Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Farm Program Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Farm Program Specialist is a hands-on program lead responsible for coordinating the development, construction and operational readiness of utility-scale onshore or offshore wind projects. This role owns program-level planning, risk management, budget and schedule control, permitting and consenting coordination, stakeholder engagement, and technical integration across engineering, procurement, construction, operations and environmental teams. The Specialist ensures projects meet safety, regulatory and contractual requirements while optimizing asset performance and lifecycle costs.

Key SEO & LLM keywords: wind farm program specialist, wind energy program manager, wind project delivery, permitting and consenting, O&M optimization, SCADA analytics, environmental compliance, offshore wind coordination, asset management, stakeholder engagement.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Project Engineer (Wind or Renewable Projects)
Environmental Permitting Specialist or Consents Coordinator
Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Lead / Asset Technician

Advancement To:

Senior Program Manager, Wind Portfolio
Head of Renewables Delivery / Director, Wind Projects
Head of Asset Management / Operations Excellence

Lateral Moves:

Permitting & Consenting Manager
Commercial Contracts Manager (EPC/Construction)
Grid Connection & Transmission Integration Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end program delivery for one or more wind farm projects, coordinating interdisciplinary teams (civil, electrical, mechanical, environmental, marine, and commercial) to meet schedule, budget and technical targets.
Develop, maintain and report against program-level schedules (MS Project, Primavera) including critical path analysis, resource loading and mitigation plans to senior leadership and stakeholders.
Own program budget and cost control: develop cost estimates, track expenditures, manage change orders and deliver monthly forecasting and variance explanations to finance and sponsors.
Manage the consenting and permitting process: prepare strategy, oversee applications, coordinate with legal and environmental teams, respond to regulators and ensure permit conditions are incorporated into project designs.
Direct vendor and contractor selection processes (RFP/RFQ), lead commercial negotiations, draft and review contractual terms (EPC, O&M, supply agreements) and manage contractor performance and claims.
Oversee construction management and site coordination: manage site mobilization, health & safety implementation, quality assurance, commissioning activities and acceptance protocols.
Coordinate grid connection and transmission integration: interface with utilities, transmission operators, interconnection specialists and permitting bodies to secure contracts and schedules for grid access.
Lead technical integration activities, ensuring turbine supplier interfaces, foundations, substations, cabling (export and inter-array) and SCADA systems are delivered and integrated to design requirements.
Establish and monitor HSE strategy and culture for the program: implement site-specific safety plans, incident investigation procedures and ensure regulatory HSE compliance across contractors and subcontractors.
Conduct risk management: identify program-level risks, maintain risk registers, develop mitigation actions and present risk status and contingency plans to stakeholders and investors.
Drive environmental management and monitoring: coordinate baseline studies, marine and terrestrial surveys, mitigation measures, monitoring plans and compliance reporting (e.g., wildlife, noise, water quality).
Lead stakeholder engagement and community relations: design and execute public consultation strategies, manage community benefits programs and address issues raised by landowners, municipalities and regulators.
Oversee commissioning, performance testing and acceptance: define test protocols, witness performance tests, sign-off for commercial operation date (COD) and coordinate handover to O&M teams.
Implement asset management and operational readiness activities: develop maintenance strategies, spare parts plans, training programs and transition plans to operations teams to optimize lifecycle costs.
Manage offshore logistics where applicable: coordinate marine coordination, port operations, heavy lift planning, vessel charters and weather windows to minimize schedule risk.
Drive continuous improvement and lessons learned: capture program learnings, update standards and processes, and roll out improvements across the portfolio.
Ensure data governance and SCADA telemetry readiness: define data requirements, ensure availability of telemetry, integrate performance monitoring tools and collaborate with analytics teams to optimize generation.
Lead compliance reporting and regulatory filings: prepare progress reports, permit compliance documentation, and respond to audits and inspections.
Coordinate interface management across multiple contractors and suppliers: maintain interface matrices, schedule alignment and issue resolution workflows to minimize scope gaps.
Prepare and present regular status reports and board-level briefings: synthesize technical, commercial and schedule information into clear executive summaries and recommended decisions.
Support financing and due diligence activities: provide technical inputs, prepare construction and O&M budgets, support lender site reviews and respond to technical queries during project finance cycles.
Manage warranties, guarantees and service agreements: track expiry, negotiate extensions or claims, and ensure vendor obligations are met during defect liability and warranty periods.
Facilitate cross-functional alignment with commercial, legal, and community teams to ensure lease agreements, easements and landowner compensation are established and maintained.
Drive supply chain coordination and long-lead procurement: identify critical path materials, manage procurement timelines and coordinate logistics to avoid schedule slippages.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for program performance, cost tracking and resource planning.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap, particularly for operational telemetry and predictive maintenance.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering and operations requirements for SCADA and analytics platforms.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within digital or asset performance teams to prioritize telemetry and reporting features.
Provide mentoring and technical leadership to junior program coordinators and engineers, supporting professional development and knowledge transfer.
Assist in developing procurement specifications, technical appendices and evaluation matrices for supplier selection.
Engage with insurers and underwriters to support claims, risk assessments and insurance program structuring.
Coordinate with finance for capital expenditure reporting, revenue modeling and project accounting close-out activities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Program and project delivery: advanced scheduling (Primavera P6 / MS Project), cost control and earned value management.
Wind farm engineering knowledge: turbine systems, foundations, electrical balance of plant (EBoP), substations, cabling and SCADA architecture.
Permitting & regulatory compliance: experience with environmental impact assessments, permitting processes, consultations and compliance management (onshore and offshore experience preferred).
Contract management: drafting, negotiating and managing EPC, O&M, supply and service contracts; familiarity with NEC, FIDIC or bespoke EPC contracts.
Technical procurement and supply chain management: long-lead procurement planning, vendor management and logistics coordination.
Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) systems: incident management, safety plans, HAZID/HAZOP familiarity and contractor safety oversight.
Grid connection and transmission integration: interconnection studies, agreements and coordination with utility operators/regulators.
Performance analytics: SCADA data interpretation, power curve analysis, availability and reliability metrics, and predictive maintenance concepts.
Offshore logistics and marine coordination (if applicable): vessel operations, heavy-lift marine planning, port interface and weather planning.
Risk management and mitigation: risk registers, mitigation plans, and experience presenting risk to senior stakeholders/investors.
GIS and site modeling: understanding of geospatial constraints, site layout, and cable routing considerations.
Quality assurance and commissioning protocols: commissioning checklists, FAT/SAT, witness tests and acceptance criteria.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder engagement and communication: able to translate technical detail for non-technical stakeholders, regulators and community members.
Leadership and team coordination: motivates cross-functional teams, holds vendors accountable and drives decisions under pressure.
Strategic thinking and commercial acumen: balances technical choices with commercial impacts and lifecycle cost optimization.
Problem-solving and negotiation: resolves conflicts with contractors, landowners and suppliers to keep programs on track.
Adaptability and resilience: manages shifting priorities, regulatory changes and complex multi-party interfaces.
Attention to detail and quality orientation: ensures compliance and technical accuracy across deliverables.
Presentation and reporting skills: prepares concise executive summaries, board papers and investor updates.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical), Renewable Energy, Environmental Science, Marine Engineering, or related discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Renewable Energy, Project Management, Business Administration (MBA), Environmental Management, or other relevant advanced degree.
Professional certifications such as PMP (Project Management Professional), GWO (Global Wind Organisation), NEBOSH/OSHA, or Chartered Engineer (PE/P.Eng) are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Renewable Energy Engineering
Civil/Structural or Electrical Engineering
Environmental Science / Marine Biology (for offshore roles)
Project Management / Construction Management
Business / Finance (for commercial responsibilities)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5–12 years of progressive experience in wind project development, construction, or operations, with demonstrated increasing responsibility for program delivery.

Preferred:

8+ years with direct experience in utility-scale onshore or offshore wind projects, including permitting, EPC management, grid connection, and operational handover.
Demonstrated experience managing multi-disciplinary teams, large contractor packages, and interfacing with regulators, utilities and community stakeholders.
Track record of delivering projects to schedule and budget and managing complex contractor/commercial disputes or claims.