Technical Project Developer

The Role

This role is a key member of the Project Development team at Heirloom, working closely with the Head of Development and the Plant Design Team. The role will serve as the technical backbone of our site selection process. You will evaluate the feasibility of potential locations by analyzing complex geotechnical, hydrological, and electrical data. Your mission is to de-risk our deployment pipeline by ensuring every site we select is technically sound, grid-ready, and optimized for our Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology.

What You’ll Do

• Technical Due Diligence: Evaluate prospective sites by reviewing geotechnical reports, water resource studies, and environmental assessments to identify "showstoppers" early.

• Electrical & Interconnection Lead: Navigate the technical and commercial complexities of electrical interconnections. You will review transmission studies and coordinate with utilities to ensure power availability and cost-effectiveness.

• GIS & Spatial Analysis: Utilize GIS mapping tools to overlay environmental constraints, utility infrastructure, and topography to narrow down optimal site boundaries.

• Site Test-Fits & Layouts: Use CAD to develop preliminary site layouts and "test-fits," ensuring our equipment and infrastructure integrate seamlessly with the specific constraints of a parcel.

• Site Permitting: Working with internal and external partners, leads mandatory and discretionary site permitting processes.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as the technical bridge between the Real Estate/Business Development team and the Construction/Engineering teams.

What You’ll Bring

• Background: BS in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a related field. (EIT or PE license is a plus).

• Geotechnical & Hydrological Literacy: Deep understanding of the implications of soil bearing capacity, seismic risks, and water table depths on project costs.

• Grid Expertise: Experience interpreting SIS (System Impact Studies) and understanding the commercial frameworks of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and interconnection queues.

• Software Proficiency:

  • Civil 3D / AutoCAD for site layouts.

  • ArcGIS / QGIS for site mapping and constraints analysis.

You don’t have to have every listed requirement and skill to be a great fit. If you are passionate about this opportunity and think you have the skills to succeed, please apply!

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We encourage you to apply if you identify as Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hispanic or Latino, LGBTQ+ – or with any other underrepresented group – even if you don’t tick all the boxes in the description below.

Perks and Benefits for Eligible Employees

• Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by Heirloom. FSA option.

• 16 weeks paid parental leave for all Heirloom employees.

• Generous stock options.

• Unlimited PTO for exempt (salaried) employees & 120 hours for full time non-exempt (hourly) employees.

• 401(k).

• Monthly health and wellness reimbursement.

• Annual education and conference budget.

Our Principles

• Radical Honesty. We strive to foster an inclusive environment premised on transparency and respect. We push for excellence, yet always remain thoughtful when challenging each other.

• Persistent Optimism. We show up to work with optimism and don’t shy away from a challenge. We recognize that the ambitious nature of our mission requires hopefulness, dedication, and persistence.

• Maximize Learning. Compounding knowledge is our key to victory - we continuously hone our crafts, seek the fastest paths to improve, and are quick to absorb and apply new insights.

Why you should join Heirloom

• We are solving the challenge of our generation. Climate change is an existential threat, and we need as many of the world’s motivated minds as possible to help. There is no greater challenge or opportunity than fighting climate change.

• We are a world-class team. We are engineers, scientists, and concerned humans from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who are pooling our knowledge and skills to collectively build a more equitable, prosperous future for all.

• We remain united, resilient, and optimistic. We recognize the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us, yet believe that we can contribute to mitigating the worst effects of climate change. It won’t be easy, but we won’t quit.

We are backed by credible climate partners. We’re well funded by investors from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ahren Innovation Capital, Carbon Direct, Microsoft, Lowercarbon Capital, ARPA-e and the National Science Foundation. Our early customers include Stripe, Shopify, and Klarna, and we’re building durable partnerships that enable us to tackle this decades-long problem.