Highland Electric Fleets
Associate, Project Development
TLDR
The Associate I, Project Development will collaborate closely with teams to deliver fully developed projects for customer contract execution, growing into greater autonomy over time.
About Us
Highland Electric Fleets’ mission is to make electric fleets accessible and affordable for all, enabling communities to realize the benefits of cleaner, quieter and healthier fleets. Highland is North America’s leading provider of Electrification-as-a-Service (EaaS). Founded in 2019, Highland partners with school districts, municipalities, and fleet operators to make the transition to electric fleets simple and affordable.
Highland proudly serves as the Official Electric School Bus Provider of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA. From pioneering vehicle-to-grid technology to managing some of the nation’s largest electric school bus fleets, Highland delivers reliable, cost-effective solutions that support local communities and drive the future of transportation.
Summary:
The Associate I, Project Development will deliver fully developed and planned projects in preparation for customer contract execution. This role will work closely with Senior Associates and the commercial team to document customer needs and Highland commitments, helping to advance deals by acting as a junior site development resource.
The Associate I will collaborate with Legal, Finance, and Market Development to help ensure projects meet underwriting requirements and will assist in managing external engineers and consultants to finalize site designs for handoff to the Customer Success and Project Execution teams.
Over time, the selected candidate will grow into a more autonomous role, taking on these project development responsibilities with increasing independence. This position reports directly to the Senior Manager, Development and Construction and is based in California with an expectation of approximately 20% travel.
Responsibilities:
Support Senior Associates in establishing fleet electrification scopes of work for
projects in development, including project timelines, budgets, and equipment
selection.
Work with engineering teams to develop designs for complex EV charging depot
projects, including solar and battery storage components.
Contribute to estimating engineering, construction, and interconnection costs for use
in project budgets.
Coordinate the project site diligence process, including identifying real estate, zoning,
permitting, and other development restrictions.
Help define project permitting requirements and support the preparation of related
project engineering deliverables.
Assist in identifying utility requirements, filing new service requests, and
communicating with utility representatives to define utility-related timelines and
budgets.
Assist in managing projects through the design and engineering phases, including
tracking schedules, budgets, and subcontractor deliverables.
Support the handoff to the project implementation team upon customer contract
execution.
Contribute to work scoping methodology and documentation improvement
initiatives
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree or 4+ years of directly related professional experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience working with electric utilities (e.g., interconnection, new service requests)
Exposure to electric vehicle charging, renewable energy, or related clean energy
technologies
Experience in electrical engineering, construction, or infrastructure project
development
Experience working with permitting authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) or similar
regulatory bodies
Project management experience in engineering and/or construction environments
projects in development, including project timelines, budgets, and equipment
selection.
projects, including solar and battery storage components.
in project budgets.
permitting, and other development restrictions.
project engineering deliverables.
communicating with utility representatives to define utility-related timelines and
budgets.
tracking schedules, budgets, and subcontractor deliverables.
execution.
initiatives
technologies
development
regulatory bodies
What You Can Expect from Highland:
- Competitive base salary and performance-based bonus program
- A supportive, highly collaborative, team-oriented environment
- Ability to work with bright, innovative, and forward-thinking colleagues
- Health, Vision, and Dental coverage for employees & their dependents
- Generous Paid Time Off
- 401(k) program and company match
Highland Electric Fleets provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Highland Electric Fleets complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Benefits
Health Insurance
Health, Vision, and Dental coverage for employees & their dependents
401(k) match
401(k) program and company match
Paid Time Off
Generous Paid Time Off
Highland Electric Fleets provides Electrification-as-a-Service (EaaS), aimed at making electric fleets accessible and affordable for communities. By partnering with school districts, municipalities, and fleet operators, we enable the transition to cleaner, quieter, and healthier transportation options.
Associate