Assistant Commissioning Manager – Renewable Energy

Position Summary:

The Assistant Commissioning Manager applies technical expertise and project leadership to support all commissioning activities and supervision of commissioning activities for McCarthys Renewable Energy projects. The candidate will interface with Project Management, Engineering, Construction, Subcontractors, Operations and Management, and Clients to support the commissioning of projects following McCarthys practices. The Assistant Commissioning Manager will directly manage Commissioning Engineers and support the Commissioning Manager as leaders of McCarthys RE Commissioning Program.

Up to 50% travel should be expected with this role.

Position Key Responsibility Summary:

Solar Field and Substation Commissioning:

• Assistant Commissioning Manager will have interaction, influence and scheduling responsibilities with multiple entities (Preconstruction/ Construction team/ Utility/ OEM Vendors/ Safety/ Quality/ Warranty/ Owner); Will create standard commissioning processes (Schedule, Best Practices, Minimum Standards); Will oversee field activities and processes performed by Commissioning Project Teams; Guide construction project teams for scheduling commissioning activities including Inverter, Tracker, Transformer, Meteorological station, Performance Instruments, SCADA, and Point of Interconnect; Oversee preparation and schedule of performance tests; Set standards for final review of documentation and turnover to owner.
• Lead the development of testing, commissioning plan template, and QA/QC documentation.
• Provide input to ensure the construction team understands expectations and identifies additional staff needs as required.
• Review construction team 3-week look ahead schedule including; Scheduling of OEM commissioning activities; Scheduling of 3rd party testing agencies; keeping the construction team focused on Point of Interconnect (POI) obligations.
• Guidance resource for AC/DC troubleshooting, Fiber verification, SCADA HMI troubleshooting/support, Inverter troubleshooting and commissioning, manage Hi-Voltage/Medium-Voltage Switching operations of Substation EPCs.
• Ensure project team plan for customer training on plant operations is complete.
• Must be self-sufficient, able to manage time and people on a construction site with special attention to Safety, Quality and Schedule.
• Review project team test energy schedule.
• Review project team Switching Order Log and Commissioning Log.
• Participate in review of electrical drawings, electrical specifications, calculations, and studies; Review of electrical studies including but not limited to load flow, reactive power capability, short circuit, relay coordination and arch flash with engineer, project team and utility.
• Clear understanding of plant output optimization, LOTO, testing and commissioning procedures.

Project Interconnection:

• Support project team interconnection requests with management of external consultants and interconnection studies for solar PV projects through completion of studies and subsequent negotiation, and execution of agreements.
• Overview interconnection reporting with utility for PV Plant interaction.

Performance Guarantee Management:

• Support solar plant Warranty Manager

• Mentor and promote positive staff morale and resolve potential morale conflicts with help from the Project Director as needed. Implement and monitor the training and development of all staff personnel, coordinating with available programs.
• Conducts reviews of milestone documents for the development and pricing of value alternative opportunities; actively participates in the internal estimate review process.
• Aids field operations with change order pricing, if needed.
• Provides input on contractual exhibits for scope of work for subcontracts.

Industry Knowledge / Relationships

• Builds relationships with subcontractors to obtain a competitive advantage for McCarthy.
• Attends industry events and represents McCarthy to the industry in a professional capacity.
• Builds and maintains relationships with internal and external McCarthy clients.
• Keeps current with latest technology and techniques to improve McCarthy competitiveness in the marketplace.
• Questions designs and assumptions and presents value engineering ideas to Project Manager and Director on the project.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Engineering and 5 years of equivalent experience required.
• General knowledge of utility interconnection process, PV plant SCADA system, Substation SCADA system, utility energy reporting requirement during and after project commissioning and Solar plant O&M needs
• Able to achieve a balance between technical constraints, project needs and cost requirements when required, to meet overall goals and objectives.
• General knowledge of construction principles and processes.
• Ability to read and interpret drawings and specifications.
• General knowledge of negotiated bids, hard bids, and GMP processes.
• Working knowledge of PV Syst, Auto cad and other tools to determine energy prediction
• Strong math and analytical skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Solid interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrates behaviors consistent with McCarthy core values.
• Maintains a value added approach to estimating.