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wind engineer

title: Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Engineer
salary: $70,000 - $140,000
categories: [Engineering, Renewable Energy, Wind Energy, Mechanical Engineering]
description: Detailed, recruiter-style list of core responsibilities, secondary duties, and required skills for a Wind Engineer role.
Keywords: wind engineer, wind turbine, wind farm design, aerodynamic analysis, CFD, structural fatigue,
wind resource assessment, OpenFAST, SCADA, IEC 61400, offshore/onshore wind, energy yield, LCOE, micro-siting, foundation design.

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Engineer is responsible for the technical design, analysis, validation and delivery of wind turbine and wind farm engineering solutions for onshore and/or offshore projects. This role leads wind resource assessments, aerodynamic and structural analysis, power performance and energy yield modeling, SCADA and operations support, and cross-discipline coordination with civil, electrical, procurement and construction teams. The Wind Engineer ensures designs meet regulatory and IEC standards, optimize energy production and availability, control cost and risk, and support safe and timely project execution.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Graduate Mechanical / Aerospace / Civil Engineer with interest in renewables
  • Wind Resource Analyst, Turbine Performance Engineer or Aerodynamicist
  • Structural or Geotechnical Engineer transitioning into wind projects

Advancement To:

  • Senior Wind Engineer / Lead Wind Engineer
  • Project Engineering Manager / Technical Lead (wind projects)
  • Principal Engineer / Head of Engineering / Technical Director (wind)

Lateral Moves:

  • Performance & Asset Optimization Engineer
  • Offshore Installation Engineer or Commissioning Lead
  • Wind Farm Project Manager or Development Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead wind resource assessment campaigns including meteorological mast (met mast) design, LIDAR planning, mesoscale and microscale modeling, site calibration and generation of long-term energy yield (P50/P90) estimates with clear documentation of assumptions.
  • Design and optimize wind farm layouts and micro-siting to minimize wake losses and maximize net energy production while considering turbine spacing, topography, environmental constraints and permitting requirements.
  • Perform aerodynamic analysis of turbines and blades using CFD and blade element momentum methods (BEM), validate results against manufacturer data, and recommend blade, pitch or control modifications to improve performance.
  • Develop and run aero-servo-elastic simulations using OpenFAST/FAST or equivalent tools to quantify rotor loads, tower and blade responses, and validate design against IEC 61400 load cases.
  • Conduct structural and fatigue analysis for blades, hub, nacelle, tower and substructure using finite element analysis (FEA) tools (ANSYS, Abaqus or similar) to verify strength, stiffness, and lifetime under operational and extreme loading conditions.
  • Prepare turbine load cases and design documentation compliant with IEC 61400-1, IEC 61400-3 (offshore) and other applicable standards, including site-specific turbulence, shear and gust considerations.
  • Perform foundation and geotechnical coordination for onshore and offshore foundations (gravity, monopile, jacket, and suction bucket) and provide load envelopes and design inputs to geotechnical and civil teams.
  • Deliver power performance and energy yield assessments, including power curve verification, uncertainty analysis, sensitivity studies and contribution to financial models for LCOE and bankability.
  • Analyze SCADA datasets to diagnose performance issues, availability, derating, wake losses, and to perform condition monitoring analytics for predictive maintenance and reliability improvements.
  • Provide technical support during procurement, vendor selection and technical evaluation of turbine manufacturers, nacelle and blade suppliers, balancing trade-offs between CAPEX, OPEX and expected performance.
  • Lead technical interface management between electrical, civil, environmental and construction teams to ensure integrated design for grid connection, cabling, substation, SCADA integration and O&M access.
  • Prepare detailed technical specifications, installation drawings, test procedures, commissioning plans, FAT/SAT acceptance criteria and documentation for procurement and construction phases.
  • Support site surveys, installation planning and construction supervision to validate as-built conditions, supervise engineering changes and ensure design intent during erection and commissioning.
  • Conduct root-cause investigations for failures, rapid response teams for turbine incidents, define corrective actions, and implement design or operational changes to mitigate recurrence.
  • Evaluate and apply offshore-specific metocean, wave, ice and corrosion considerations into design and operations, and produce environmental load cases and installation windows for EPC planning.
  • Collaborate with operations and asset management teams to optimize O&M strategies by analyzing failure modes, spares planning, and by developing condition-based maintenance processes to reduce downtime and OPEX.
  • Develop and maintain digital models, simulation libraries, templates, and engineering calculation packages for repeatable and auditable analyses across projects.
  • Ensure compliance with health, safety, environmental and permitting requirements throughout engineering activities and support HSE risk assessments and mitigation strategies for site activities.
  • Mentor and train junior engineers and interns, conduct technical reviews, and lead cross-functional engineering workshops to drive technical excellence and knowledge transfer.
  • Communicate technical findings, risk assessments and recommendations to developers, investors, utilities and stakeholders via clear reports, technical memoranda and presentations tailored to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Manage engineering delivery schedules, track technical milestones and support commercial due diligence, pre-construction planning and bankability reviews by providing credible technical documentation and expert input.

Secondary Functions

  • Support R&D and innovation initiatives such as advanced control strategies, digital twinning, and blade design optimization to increase energy yield and reduce costs.
  • Maintain and update project-specific and corporate technical standards, best-practice checklists, and lessons-learned databases for wind engineering activities.
  • Participate in permit application support, environmental impact assessments and community consultations by providing technical information and mitigation measures for noise, visual and ecological impacts.
  • Represent the company at vendor meetings, industry working groups and conferences to maintain vendor relationships, stay current with best practices and inform procurement strategies.
  • Prepare technical input for grant applications, feasibility studies and pre-FEED engineering packages to support project development and funding.
  • Assist sales and business development teams with technical proposals, client presentations and bid responses to communicate the company’s engineering capability and value proposition.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Wind resource assessment & micrositing (met mast, LIDAR, WAsP, WindPRO, Meteodyn): ability to produce long-term energy yield (P50/P90) and uncertainty quantification.
  • Aerodynamic and rotor analysis: CFD experience and BEM knowledge to analyze blade loads, performance and wake interactions.
  • Aero-servo-elastic simulation tools: OpenFAST/FAST, Bladed, QBlade or similar for dynamic load and control analysis.
  • Structural & fatigue analysis: FEA proficiency (ANSYS, Abaqus, Nastran) for static, dynamic and fatigue life assessment of blades, towers and substructures.
  • Turbine load-case generation and IEC standards knowledge: IEC 61400 series, design standards and certification processes.
  • SCADA and condition monitoring analytics: experience with SCADA data processing, time-series analytics, MATLAB, Python (pandas), R or dedicated analytics platforms.
  • Power performance and energy yield modeling: ability to validate power curves, perform P50/P90 studies and sensitivity analysis for financial models.
  • Geotechnical & foundation interfaces: understanding of soil-structure interaction, foundation design inputs and coordination with civil/geotech engineers.
  • Offshore engineering fundamentals (if applicable): metocean analysis, dynamic cable behavior, installation engineering and corrosion protection.
  • Electrical integration knowledge: high-level familiarity with collector systems, substations, earthing, fault-ride-through and grid code requirements.
  • CAD and drawing production: SolidWorks, AutoCAD or MicroStation for producing and reviewing detailed drawings and installation documents.
  • Project documentation & technical writing: producing clear technical specifications, reports, and commissioning documentation.
  • Software literacy: MATLAB/Simulink, Python, Microsoft Excel (advanced), GIS tools (ArcGIS/QGIS), and familiarity with industry tools (WindPRO, WAsP).
  • FAT/SAT & commissioning procedures experience: ability to define acceptance criteria and support testing and handover activities.
  • Quality and compliance management: ensuring designs meet regulatory, permitting and HSE requirements.

Soft Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills to present complex technical information to stakeholders, clients and non-technical teams.
  • Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management: coordinate across civil, electrical, procurement, construction and O&M teams.
  • Problem solving and analytical mindset with attention to detail when interpreting simulations, field data and failure investigations.
  • Project management capability: prioritize tasks, manage schedules, and ensure timely delivery of engineering outputs.
  • Leadership and mentorship: coach junior engineers, run technical reviews and lead engineering workstreams.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning: stay current with evolving turbine technologies, standards and industry best practices.
  • Negotiation and vendor management skills during procurement and contract technical clarifications.
  • Time management and multitasking under project delivery pressures with ability to escalate and mitigate risks proactively.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Civil, Naval Architecture or Electrical Engineering (or equivalent) with relevant wind industry coursework or experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Wind Energy, Renewable Energy Systems, Aerodynamics, Structural Engineering or related field.
  • Certifications related to wind energy, structural analysis, or project management (e.g., Chartered Engineer, PE, PMP) are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Mechanical Engineering (rotor/blade design, dynamics)
  • Aerospace Engineering (aerodynamics, CFD)
  • Civil/Structural Engineering (tower, foundation and geotech)
  • Renewable Energy Engineering / Wind Energy MSc
  • Electrical Engineering (grid integration, power systems)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–10+ years, depending on level. Mid-level: 3–6 years in wind industry. Senior-level: 7+ years with proven project leadership and technical delivery.

Preferred:

  • Demonstrated experience on full project lifecycle (development, engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and operations) for onshore and/or offshore wind farms.
  • Experience working with turbine manufacturers, EPC contractors and asset owners, and a track record of delivering bankable technical reports and engineering packages.
  • Professional experience with IEC certification, power performance assessments, SCADA analytics and fatigue-life evaluations.
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