speed measurement campaigns, grid advisory, building designs) together with the legal team.
· Managing the team’s budget in line with the annual business plan.
· Defining the team’s annual targets and business plan (from 2024) in collaboration with the Management Board.
· Collaborating with and supporting other departments, such as Construction on development matters as well as working closely with Head of Solar Development on establishing development and commercial synergies across the portfolio.
Wind Development Strategy
· With the support of internal and external legal expertise, staying on top of regulatory developments, assessing the impact on the Vortex wind pipeline and devising strategies for how to adapt where necessary.
· Together with the grid and commercial teams, defining and implementing strategies to increase the value of the wind development portfolio (e.g. making projects larger, innovative grid solutions, cable pooling, private/direct wire projects, etc)
· Leading on the strategy for new wind greenfield development projects, with support from the grid team.
· In line with the points above, continually evaluating the wind development pipeline to optimize projects and prioritise those with the highest probability of success.
· Working closely with the Head of Field and Head of Solar to align on the overall Vortex strategy for project development.
· Representing Vortex at conferences in Poland and abroad and supporting meetings with grid operators or potential development partners.
· Reporting on strategy and wind development progress against annual goals to the Management Board and Supervisory Board.
Qualifications and Experience
· At least 15 years' professional experience in the renewable energy industry and deep knowledge of all administrative procedures in wind development;
· Demonstrated success in bringing wind projects to RTB;
· Experience managing a team effectively to drive results;
· Higher education (preferred fields of study: engineering, renewable energy sources, environmental protection, construction, surveying, land management or related);
· English language skills; additional languages welcome;
· Driving licence for category B and willingness to travel.
Personal Characteristics
· Strong analytical skills;
· Great attention to detail;
· Able to work under pressure, meet deadlines and multi-task in a fast-paced environment;
· Highly motivated and able to flourish in a high-commitment environment - we are looking for a self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit;
· Humility: humble, down-to-earth and eager to learn;
· Enthusiastic and willing to contribute wherever it is needed;
· Results oriented, disciplined, able to synthesize detailed information;
· Team player, with an open non-political style and a high level of personal integrity;
· First-class communicator.