About Downing

Downing is a responsible investment manager founded in London in 1986. Our vision is to be a leader in our chosen markets, so that we can deliver attractive returns for investors by investing in assets and businesses that contribute to a better future. Find out more about our story.

Downing Renewable Developments

Downing Renewable Developments (DRD) is a 16-strong renewable development team, responsible for identifying suitable renewable energy project opportunities and then undertaking the required grid connection, land agreement and planning processes to obtain successfully developed projects. Following the development phase of the projects, they will then be constructed and operated long term.

About the role

The purpose of the role is to support the development and delivery of high-quality renewable energy projects by leading individual tasks and supporting senior team members in other tasks. It is expected that the role will provide all round knowledge of the project life cycle and overall business.

The role-holder is anticipated to have a wide range of technical capability, a real desire to succeed and be able to work autonomously and propose innovative solutions to problems.

Role and responsibilities

To lead and support activities such as:

• Managing the overall delivery of projects until handover to the asset management team
• General engineering activities
• Procuring and placing contracts
• Pre-construction activities (such as planning condition discharge)
• Contract administration
• Reporting, resolution of ad-hoc issues, monitoring technical and HSE compliance
• Undertaking site feasibility reviews
• Grid applications

 Key skills and experience

• Project Management / Engineering / Planning Qualification (degree level as a minimum)
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience within the renewable energy industry in project management, particularly working on solar PV, battery storage or onshore wind projects (experience in other industries with suitable transferrable skills will also be considered)
• Experience of leading the development or delivery of projects at various stages in the project lifecycle
• Experience of contract preparation and managing and negotiating tender processes (including consultancy services)
• Experience of managing project stakeholders including regulators, statutory consultees and local communities
• Experience of UK consenting processes including preparation of planning applications leading to successful planning consents
• Experience in the use of technical software (such as AutoCAD, GIS, PVSyst)
• An ability to anticipate project issues and propose creative solutions
• An ability to translate technical detail into commercial impact
• An ability to manage several project tasks at once and be able to plan and prioritise project workload

Personal profile

• Passionate about what you do - you are always happy to roll up your sleeves
• Team player – have fun! We do our best to cultivate an open, honest, hard-working but fun culture at Downing
• Customer oriented - you are approachable, friendly and professional whilst working diligently. Nothing is too much trouble
• Assertive and focus on execution – you make things happen
• Eloquent – you can explain complex things in simple, relevant terms, and in good English