Project Developer

Vaulted is a waste management company that removes carbon. We take organic waste that can pollute our environment above ground and safely inject it ultra deep underground—permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere while protecting local land, air, and water. Vaulted is based in Houston, San Francisco, and Kansas.With a growing team of 70+ people across the country, Vaulted signed the second largest carbon removal offtake ever with Microsoft in July 2025 and is rapidly expanding to new sites.Vaulted's proprietary technology builds on decades of expertise to deliver safe, durable carbon and waste management solutions now, at scale.Project DeveloperReports to: Director of PMO | Location: Houston, TX | Level: Mid–Senior Position SummaryVaulted Deep develops, constructs, owns, and operates deep well injection facilities that permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere by injecting organic waste — manure, treated sewage, paper sludge, and agricultural byproducts — below confining geology. The Project Developer coordinates a project through the stage-gate development process — from origination through Final Investment Decision — integrating the technical, commercial, permitting, land, and cost workstreams into a single, decision-ready view. The role owns schedule, budget tracking, and the project-economics inputs that management and the Investment Committee rely on.This is a project-integration and execution role, not a technical design function, although technical experience is preferred. The Project Developer does not own engineering or subsurface scope; they own that the project advances on schedule and on budget and that each stage gate is reached with complete, accurate deliverables.Why This Role MattersEvery project in development needs an owner who holds the whole picture — cost, schedule, risk, and readiness — and drives it to each gate. This role makes stage-gate progression repeatable across a growing, multi-project pipeline: 10+ opportunities in origination, 3 in active development, targeting three-plus projects under construction within two years.The quality of the project overview and cost tracking at each gate determines whether management can make timely capital decisions.Primary ResponsibilitiesCoordinate a project through the stage-gate process from origination through FID and into construction handoverBuild and maintain the integrated project schedule across technical, commercial, permitting, and land workstreamsTrack cost against approved budget; identify and flag variances earlyMaintain the project overview — status, economics, risks, decisions, and path to the next gateSupport project economics and investment-decision packages with Finance and the PMOCoordinate stage-gate review materials and the deliverables required to clear each gatePrepare forward-looking budget proposals and support procurement and EPC coordinationTrack project risks and mitigations through close-outCoordinate HSE, regulatory, constructability, and execution-readiness reviews. Operate and maintain project economic models, evaluate diff– development scenarios, and recommend the most feasible path based on risk-adjusted returns, explicitly highlighting key assumptions, trade-offs, risks, and downside exposure.Leadership ResponsibilitiesIndividual-contributor role reporting to the Director of PMO. Coordinates across Engineering, Geoscience, Permitting, Commercial, and Land without direct authority over those functions. Occasionally supports disciplines with external consultants and contractors on a project basis. Owns project development cost, schedule, economics and readiness at stage-gate and Investment Committee reviews.Required Experience5–10 years of project experience in an engineering or similarly technical disciplineExperience as a Project Engineer, Project Controls Engineer / Analyst, or project coordinator on small-to-medium capital projectsDemonstrated experience with budgeting, scheduling, and cost tracking on capital projectsExperience coordinating projects through one or more stage-gate or capital-approval processesBachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline, MBA preferredPreferred ExperienceFamiliarity with EPC execution and civil / site-development projectsExposure to project economics and investment-decision supportExperience with infrastructure, midstream, industrial, or energy capital projectsWorking knowledge of scheduling and project-controls toolsTechnical CompetenciesProject scheduling, critical-path management, and progress trackingCost estimating and budget-to-actual variance analysisEPC execution and civil / site-development fundamentalsReading and integrating multi-discipline engineering and permitting deliverablesStage-gate / capital-approval process mechanicsCommercial & Business CompetenciesBuilds and defends project-economics inputs (CAPEX / OPEX, schedule) for investment decisionsUnderstands how design and commercial maturity gate capital release (Origination -> Pre-FEED -> FEED/Permitting -> FID -> Construction -> Startup)Translates workstream status into cost and schedule impact for managementSupports commercial term-sheet development alongside Commercial & Land