Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Farm Program Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Farm Program Manager leads end-to-end delivery of utility-scale wind farm projects (onshore or offshore) from late-stage development through procurement, construction, commissioning and handover to operations. This role owns program governance, schedule, cost and risk, manages multi-disciplinary teams including EPC contractors, suppliers, permitting agencies and grid partners, and drives safe, compliant, on-time and on-budget project execution while protecting project economics and long-term asset performance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Project Manager — Wind or Renewable Projects
Construction Manager / Site Manager (Civil / Electrical)
Development Manager or Principal Engineer (wind)

Advancement To:

Head of Wind Program Delivery / Program Director — Renewables
Director / VP of Project Execution (Renewables)
Chief Construction Officer / Head of Head of Projects

Lateral Moves:

Asset Manager — Wind Portfolio
Commercial / Contracts Manager for Renewables
Head of Operations & Maintenance (O&M)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead program-level planning, governance and delivery for one or multiple wind farm projects, creating and maintaining the integrated master schedule, milestone plan and phased delivery plan from procurement through commissioning and handover.
Own overall program budget and cost control: prepare CAPEX forecasts, manage contingencies, track cost-to-complete, validate contractor invoices, and lead value engineering and cost optimization initiatives to protect project returns.
Manage and coordinate multi-discipline engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts and subcontractors, ensuring clear scope, performance milestones, KPI alignment and commercial claims handling.
Control vendor and turbine supplier relationships including negotiation and management of turbine supply agreements, warranties, spare parts strategy and logistics planning for long-lead components.
Drive procurement strategy for major equipment and balance-of-plant (BoP) packages, develop RFQs/RFPs, evaluate bids, lead supplier selection, and manage procurement timelines to meet construction sequences.
Lead permitting, environmental compliance and consenting activities during construction and commissioning, coordinating with environmental consultants, regulators and local authorities to ensure mitigation plans are implemented and regulatory approvals maintained.
Lead grid connection and electrical interface delivery: manage interconnection agreements, coordinate with transmission system operators (TSOs), oversee substations, cabling, protection relays, and commissioning of electrical systems to transmission code requirements.
Develop and execute construction management plans and methodologies including site set-up, access, earthworks, foundations, crane and logistics management, and detailed construction sequencing for turbine installation.
Manage project risk and change control processes: identify, quantify and mitigate schedule, cost, technical and commercial risks; administer formal change orders; and maintain the program risk register.
Lead commissioning and performance testing activities, overseeing mechanical, electrical, SCADA and control system commissioning, performance acceptance testing, and documentation to achieve final acceptance tests and commercial operation date (COD).
Coordinate health, safety and environment (HSE) leadership on site: set HSE objectives, implement procedures, conduct safety audits, manage incident reporting and ensure contractor compliance with industry standards and company HSE policies.
Oversee community and stakeholder relations during construction and commissioning: manage local communications, landowner engagement, mitigation of social impacts, and address complaints and public concerns.
Establish and manage quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) processes for construction and commissioning including inspection plans, factory acceptance tests (FATs), site acceptance tests (SATs) and document control systems.
Lead logistics and transportation planning for oversized equipment (turbine blades, nacelles, tower sections), including port operations (for offshore and coastal projects), road upgrades, temporary structures, and customs/import compliance where applicable.
Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation: contract records, as-built drawings, test reports, commissioning dossiers, O&M manuals and handover packages for asset operations teams.
Manage performance, productivity and discipline of assigned project management team members and consultants; set objectives, coach, and ensure clear roles and responsibilities across project controls, engineering, procurement and site teams.
Prepare and present executive-level reports and dashboards for stakeholders and investors covering schedule, budget, risk, safety and technical status, facilitating decision-making and board-level approvals.
Coordinate financing and stakeholder requirements during construction including compliance with lender technical advisors, drawdown schedules, covenant reporting and auditing processes.
Oversee interface management among vendors, grid operators, civil contractors and other stakeholders to prevent scope gaps and schedule conflicts and to ensure integrated systems function as designed.
Manage warranty, latent defect and final acceptance processes post-commissioning, including tracking warranty claims, coordinating remedial works and ensuring contractual remedies are pursued when necessary.
Develop and execute the project commissioning plan for SCADA, control systems and remote monitoring, ensuring telemetry, cybersecurity and data handover for O&M teams.
Ensure regulatory and market compliance across project lifecycle: adhere to local grid codes, environmental regulations, permitting conditions, PPA obligations and health & safety legislation.
Coordinate geotechnical, foundation and soil investigations and incorporate findings into foundation designs and construction methodologies to reduce technical risk and unplanned costs.
Lead resource optimization during construction, including workforce planning, subcontractor resourcing, and day-to-day site management to meet productivity targets and milestones.
Oversee preparation and execution of offshore-specific activities when applicable, including maritime logistics, marine warranty surveys, turbine export/import windows, and offshore installation scheduling.
Drive continuous improvement and lessons-learned capture across projects to institutionalize best practices, improve estimation accuracy and reduce delivery risk for future wind farm programs.

Secondary Functions

Support development of project commercial models and life-cycle cost analyses to inform executive investment decisions and sensitivity analyses.
Assist in preparation of tender documentation and evaluation criteria for smaller service contracts and site-level suppliers.
Contribute to sustainability reporting, carbon accounting, and ESG disclosures tied to project delivery and construction-phase emissions.
Support ad-hoc technical reviews, procurement clarifications and constructability studies requested by engineering teams.
Participate in cross-functional internal forums (development, commercial, finance, legal) to align project objectives and timelines.
Facilitate early-stage O&M planning and spare parts strategy development to enable smooth transition to operations post-COD.
Mentor junior project managers and engineers through on-the-job coaching and structured knowledge transfers.
Maintain relationships with local authorities, utilities and community groups to protect project social license during construction.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Program and project management (PMP / PRINCE2 experience desirable) with demonstrable delivery of large-scale wind projects.
Strong knowledge of wind turbine technology, turbine supply agreements (TSA), warranty structures and performance guarantees.
Electrical systems and grid connection expertise, including substations, medium/high voltage cabling, relay protection, SCADA and compliance with grid codes and interconnection requirements.
Contract negotiation and commercial management for EPC contracts, supplier contracts, subcontracts and change orders.
Cost control, CAPEX forecasting, earned value management (EVM) and financial modelling for construction projects.
Construction management experience across civil, mechanical and electrical works, including BoP, foundations, access roads and crane operations.
Commissioning and testing expertise for wind farms: FAT, SAT, commissioning plans, performance testing and final acceptance testing.
HSE leadership and knowledge of industry safety standards (ISO 45001, local regulations), incident investigation and safety culture implementation.
Risk management and formal change control processes, ability to maintain and present a risk register and mitigation plans.
Familiarity with supply chain logistics for oversized cargo, port operations, customs and transportation planning.
Experience with project controls tools: Primavera P6 or MS Project, Aconex/Procore/document control systems and MS Excel/Power BI for reporting.
Technical understanding of geotechnical and foundation design impacts on construction methodology.
Knowledge of offshore-specific logistics and marine operations (for offshore roles): marine warranty surveys, vessel operations and cable laying.
Experience dealing with lenders and technical advisors, and satisfying project finance reporting and compliance requirements.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people management: ability to lead multi-disciplinary, dispersed teams and multiple contractors through complex projects.
Excellent stakeholder management and political acumen: effective at managing landowners, regulators, TSOs, local government and investor relations.
Clear communicator and presenter: capable of producing executive dashboards and articulating complex technical and commercial issues to non-technical stakeholders.
Decisive problem-solver with strong commercial judgment, able to balance technical trade-offs, schedule and cost pressures.
High resilience and adaptability working in remote site conditions, changing regulatory environments and time-critical construction phases.
Conflict resolution and negotiation skills to resolve contractor disputes, claims and interface issues.
Strong organizational skills, prioritization and time management across concurrent workstreams and projects.
Collaborative mindset and ability to work cross-functionally with development, commercial, legal and operations teams.
Continuous improvement and coaching orientation: ability to mentor others and institutionalize lessons learned.
Cultural sensitivity and community engagement aptitude for building trust in host communities and multi-national project teams.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical), Construction Management, Project Management or related technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Engineering, Renewable Energy, Construction Management, Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent.
Professional certifications: PMP, PRINCE2, NEBOSH, or equivalent HSE/quality certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Civil / Structural Engineering
Renewable Energy Engineering / Sustainable Energy
Construction Management / Project Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years in project delivery, with a minimum of 5–8 years leading medium-to-large scale wind farm projects (≥50 MW) or equivalent infrastructure projects.

Preferred:

Demonstrated track record delivering onshore and/or offshore wind farms through construction and commissioning to COD.
Experience managing multi-million to multi-hundred-million-dollar CAPEX programs, turbine supplier management, and complex grid connections.
Proven experience working with lenders, technical advisors, TSOs, local regulators and major EPC contractors.
Prior experience in international or cross-jurisdictional project delivery, with familiarity with local permitting, environmental and land-rights processes.