Sr Power and Performance Improvement Engineer

About the role

EDP Renewables North America is a leading developer and operator of renewable energy, with a portfolio spanning wind farms, solar parks, energy storage projects, and green hydrogen solutions across the continent. As part of EDP, a global energy group with operations in around 30 markets, we are committed to an all-green future by 2030 and employ more than 13,000 people worldwide. This position is based in Houston, TX.

Responsibilities

• Improve wind turbine and solar site performance by providing recommendations on availability, production, and reliability issues/initiatives to senior-level EDPR personnel.
• Lead the standardization of operations, maintenance, and engineering processes.
• Manage cross-platform initiatives between European and North American fleets.
• Work with internal and external groups, including engineering and technical support personnel, corporate and regional reliability engineers, site operating personnel, and other teams in Asset Operations and Performance Management.
• Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) of turbine, inverter, and panel faults and failures in conjunction with the Reliability team.
• Lead trials of various retrofits to improve turbine performance and validate changes on technical and commercial aspects.
• Provide recommendations for fleet-wide implementation plans.
• Manage all configuration changes in the EDPR fleet to achieve availability goals.
• Serve as the EDPR technical point of contact to manage wind turbine and solar supplier technical resources and ensure focus on priorities and performance improvement targets.
• Review and coordinate all technical aspects of wind and solar supplier major retrofits and upgrades to achieve high reliability and avoid reduced service life and failures.
• Support operability reviews, wind and solar site commissioning, end-of-warranty inspections, and procurement to ensure proper equipment operation.
• Implement lessons learned and lead continuous improvement of processes to enhance performance of the wind and solar fleet.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related technical field; Master’s degree is desirable.
• 5–7 years of experience in a related field or 2–3 years of applicable experience with a Master’s degree.
• Experience working with wind turbine systems and/or solar operations preferred; industrial controls, hydraulics, heavy machinery, generators, solar PV, and power generation equipment experience will also be considered.
• Thorough practical and technical knowledge of industrial equipment and functionality.
• Understanding of Microsoft products and/or complementing products preferred.

Behavioral Requirements

• Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to learn wind turbine mechanical functionality and advanced Lean Six Sigma techniques.
• Ability to read and understand plans, specifications, drawings, and documents relating to engineering and construction.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Self-motivation and strong time-management skills with demonstrated efficiency in providing technical support on multiple concurrent activities.
• Strong planning and organizational skills for developing and implementing complex and multifaceted action plans.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to operate a motor vehicle, including possession of a valid driver’s license.

Physical demands & working conditions

• Ability to stand and sit for 8 or more hours in an office environment.
• Ability to speak, read, and write English proficiently and deliver instructions in written, verbal, diagram, or schedule form.
• Ability to lift items weighing up to 10 pounds.
• Ability to understand instructions furnished in written, verbal, diagram, or schedule form.
• Ability to understand, follow, and communicate safety recommendations/precautions.
• Ability to climb wind turbine towers and equipment for inspections and data collection.