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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Program Coordinator

💰 $ - $

renewable-energywindprogram-management

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Program Coordinator is a hands-on program delivery specialist who coordinates cross-functional teams to advance wind energy projects from development through construction and into operations. This role is accountable for scheduling, permitting, contract and vendor coordination, stakeholder engagement, data management, health & safety compliance, and budget monitoring to ensure wind projects meet scope, cost and timeline targets. The ideal Wind Program Coordinator has proven experience in wind energy projects (onshore or offshore), strong communication and reporting skills, and the ability to manage multiple technical workstreams simultaneously.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Project Coordinator (construction or renewables)
  • Environmental/Permitting Specialist
  • Wind Technician or Field Operations Technician

Advancement To:

  • Senior Wind Program Coordinator
  • Wind Project Manager / Development Manager
  • Asset Manager (Wind Portfolio)

Lateral Moves:

  • Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Manager
  • Construction Manager (EPC)
  • Permitting & Compliance Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Coordinate program-level schedules for multiple wind projects, develop and maintain integrated master schedules, and proactively identify and mitigate critical path risks to keep onshore and offshore wind projects on track.
  • Serve as the central point of contact for cross-functional teams (development, engineering, procurement, construction, O&M, environmental, and finance) to ensure task handoffs, decisions, and documentation are executed in a timely manner.
  • Manage permitting and regulatory compliance workflows, prepare and track permit applications, coordinate with regulatory agencies and consultants, and ensure deliverables meet local, state/provincial, and federal environmental and land-use requirements.
  • Oversee contractor and vendor coordination: develop scopes of work, support bid evaluation, manage contractual deliverables, track performance, and administer change requests or claims in partnership with legal and procurement.
  • Lead stakeholder engagement and community relations at the program level — schedule and facilitate meetings with landowners, municipalities, Indigenous groups, and other stakeholders; document outcomes and ensure commitments are implemented.
  • Maintain program budgets and cost tracking: prepare monthly burn reports, reconcile forecasts, highlight variances, and work with finance to refine budget allocations and funding requests.
  • Coordinate health, safety, security, and environmental (HSSE) compliance across project sites; ensure contractors implement site safety plans, support incident reporting and corrective actions, and participate in safety audits and toolbox talks.
  • Manage logistics and field mobilization for construction and commissioning activities, including equipment delivery schedules, site access coordination, laydown area planning, and inter-team communications to minimize delays.
  • Support technical asset handover and commissioning processes by coordinating pre-commissioning checklists, acceptance tests, commissioning documentation, and operator training to enable smooth transition to operations.
  • Collect, curate, and validate technical data (site surveys, met mast / lidar outputs, geotechnical reports, O&M logs) to support engineering decisions, loss-of-production analyses, and long-term asset performance tracking.
  • Track environmental monitoring programs (avian, bat, noise, habitat) and ensure data collection protocols and mitigation measures are implemented according to permit conditions and regulatory commitments.
  • Coordinate interconnection and grid integration activities with utilities and transmission owners: manage application timelines, technical studies, site readiness requirements, and construction coordination to avoid bottlenecks.
  • Prepare and deliver regular program reporting packages for senior leadership and stakeholders that summarize schedule status, cost-to-complete, risk registers, outstanding actions, and key milestones using consistent KPIs.
  • Maintain and improve program management systems (project management information system, document controls, and repositories) to ensure version-controlled documentation and easy retrieval for audits and due diligence.
  • Support risk management processes by maintaining and updating the program risk register, facilitating risk workshops, ensuring mitigation actions are assigned, and escalating high-priority risks to leadership.
  • Facilitate procurement planning for major long-lead items (turbines, blades, transformers, foundations) by tracking lead times, delivery windows, customs/transport permits, and vendor coordination for staged deliveries.
  • Coordinate quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) activities across engineering and construction: track inspections, non-conformance reports, corrective actions, and final acceptance documentation.
  • Support community benefit, local content, and workforce development commitments by coordinating reporting, subcontractor selection criteria, and local hiring initiatives in alignment with project agreements.
  • Liaise with insurance brokers and claims adjusters to coordinate insurance notifications, loss prevention measures, and remediation plans for site incidents, weather damage, or equipment failures.
  • Facilitate continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned, updating playbooks and SOPs for development, construction and O&M phases, and implementing process improvements to accelerate future project delivery.
  • Coordinate environmental and archaeological surveys, utility locates, and right-of-way acquisitions, ensuring paperwork is complete and legal covenants are tracked through to closure.
  • Support monitoring and optimization initiatives by coordinating with turbine OEMs, SCADA engineers, and O&M teams to implement condition monitoring, predictive maintenance strategies, and performance improvement projects.
  • Provide ad-hoc analytical support to senior program managers: build simple financial models, schedule impact analyses, and decision support materials for board and investor briefings.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Assist in preparing RFPs and evaluating vendor proposals for specialized services like environmental assessments or geotechnical investigations.
  • Maintain a living register of statutory approvals and conditional requirements, ensuring post-permit compliance activities are scheduled and tracked.
  • Assist with onboarding and mentoring junior coordinators, interns, and contractors to accelerate team capability and project throughput.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Program and project management: proficiency coordinating schedules, budgets, and cross-functional workstreams across multiple wind projects.
  • Familiarity with wind energy development lifecycle (site selection, permitting, procurement, construction, commissioning, O&M).
  • Regulatory and permitting knowledge: experience preparing or managing environmental impact assessments, permit applications, and regulatory public processes.
  • Contract and vendor management: experience administering contracts, scopes, change orders, and performance monitoring.
  • Data management and reporting: strong Excel skills, experience with project management tools (e.g., Primavera P6, MS Project, Smartsheet, Asana) and document control systems.
  • Technical understanding of wind components and systems: turbines, blades, foundations, substations, transformers, and SCADA fundamentals.
  • Health, safety and environmental (HSSE) competency: understanding of site safety plans, incident investigation, and mitigation measures.
  • Basic GIS skills and comfort interpreting maps, surveys, and spatial constraints related to wind farm siting.
  • Budgeting and cost control: familiarity with financial tracking, cost-to-complete analysis, and forecasting.
  • Interconnection and grid integration processes: familiarity with transmission studies, queue processes, and commercial interconnection agreements.
  • Quality assurance processes: experience tracking inspections, punchlists, non-conformances, and closeouts.
  • Familiarity with construction logistics, mobilization planning, and heavy lift and transport constraints for wind components.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent verbal and written communication tailored for technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills with landowners, regulators, community groups, and vendors.
  • Organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple parallel workstreams with competing deadlines.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to escalate appropriately and recommend pragmatic mitigation strategies.
  • Leadership and team facilitation: able to lead meetings, drive decisions, and keep dispersed teams accountable.
  • Adaptability and resilience in dynamic field environments and changing regulatory landscapes.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to focus on high-impact activities and deliverables.
  • Cultural sensitivity and experience working with Indigenous communities or diverse local stakeholders.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Environmental Science, Project Management, Renewable Energy, Geoscience, Business, or a related technical field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Energy Management, Engineering, Environmental Policy, or MBA is advantageous for senior coordination roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Renewable Energy Engineering
  • Civil / Mechanical / Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Science / Ecology
  • Project Management / Construction Management
  • Geosciences / Geotechnical Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive experience in wind energy, renewable energy development, construction coordination, or closely related infrastructure projects.

Preferred: 5+ years specifically in wind farm development or O&M, demonstrable experience with permitting/regulatory processes, contract administration, and multi-stakeholder coordination.

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