PLANT LEAD TECHNICIAN

What you will do

Role Overview:

The Plant Lead Technician is responsible for the on-site operations, maintenance, repairs, and replacement of equipment at one of EDPR NA’s operating wind-energy generation sites.  You will lead all areas of plant operations as directed by the Operations Manager and will work closely with external contractors, Central Maintenance, Performance Analysis, and other internal departments as needed. 

Main responsibilities:

Ensure proper operation, inspection and maintenance of wind turbines and associated wind plant equipment and systems including substation, met towers, tower switchgear, SCADA systems, road maintenance, crop damage assessments, general building maintenance, etc. 

Proactively look for improvement opportunities to job appropriate processes and procedures 

Effectively gather information regarding performance issues associated with turbines, met towers, metering, etc. May diagnose, recommend, and implement solutions up to intermediate routine issues. 

Comply with all pertinent environmental health and safety programs 

Act as a safety role model, encourage and recognize others completing safe acts and intervene when unsafe acts are being practiced 

Perform a variety of administrative duties satisfying both internal and external reporting requirements. Administrative responsibilities include but are not limited to, plan of the day (POD) reports, reviewing work orders, SAP processing, fault reports, offline turbine reports, QA/QC inspections reports, and engineering cases. 

Identify gaps in safety standards and safety risks in the work environment and provide recommendations to higher level technical staff and management 

Demonstrate and promote integrity, strong initiative, and a no-compromise focus on safety and quality of work on a continuous basis 

Review completed service checklists and work orders for accuracy and maintain punch list for future work activities 

Adhere to effective internal controls 

Perform data collection and prepare reports in order to meet reporting requirements 

Perform QA/QC inspections in accordance with applicable SOP 

Engage appropriate internal and external resources to correct performance issues 

Ensure that reliable electronic communication is maintained between the turbines, substation, site office, and home office 

Facilitate periodic equipment inspections and reporting 

Monitor contractor performance and ensure quality and adherence to the highest standards and work practices. 

Interface with local community members and land owners to establish and maintain report 

Facilitate training requirements as it relates to areas of safety and compliance training 

Facilitate daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reporting in accordance with operational, safety, regulatory, and environmental performance requirements 

Ability to direct work of Plant Tech 1 and Plant Tech 2 technicians when applicable 

Work closely with Operations Manager on budget administration 

Periodically report to Operations Manager of day to day operations 

Locate underground utilities installed at the wind plant with applicable state guidelines 

Track and report drainage related concerns with approved vendors of the wind plant 

Work closely with equipment suppliers and service entities as needed including filling warranty claims 

Additional duties as required 

Employment type

Work site

What are we looking for

Minimum Requirements:

Travel:

 As needed

Behavioral Requirements:

• Ability to operate a motor vehicle and possession of a valid driver’s license 
• Ability to work around low, medium, and high voltage equipment 
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists 
• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to other operational sites within the US and Canada as needed 
• Ability and willingness to work overtime on holidays and weekends and to work on short notice as needed due to on-call scheduling 
• Ability and willingness to respond to site emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as needed 

Physical demands & working conditions:

• Sitting/Standing/Flexibility: Ability to frequently perform physical tasks including standing, sitting, walking, kneeling, bending, twisting, squatting, and reaching approximately 25% of the time while on wind farm sites.  Ability to stand and sit for 8 or more hours when in an office environment. 
• Walking:  Ability to walk across unpaved and rough surfaces when on wind farm sites 
• Speech/Reading:  Ability to speak, read, and write English proficiently and deliver a variety of instructions furnished in written, verbal, diagram, or schedule form 
• Lifting: Ability to lift items weighing up to 60 pounds 
• Climbing: 
• Ability to climb turbine towers in excess of 100 meters in height to access the work area 
• Weight must not exceed 275 pounds, excluding equipment/gear worn when performing job-related tasks, to be in accordance with the ANSI Fall Protection Standards. 
• Vision/Hearing: Ability to interpret and follow a variety of instructions furnished in written, verbal, diagram, or schedule form 
• Tolerance to Extreme Weather Conditions: Ability to work in adverse weather conditions approx. 25% of the time while on wind farm sites 
• Safety: Ability to understand and communicate safety precautions when necessary