Projects Lead

Company Profile: candi is a dedicated rooftop solar company for SMEs across Asia and Africa. We bring together international capital, through our Swiss-based platform, and local expertise in order to provide a unique offering to this underserved sector. In doing so, candi aims to have a big social impact, reduce carbon emissions, create jobs, increase energy access, and save money for businesses in emerging markets. www.candi.solar 

Job Summary: The company is looking to recruit an ambitious and energetic Lead for the Projects team to drive candi’s project growth in India. This is a critical position for the company as the candidate will lead all technical aspects of solar project delivery, including design and engineering decisions, contract negotiations, managing EPCs and project execution and undertaking technical and commercial work during the sales process, whilst managing the teams involved in project development and project delivery to ensure that candi’s growth trajectory is realized. Given that we are taking solar into a new realm with a new set of tools, the role will require creativity, innovation and a new way of thinking.

Location: preferably Gurugram, alternatively Pune or Bengaluru with frequent country-wide travel.

Hours: Full time, 5 days per week

Job Requirements:

• B.Eng or M.Eng in Electrical Engineering or similar, with minimum 8-12 years experience in the rooftop C&I solar space in India. 

• The candidate should already hold a management position, managing a team of Project/design Engineers or Project Managers, responsible for setting strategy, SOPs, reporting on KPIs of the team, etc.
• A dynamic personality, able to handle candi’s EPC partners, work in the technical sales and commercial processes, and extensively interact with senior stakeholders of candi’s clients and EPC partners to get solar projects signed and subsequently ensure effective delivery of the projects.
• Experience with construction contracts and contract negotiations is essential.
• English written and oral communication is essential, and experience working for/with international colleagues is a huge plus.

Job Description: 

The role requires versatility, as services performed are expected to include, but not be limited, to

the following:

• Overseeing the entire solar solutions team which deals with the following:

• Oversee the technical teams within the Project Development (PD) and Projects Management (PM), liaising with the PD Lead and PM Lead(s) as required.
• Provide strategic inputs into and enforcement of the processes, documents, etc. that relate to the Project Development phase:
  • Ensure we adequately perform the necessary level of due diligence on our EPC partners
  • Ensure that signed opportunities utilise technical inputs into the financial model (FM) that are attainable and realistic. These include primarily yield estimations, construction timeline to COD, system capex, system opex, as well as additional assumptions around degradation rates, replacement capex (Repex) amounts, etc. Final sign-off on these technical inputs will be required by this position, and therefore in-depth knowledge of how each of these technical inputs is determined is critical. 
• Provide strategic inputs into and enforcement of the process, documents, etc. that ensure the Project Management team delivers projects that align with the FM technical inputs. Accountabilities incl. but are not limited to:
  • Track and ensure all EPC contracts meet estimated project milestones and project cost is well within the construction budgets and candi's global QA standards;
  • Ensure implementation of projects such that all legal and statutory compliances and candi standards are fulfilled;
  • Monitor all necessary project approvals (net metering, Chief Electrical Inspector to Government/ CEIG and etc.) are obtained well within time;
  • Periodic review of project cost estimates and suggest ways to minimise the commercial risks during project execution;
  • Liaison with Internal stakeholders and clients;
  • Assume responsibility for the inventory of as-built drawings as per the defined QMS. 
• Contracts management: 
  • Oversee negotiation of EPC contracts, along with our in-house legal, to ensure EPCs adopt candi’s contract 
  • coaching PMs on contractual aspects, (for example Variations, Extension of Time  requests, Scope of Work enforcement, Termination vs. Suspension protocols, weekly reporting standards and requirements, milestone payment schedules, etc. 
• Conflict resolution: guiding PMs in handling EPC issues diplomatically. Soft skills of knowing when to invoke contractual clauses vs. when to be more practical and/or seek compromise.
• Quality management: 
  • carry out peer reviews of internal and external technical documentation, 
  • milestone achievement certification, 
  • ensuring PM's carry out necessary site visits, 
  • engaging internal/external experts as req'd, etc.
  • Inputs into and improvements of candi’s suite of technical standards documents 
• Strategic oversight: seeing the big picture and knowing how to identify gaps in our approach, from high-level aspects such as procurement, to minor process related improvements.
• Workload mgmt: Discussing with PD and PM Lead(s) to ensure resources and projects are adequately balanced.
• Status reporting: assisting in reporting to upper management;
• Manage procurement and inventory processes by interacting with internal teams, accepted vendors for both supplies and services;
• Enhance list of accepted vendors for all major critical supplies by identifying new OEMs and EPC contractors – both domestically and international;

• Supporting development of candi processes, standard operating procedures, etc.
• Helioscope, Sketchup, Staad-Pro, AutoCAD MSOffice, Google Docs/Sheets proficiency
• Familiarity with financial models, time value of money, IRRs etc.
• Proactively collaborate and promptly respond to communications in software platforms like email, Slack etc.
• Valid residency and/ or work permit for India is mandatory

Working Culture Requirements:

• You agree to live out the candi values every day of your employment: this includes to put empathy before ego, being authentic no matter what, that we work as one and follow the candi principle that less is more
• A dynamic, cross-functional team player, willing to take initiative on projects in the context of a multicultural scale-up trying to execute big, bold ideas.
• Having experience working for an international company, or having studied or worked abroad, is considered a plus.
• You must be open, honest, trustworthy, a strong communicator, and understand that what we get done as a team surpasses what we get done individually.
• candi is an equal opportunities employer.

candi is unique because...

• We focus on helping businesses of all sizes in emerging markets get access to cheap, clean rooftop solar energy.
• We have a strong emphasis on a client-centric & innovation-driven working culture.
• We are an international team where remote working is commonplace, where we trust our team members to actively carve out a role for themselves according to their skillset.

Only qualified candidates will be contacted.