O&M Performance Lead

Role & responsibilities

Technical Dispatch & Decision-Making

• Triage incoming alarms, faults, and monitoring alerts; distinguish true faults requiring action from nuisance trips and transient conditions before committing field resources.
• Make technical dispatch decisions determining whether an issue warrants a remote reset, a remote diagnostic session, or a truck roll and set the priority and required skill level for each dispatch.
• Specify the corrective scope of work for the O&M provider, including likely root cause, parts to bring, and the expected resolution, rather than leaving diagnosis entirely to the provider.
• Balance competing site needs across the portfolio to prioritize work by production impact, safety, warranty exposure, and contractual response windows.

Troubleshooting & Root-Cause Resolution

• Lead remote troubleshooting of inverter, DC, and balance-of-system faults, working through the issue with field technicians in real time to accelerate resolution.
• Interpret SCADA / DAS data, event logs, alarm histories, IV-curve and string-level data, and thermal scan results to localize underperformance and equipment failures.
• Drive root-cause analysis on recurring or systemic issues and define corrective and preventive actions to keep them from recurring across the portfolio.
• Escalate complex or warranty-related technical issues to OEMs, engineering, or the O&M Manager with a clear technical summary and recommended path forward.

RMA & Equipment Management

• Initiate, track, and follow up on Return Merchandise Authorizations (RMAs) for failed or defective equipment; confirm correct part identification, warranty eligibility, and serial-number tracking.
• Manage the full RMA lifecycle — failure documentation, shipment, replacement, and closeout — to minimize equipment downtime and maintain accurate spares visibility.

Quotes, Invoicing & Cost Verification

• Request and obtain quotes from third-party O&M providers for corrective maintenance and other non-routine work; review each quote for scope, labor, parts, and pricing reasonableness against the issue and contract terms.
• Provide a technical review and recommendation, then route quotes to the O&M Manager or Director of O&M for spend approval per the established approval thresholds — final cost authorization rests with management, not the Lead.
• Verify that approved corrective work was actually performed onsite and completed as scoped before the associated invoice is processed, using work-order records, field documentation, and provider reporting.
• Review incoming invoices from third-party O&Ms for accuracy — confirming they match the approved quote and scope, the work actually performed, and agreed contract rates — and flag overbilling, duplicate charges, or unauthorized work.
• Reconcile invoices against quotes and work orders, resolve discrepancies with the provider, and confirm accuracy before the invoice moves forward for payment.

DC Health & Inverter Availability

• Monitor DC-side health (strings, combiners, fuses, modules), identify underperformance, and direct providers to investigate and correct it.
• Track inverter uptime and availability, analyze recurring fault codes and failure patterns, and ensure providers restore units within contractual response windows.
• Use availability and performance data from the assigned Analyst to target the highest-impact recovery opportunities first.

Follow-Up, Oversight & Reporting

• Maintain persistent, proactive follow-up with O&M providers on open work orders, outstanding faults, and performance commitments through to verified closure.
• Review the portfolio performance reporting prepared by the assigned Analyst; validate findings, set priorities, and translate data into action.
• Hold providers accountable to scope, service levels, and response-time obligations; report status, trends, and recurring issues to the O&M Manager.
• Ensure accurate records of work orders, equipment status, RMAs, and provider activity are maintained in GSPP systems.

Preferred candidate profile

Education & Experience

• Associate or Bachelor’s degree in electrical, renewable energy, or a related technical/engineering field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 4–7+ years of experience in solar/renewable O&M, field service, commissioning, or power generation, with a track record of hands-on technical troubleshooting.

Technical Skills & Knowledge

• Strong working knowledge of utility-scale and/or C&I PV systems, including central and string inverters, DC collection systems, combiners, transformers, and balance-of-system components.
• Ability to diagnose faults from inverter fault codes, SCADA/DAS data, event logs, IV curves, and thermal/aerial scan results.
• Understanding of common PV failure modes (e.g., string outages, ground faults, inverter derate/trip, module degradation) and the corrective actions they require.
• Familiarity with monitoring platforms (e.g., SCADA/DAS), CMMS / work-order systems, and performance metrics such as availability, performance ratio, and energy loss.
• Working understanding of equipment warranties, RMA processes, and OEM coordination.
• Ability to review provider quotes and invoices for accuracy — validating scope, labor, parts, and rates against work performed and contract terms.

Core Competencies

• Sound technical judgment and confident, accountable decision-making under time pressure.
• Strong sense of urgency and bias toward driving issues to resolution.
• Effective vendor management and the ability to direct and support an analyst.
• Clear communicator across technical and non-technical audiences.