Wind Engineer

What The Role Is

The Wind Engineer will support an OEM-specific subset of Clearway’s wind turbine fleet, which includes a diverse array of original equipment manufacturers, capacities, and project lifecycle stages. Primary responsibilities include supporting the field operations team through project management, on-site support, and resolution of operational or equipment-related issues identified during O&M activities. This role also acts as a technical liaison with OEMs and requires close collaboration with internal departments, such as Asset Management, Procurement, and the Remote Operations Center (ROC/RPMC). Success in this role will depend on building strong relationships with internal subject matter experts and utilizing support from third party organizations. 

This role will also lead, and support projects aimed at performance and reliability analysis and improvement. On an as-needed basis, investigation, on-site support, and leveraging of IEs will be required for root cause analysis of major equipment failures. Additional responsibilities include contributing to the development of the Asset Integrity Management and Asset Performance Management platforms to optimize fleet operations. Occasionally, this position may also provide recommendations, perform on-site inspection, and due diligence support for site acquisitions and technology selection for new projects.

The Clearway Energy Group (CEG) is leading the transition to a world powered by clean energy. Along with their public affiliate Clearway Energy, Inc., CEG owns and operates 10.4 gigawatts of renewable and conventional energy assets across the country.  Clearway’s wind energy portfolio alone exceeds 4 GW across many regions in the United States, with a robust pipeline targeting an additional 3 GW in acquisitions and new projects over the next three years.

The position is hybrid and may be based out of the following locations: Scottsdale, AZ; Houston, TX; Princeton, NJ; San Francisco, CA; San Diego, CA; Denver, CO;

*This job posting is open to multiple locations but represents one available position*

Wind Engineer levels are defined below, and the ranges will be determined based on the qualifications met.

Pay Ranges by Job Level:

Wind Engineer III ($102,000 - $140,000)

Senior Wind Engineer ($125,000 - $165,000)

Principal Wind Engineer ($150,000 - $180,000)

What You'll Be Doing

Wind Engineer

• Technical Support: Provide comprehensive technical support for the wind fleet and field operations teams.
• Major Technical Project Management: Manage projects focused on resolving critical technical issues to improve fleet availability.
• OEM Liaison: Act as Clearway’s primary technical liaison with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
• Retrofit and Upgrade Oversight: Review, approve, and oversee the deployment of retrofits and upgrades, including Technical Information Letters (TILs), Customer Service Bulletins (CSBs), Configuration Change Notices (CCNs), and similar technical documents.
• Software/Firmware Upgrades: Review, approve, and supervise deployment of software and firmware upgrades to ensure compatibility and compliance following Clearway software test and deployment process.
• Change Management: Follow Clearway’s change management process to ensure minimal impact to availability, generation, and regulatory compliance, ensuring proper documentation, and tracking of hardware and software retrofits/changes.
• Maintenance Engineering Support: Support field personnel in corrective and preventative maintenance for wind turbines
• Procedure Development: Develop maintenance procedures, work instructions, and safety protocols, including implementing Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) practices.
• Legacy Technology Assessment: Evaluate the reliability of legacy technologies to support potential acquisitions.
• Engineering Standards: Develop engineering work instructions and checklists.
• Cross-Discipline Support: Occasionally provide technical support to Solar and Battery operations teams as needed.
• HSE Compliance: Adhere to health, safety, environmental, and quality processes, applying industry best practices.
• Performance Improvement: Participate in team initiatives to enhance component performance, quality, and functionality.
• Continuous Improvement: Contribute to continuous improvement efforts related to fleet-wide initiatives.
• Travel: Be prepared for travel, including overnight trips on short notice, up to 25%
• Additional Responsibilities: Perform other duties as required

Senior Wind Engineer (In addition to the above)

• Repair/Rebuild Specifications: Develop repair and rebuild specifications for major components, such as main bearings, gearboxes, and generators.
• Service Provider Qualification: Establish criteria and qualifications for third-party service providers handling major components.
• Operational Research: Research operational and repair techniques to increase generation efficiency and turbine lifespan.
• New Technology Review: Assess new technologies to support development of new wind projects.
• Repowering Specifications: Review and develop technical specifications for turbine component/system refurbishment and upgrades as part of repowering initiatives

Principal Wind Engineer (In addition to the above)

• Turbine System Reliability: Focus on optimizing the reliability, maintenance, and upgrade strategies for major turbine systems and components.
• Technical Optimization Program: Oversee program management initiatives aimed at technical optimization across the wind fleet.
• Lifecycle Reliability Platform Development: Develop and execute a reliability platform focused on the lifecycle of wind turbines.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Conduct and manage RCA on main components and high-impact failures, coordinating with internal asset managers, risk managers, and external resources, including independent engineers and labs.
• Asset Integrity Platform: Develop and execute the Asset Integrity Platform to enhance wind fleet durability.
• Asset Performance Platform: Contribute to and enhance the Asset Performance Platform to drive fleet-wide optimization

What You'll Bring

Wind Engineer

• A bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or a related engineering field is required.
• 4 years of experience in engineering, field operations, or maintenance is required.
• Strong Communication Skills: Able to effectively communicate with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Project and Priority Management: Skilled in managing multiple projects and work streams simultaneously, setting priorities, and exercising sound independent judgment.
• Technical Communication: Able to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Expertise in Rotating Machinery: Deep understanding of rotating machinery and equipment reliability.
• Maintenance Knowledge: Well-versed in maintenance plans, protocols, and best practices.
• Technical Instruction Interpretation: Proficient in interpreting, following, and developing technical instructions in verbal, written, diagrammatic, and schedule formats.
• Technical Documentation Skills: Able to read and interpret drawings, technical manuals, and commissioning reports.
• Troubleshooting Ability: Skilled in diagnosing turbine faults and failures, with the capability to develop effective corrective action plans and programs.
• LOTO Knowledge: Knowledgeable in the proper use of Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures for energy isolation.
• Industry Standards Familiarity: Familiar with applicable wind industry standards, including IEC 61400, UL, NEC, and OSHA.
• Travel Flexibility: Willing and able to travel on short notice to Clearway sites across the continental U.S.

Senior Wind Engineer (In addition to the above)

• 7+ years of experience in engineering or field operations is required.

Principal Wind Engineer (In addition to the above)

• 12+ years of experience (10+ with MS degree) in engineering or field operations is required.

If you don’t meet 100% of the below qualifications but see yourself contributing, please submit your resume.

What Would Be Nice

• Experience: 10 years of direct experience as a Wind, Field, Platform, Performance, or Reliability Engineer, working with one or more turbine OEMs.
• Software and Performance Enhancements: Proven experience managing the deployment of software upgrades or other performance/reliability improvements.
• OEM Expertise: Direct experience with SGRE, Suzlon, or Vestas equipment, both legacy and current.
• Drivetrain System Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of various drivetrain system designs utilized in wind turbines.
• Pitch System Understanding: Solid understanding of electrical and hydraulic pitch systems.
• Reliability and Maintenance Optimization: Experience developing reliability strategies, maintenance optimization plans, and repair/upgrade options for wind turbines.
• Repair/Rebuild Specification Development: Demonstrated experience in developing repair and rebuild specifications for major components, such as main bearings, gearboxes, and generators.
• Third-Party Service Provider Management: Experience in developing requirements for, and selecting, approved third-party service providers for major components.
• Root Cause Analysis: Experience in gearbox and generator root cause analysis, including the development of up-tower mitigation options, repair processes, and upgrade solutions.
• Field Experiment Design: Experience with the setup and design of experiments for in-field measurements.
• Sensor Data Analysis: Skilled in the analytical processing of sensor data for performance analysis.
• Lifecycle and Reliability Programs: Experience in full turbine lifecycle analysis and implementing reliability programs.
• Failure Rate Prediction: Familiarity with Weibull analysis or similar lifetime and failure rate prediction techniques.

Clearway will not sponsor nonimmigrant visas for this position (H-1B, TN, E-3, etc.).