How to Build A Development Team in the USA

Samantha Smart, Principal Consultant - Renewable Energy (USA)

The US renewable energy market has been in turmoil over the last 12 months, if you’ve been on the outside looking in. Yes, the reality in the market is that competition has increased as developers look to maximize their short-term opportunities before project credits are halted. But still, despite the changing priorities of companies in the sector, there are still many in the space looking to expand and develop across the short & long-term. For companies entering or scaling in this dynamic landscape, building the right team from the beginning of development is crucial. One industry analysis warns that under the new policy environment, the road ahead will be “choppy for pure-play renewable developers. In this fast-evolving landscape, getting the team right from day one is critical.

Identifying the Core Skills Your Team Needs

Core development skills remain essential, but their scope has broadened. Early hires to target should be focused on originators and business developers with strengths in land acquisition, permitting and PPA negotiations. These people bring local market knowledge and valuable customer relationships that help lock down sites and offtake agreements. Today, technical versatility is highly sought after, with many developers looking at long-term, multi-technology projects that can generate and store significant MWs of energy. Alongside this, familiarity with evolving incentives and regulations is now a must-have skill. For example, knowing how the IRA’s tax credits and transfer rules affect project finance can make or break a deal, especially in the current climate surrounding tax credits for utility-scale projects.

Renewable development is inherently tied to geography. Both grid capacity and availability still vary region-to-region; for example, roughly half of US renewable output comes from wind in Great Plains states. This only highlights the importance of local expertise. Early team members should bring deep knowledge of state and local rules (zoning, interconnection queues, environmental review) and have strong preexisting contacts with utility regulators and landowners in their area. It’s equally important to find the balance of focus between domain expertise and adaptability. Veteran developers provide stability and existing institutional knowledge, but emerging technologies need fresh skills. Aiming for a mix is the best solution: partnering a seasoned project manager with a versatile engineer with proficiency in multiple technologies, for example. Complementary backgrounds such as a finance analyst partnered with a legal/regulatory expert, create a stronger team than simply hiring multiple people with the same skill set.

Define Your Culture Early

Your culture will be the foundation of growth. Decide early whether you want a fast-moving, agile team or create a process-driven, deliberative environment and make that explicit to new hires. Neither model is right or wrong, but new team members must be aware of the pace they’ll be merging into. The renewables industry is becoming increasingly complex and interdisciplinary. That means your culture must emphasize collaboration across multiple departments. Deciding whether your team will reward quick decision-making and pivoting, or careful analysis and risk control at the beginning of the process, will engrain your company culture from top to bottom.

Diversity of thought is crucial to keeping up long-term success. Teams that only hire “like-minded” professionals with similar outlooks tend to stagnate. In an industry like renewables, innovation is constant and varied perspectives fuel problem-solving. In fact, studies support that "companies with diverse leadership are around 33% more likely to outperform their competitors". These drawbacks to my earlier point about the balance of skills within your team, alongside these different attributes, will bring different values and perspectives that will increase your chances of consistently making the right decision. Embed values like safety, learning and sustainability into your culture so that every hire understands the company’s purpose. A clear, inclusive culture will help you attract and retain the broad talent pool you need for a fast-changing industry.

Selecting Your First Hires

Think both short and long term. In the early stages, you need people who can execute immediately and have the potential to grow into a leadership role later. In the initial stages, it’s more valuable to make hires who can have a multiplier effect, effectively talent who can set up processes and mentor others. This could be a skilled project development manager who can oversee the initial pipeline build and help establish planning templates for future projects.

Each hire should complement the team around them. In early stages, it’s important not to duplicate skills but build a team that becomes more adaptable and capable of tackling different scenarios. The goal is to create a team whose skill sets interlock: the land acquirer finds sites, the regulatory expert secures permits, the technical engineer designs projects, and the financiers structure deals. This ensures every project stage has dedicated ownership. Selecting the right hires is about creating a balanced, healthy ecosystem and not just filling roles in isolation.

Building for Long-Term Success

You must invest in continuing development. Ensure that mentoring and training programs are in place so knowledge spreads throughout rather than sitting with one person. Encourage your new senior hires to coach juniors to ensure a steady flow of information across departments, not just your development team. Succession planning should start early: make sure a second in command is ready to step up for each key role. This avoids crippling gaps if anyone leaves or is out of office.

Clear communication and accountability are equally important. Project management tools that are accessible for all the team (even simple Gantt Charts or shared trackers), can help keep everyone on the same page. Simple project management processes make it much easier for collaboration across teams to keep the entire team up to date with project stages. Over time, these practices – mentoring, succession planning, and transparent processes – will make the team stronger and more resilient.

Attracting the Right Talent

Even in a growing industry and a candidate-rich environment, top talent is not guaranteed. Many candidates are transferring and entering the industry with purpose-driven motivation and prioritizing their working environment over their pay. Highlight the impact and purpose of your projects. For example, emphasize that renewable projects "deliver good jobs, union jobs … in communities across the country" and play a direct role in combating climate change and reducing our reliance on finite resources. Mission-driven recruits respond well to this narrative.

Presentation of the day-to-day job is also considerably important to attract sought-after candidates. Showcase your projects and their benefits to the wider-local community. At the same time, communicate company perks: flexible schedules or remote-work options (where possible), career developments opportunities and unique benefits that may not be found anywhere else in the space. Industry surveys show nearly half of renewable workers received raises recently and that many technical roles now command six-figure salaries.  Finally, stress learning and growth internally: young professionals often look for training programs, mentorship, or clear career ladders. Offering certification courses, cross-training into new technologies, or tuition support can help craft an employer brand that combines purpose, people, and perks.

Retaining Your Team

Talent retention is just as critical as recruitment. With 68% of renewable employers citing skill shortages as their biggest bottleneck, losing employees is costly. Combat this by recognizing and rewarding contributions. Establish clear career paths; for instance, technical tracks (senior engineer to chief engineer) and managerial tracks (project lead to VP of development). When team members see a future with you, they are less likely to leave for a competitor.

Encourage skill growth. Offer ongoing training budgets and opportunities to work in different areas (development staff might spend time with the grid-engineering team or the energy-trading desk). Rotate people into new projects or give them leadership of pilot studies to keep work engaging. Build a culture of empowerment: let team members take ownership of projects and decisions appropriate to their level. When people feel they have control and impact, they stay motivated.

Conclusion

The US renewables market remains one of the most dynamic globally, but competition for projects and people is intense. The developers who thrive will be those who build their teams deliberately: combining deep industry knowledge with flexible skill sets and a unifying culture. Assemble a team that understands the full technology stack, stays up to date on shifting policies, and aligns around a shared mission. In practice, that means blending technical expertise, strategic vision and purpose-driven values from day one. Such a team will be best positioned to turn the challenges of 2025’s market into long-term success.

 

Sources:

¹ US Department of Energy (2024) - 2024 U.S. Energy & Employment Report. www.energy.gov/articles/doe-report-shows-clean-energy-jobs-grew-more-twice-rate-overall-us-employment

² Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2024) - Interconnection Queue Report https://emp.lbl.gov/queues

³ American Clean Power Association (2025). - US Clean Power Quarterly 2024 / 2025 https://cleanpower.org/news/u-s-energy-storage-monitor-q2-2025/

⁴ S&P Global Commodity Insights (2025) - U.S. Clean Energy Capacity Additions Outlook https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/news-research/latest-news/electric-power/122424-commodities-2025-solar-power-to-lead-us-clean-energy-capacity-additions

⁵ E2 (2024) - Clean Jobs America https://e2.org/releases/report-southern-states-lead-surge-in-clean-energy-jobs-propelled-by-inflation-reduction-act

⁶ IRENA (2024) - Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 
https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2024/Oct/IRENA_Renewable_energy_and_jobs_2024.pdf

⁷ EIA - U.S. Electricity Generation and State-Level Renewable Output. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/

⁸ McKinsey & Company - Diversity Wins Report https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters