Technical Analyst

THE ROLE

Working as part of WiseEnergy's Global Technical Operations Team you will be part of an international team with members in the UK, US, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Chile, Poland and India. The core of this role is daily supervision and analysis of the performance of the solar plants, daily monitoring, incident tracking and resolution, performance analysis and issue investigation, and robust reporting. This is a critical role in terms of ensuring performance is optimised across clients' portfolios by maximizing uptime. Strong management of service providers and other partners is also crucial. (e.g. O&M, DNOs, clients, etc.),

Overseeing a portfolio of clients/projects from onboarding and through to business as usual, the Technical Analyst will ensure that they have all the necessary data, technical documentation and information to manage their caseload of solar PV plants effectively in line with WiseEnergy’s consistent, industry-leading standards.

The position will require some occasional European travel to visit the sites under management to perform asset quality checks and to supervise service providers once you become permanent.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Working alongside Technical Analyst professionals will be an integral role in the Technical Operations team:

• Daily supervision and analysis of the Ground Mount PV portfolio’s technical performance and operations
• Demonstrate capacity to track plant incidents and take ownership of any resolutions
• Optimise the availability and performance ratio of the portfolio under supervision
• Support the line manager in the daily supervision and analysis of the portfolio technical performance and operations
• Manage the relationships with Operation & Maintenance contractors and Customer Interface on Technical Issues
• Ensure all O&M / other technical service providers achieve, at a minimum, their contractual obligations
• Prepare and deliver periodic reports on technical performance and other operational aspects of the plants, as well as supervise the reporting of junior members of the team
• Prepare and review yearly budgets
• Supervise and manage outcomes of the site visits executed by the site managers, as well as post-construction punch lists
• Supervise the control of the technical documentation related to the plants
• Support the in providing regular compliance with the DNOs, insurance companies, Public Entities, etc
• Constant identification and implementation of process improvements
• Support the line manager in coordinating activities with the other WiseEnergy departments
• Support the line manager in developing a growing and diverse technical team
• Support to the line manager in establishing and maintaining an environment of internal control and integrity
• Lead team meetings to identify internal stresses and allocate support where needed to foster a collaborative working environment
• Train and support more junior analysts.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

• Time management & prioritization skills - things can get a little hectic, so the ability to effectively manage yourself and your workload is critical
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (in English or/and other European languages) - you must be able to organize your thoughts in a way that others find clear and compelling. You will be expected to together well-written, grammatically correct emails and other communications. When communicating verbally – whether over the phone, on video calls, in person or in meetings – you will need to be articulate, warm and engaging
• Flexibility - being an effective team player means being flexible in your approach and open to getting involved with new things, even if they are not spelt out in your job description
• Intellectual Curiosity – Technical Management is a broad and nuanced field and we are looking for someone who is truly interested in our profession and has the intellectual curiosity to delve deep into topics and bring fresh ideas to the team
• IT Literacy - you need to be comfortable with IT systems and working with data (you should have at least intermediate-level Excel)
• Delivery focus – it may sound obvious, but the ability to proactively churn through work at pace and deliver quality outputs really matters
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Passion for our mission ‘to generate a more sustainable future by leading the transition to clean energy
• Our values: be a leader, build trust, be responsible, be innovative and ‘bring your alpha’.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in Solar PV, preferably in the field of renewable energy (Asset Management, Technical Advisor, Owners’ Engineer, O&M contractor, EPC, etc.) and/or in similar business positions
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, preferably in Electricity or Electronics or qualified to the same level through experience of other qualifications.
• Italian mother tongue and good English level  
• Comprehensive knowledge of the technical characteristics of PV plants
• International experience would be a plus
• Microsoft Office, especially Excel, PowerPoint; SCADA systems; PVSyst (appreciated but not required

WHAT WE OFFER 

• A role in a supportive team, with plenty of opportunities to learn
• International scope – we operate in over 8 countries
• Hybrid working – we will need you in the office at least three times a week, but you will normally be able to work remotely for the remainder of the week
• Annual discretionary bonus

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in this opportunity, please follow the link to apply or send your application to careers@nextenergygroup.com. If you have been shortlisted for the next stage, we will be in contact within 14 days.

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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Our approach to diversity and inclusion is a natural extension of our values. Our entrepreneurial culture inspires us to try new things, be open to different viewpoints and be bold. Our Group is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of connectedness that values difference and gives space for individual expression. The collective sum of our individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, talent and hard work form the bedrock of who we are and who we aspire to be.

We are committed to equal employment and advancement opportunity irrespective of race, color, ancestry, social background, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability and gender identity.

ABOUT US

NextEnergy Group was founded in 2007 to become a leading market participant in the international solar sector.  Since its inception, it has been active in the development, construction, and ownership of solar assets across multiple jurisdictions.  NextEnergy Group operates via its three business units: NextEnergy Capital (Investment Management), WiseEnergy (Operating Asset Management), and Starlight (Asset Development). 

NextEnergy Capital manages the Group's investment activities and has invested in over 520 solar plants, exceeding 2GW in capacity across its institutional funds.

• NextEnergy Solar Fund (NESF): Listed on the London Stock Exchange, NESF manages 102 solar and energy storage assets in the UK and Italy, with a total installed capacity of 983MW and a gross asset value of £1,014m.
• NextPower II (NPII): A private fund of 105 solar plants (149MW) focused on Italy, successfully divested in January 2022, delivering net IRRs exceeding its 10-12% target.
• NextPower III ESG (NPIII ESG): A private fund targeting solar infrastructure in OECD countries (e.g., US, Spain, Italy), with $896m raised, exceeding its $750m target.
• NextPower UK ESG (NPUK ESG): A private fund dedicated to new-build solar plants in the UK, with ~£600m raised.
• NextPower V ESG (NPV ESG): A private OECD solar fund investing in solar and adjacent technologies like battery storage. To date, it has raised $745m, targeting $1.5bn ($2bn ceiling).

WiseEnergy® is NextEnergy Group’s operating asset manager.  WiseEnergy is a leading specialist operating asset manager in the solar sector.  Since its founding, WiseEnergy has provided solar asset management, monitoring, technical due diligence and under construction services to over 1,500 utility-scale solar power plants with an installed total capacity in excess of 3.4 GW.  WiseEnergy clients comprise leading banks and equity financiers in the energy and infrastructure sector.  

Starlight is NextEnergy Group’s development company that is active in the development phase of solar projects.  It has developed over 100 utility-scale projects internationally and continues to progress a large pipeline of c.10GW of both green and brownfield project developments across global geographies. 

NextSTEP is the venture capital fund of NextEnergy Group, dedicated to investing in innovative startups in the field of environmental sustainability. The fund primarily focuses on investments in Italy and the United Kingdom but also extends its reach to the rest of Europe and the United States, targeting startups in the pre-seed and seed stages. NextSTEP pays particular attention to emerging entities from incubators, startup accelerators, universities, and research centers, supporting projects that address global challenges in crucial areas such as Climate Change, Energy Transition, CO2 Capture and Sequestration, Circular Economy, Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Mobility, Sustainable Fashion, Waste Management, Water and much more. 

NextEnergy Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 by the NextEnergy Group that operates internationally and whose mission is to proactively participate in the global effort to reduce carbon emissions by providing clean energy sources in regions where they are not yet available and thereby contributing to poverty reduction. As the main sponsor of this foundation, the NextEnergy Group donates at least 5% of its consolidated net profits each year. The NextEnergy Foundation has no overhead costs and therefore 100% of the funds raised go to donations for the various projects. Since 2016, in 8 years of operation the foundation has donated more than £1.2 million, supporting over 30 projects in 27 different countries around the world.