Renewable Energy Development Graduate

Role: Renewable Energy Development Graduate
Company: Voltis
Location: London
Salary: £35,000 plus bonus

Who are the company?

Voltis is small team punching above their weight in the Utility Sector. With only a seven person team, they have contracted over 10,500 acres land for renewable energy projects (5,250 football pitches), placing them in the top 20 developers in the UK by scale. They are competing directly with massive utility companies and household names - but doing it with agility, entrepreneurship, and a scrappy determination that sets them apart.

Founded in 2019, Voltis are still in start-up phase with genuine scale-up trajectory. Unlike graduates who disappear into corporate machinery, their team members see the direct impact of their work and have access to founders on a daily basis. In addition, they get to work on a broad range of work streams, giving them incredible exposure, with high responsibility and autonomy.

They develop utility-scale renewable energy projects across three core technologies:

1. Solar farms - optimizing panel layouts, mounting systems, and site configurations
2. Onshore wind - including the largest onshore wind farm to be built in England
3. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) - grid-scale batteries that charge when power is cheap and discharge during peak demand

Projects range from small, locally-consented developments to major infrastructure requiring Secretary of State approval.

What is the role?

This is an exceptionally broad role that touches every aspect of renewable energy project development. No two days will be the same.

Core Responsibilities

Land & Lease Management

1. Managing land agreements and understanding restrictions
2. Liaising with landowners on project constraints
3. Ensuring technical designs comply with lease parameters

Planning & Stakeholder Engagement

1. Negotiating with Natural England and other statutory consultees
2. Managing design iterations based on stakeholder feedback (ecology, heritage, landscape)
3. Balancing competing constraints (environmental impacts vs. project economics)
4. Procuring and managing specialist consultants (recommending best advisors for each project component)
5. Monitoring competitor projects and feeding best practices into our developments

Technical Optimisation

1. Designing optimal turbine layouts (managing wake losses and prevailing wind patterns)
2. Configuring solar panel arrangements and mounting systems
3. Sizing battery systems and electrical infrastructure
4. Running cable sizing studies (balancing capital cost vs. electrical losses)
5. Grid connection optimization and voltage planning

Strategic Analysis & Business Cases 

1. Financial modelling of project returns
2. Analysing new revenue streams (e.g., EV charging integration)
3. Market analysis (e.g., assessing solar development saturation in specific regions)
4. Supporting strategic decision-making on portfolio direction

Tools & Systems (full training provided) 

1. Excel - Financial modelling and analysis
2. CAD - Technical design work
3. ArcGIS - Geospatial mapping, constraint analysis, location optimisation
4. Sector-specific software (rapid learning curve for smart graduates)

Development Trajectory

Previous graduates (recruited just a few years ago from university) are now remarkably knowledgeable relative to their peers in large corporate developers. Why? Because they see all components of a project from day one. In a big utility company, you might sit in one department working on one narrow aspect. Here, you'll touch land, planning, technical design, grid connections, financial modelling, and strategic planning - often within the same week.

The learning curve is steep, but the development is exponential.

What are we looking for?

• Educational Background: 2:1 or above.

• Tech Savvy: You are comfortable picking up new software quickly. Familiarity with mapping tools (like ArcGIS/QGIS) or design tools (like AutoCAD) is a strong advantage.

• Data Skills: You are comfortable working with numbers and spreadsheets (Excel).

• Passion: You have a genuine interest in the energy transition and want to understand how renewable projects are developed.

   

What is on offer?

• Base Salary: £35,000+

• Performance Bonus: 15%

• Ownership: An industry-leading growth share scheme, meaning you own a part of what you build.

• Location: Based in our Hoxton office, designed to foster collaboration and teamwork.

• Growth: We empower our team with the freedom to lead. By entrusting you with significant responsibility from day one, we provide the environment for you to flourish.