Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Turbine Program Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Turbine Program Analyst is a specialized program management and technical-analysis role focused on maximizing the performance, reliability, and lifecycle value of onshore and offshore wind assets. This position brings together wind‑farm operations knowledge, data analytics (SCADA and condition monitoring), contract and budget management, and cross‑functional coordination to support O&M, performance improvement initiatives, regulatory compliance, and strategic asset planning.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wind Operations Analyst or SCADA Engineer with hands-on farm experience.
Reliability Analyst, Condition Monitoring Technician, or O&M Coordinator.
Project Controls Analyst or Energy Data Analyst with renewable sector exposure.

Advancement To:

Senior Program Manager, Asset Performance Manager, or Fleet Reliability Lead.
Director of O&M, Head of Asset Management, or Renewable Portfolio Operations Lead.
Technical Program Manager for multi-site or regional wind portfolios.

Lateral Moves:

Wind Project Development Analyst (permitting, community & siting).
Technical Commercial Analyst (PPA and performance guarantees).
Grid Integration or Power Markets Analyst.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end program management for assigned wind turbine fleets, including multi-site O&M contracts, vendor performance, outage planning, and budget control to ensure equipment availability and contractual KPI achievement.
Analyze SCADA, condition monitoring, and asset health data to identify underperformance drivers, quantify energy losses, and recommend corrective actions that optimize Availability and Capacity Factor.
Develop, maintain and present monthly and quarterly performance dashboards and executive-level reports that translate complex technical data into business-impact metrics and action plans.
Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders (operations, reliability, procurement, legal, and finance) to scope, prioritize, and execute reliability improvement projects, ensuring alignment with safety, schedule, and cost constraints.
Manage service-provider and vendor contracts for O&M, major component repairs, and inspections, including work order governance, SLA monitoring, performance audits, change orders, and dispute resolution.
Prepare and maintain detailed program schedules, cost forecasts, and earned value analyses to track progress against baseline plans and drive corrective actions when variances occur.
Lead root cause investigations and failure analyses on turbine components (gearboxes, generators, blades, and controllers), coordinating technical experts, test plans, warranty claims, and improvement recommendations.
Drive lifecycle planning and asset sustainment strategies including spare parts optimization, refurbishment programs, and capital expenditure prioritization to minimize unplanned downtime and reduce total cost of ownership.
Execute and support turbine performance testing, wake-loss studies, and energy yield verification activities to validate production baselines and inform contractual settlements.
Implement and refine predictive maintenance frameworks using analytics-driven condition indicators, alarm tuning, and machine-learning models in collaboration with data science and reliability teams.
Ensure regulatory and environmental compliance (local permitting, noise, bird/bat monitoring protocols) by managing reporting, inspections, and mitigation actions in coordination with environmental specialists.
Support procurement of specialized services, technical equipment, and spare parts by preparing technical specifications, evaluating bids, and conducting technical vendor assessments.
Maintain detailed technical documentation and change logs for turbine configurations, firmware updates, and site modifications, ensuring traceability for audits and warranty claims.
Design and coordinate planned outage windows and major component replacements to minimize production impact, harmonize crew scheduling, and control logistics for heavy lifts and mobilizations.
Support warranty recovery efforts by compiling evidence, coordinating third-party inspections, and liaising with OEMs to expedite repairs, replacements, or financial settlements.
Translate operational needs into engineering requirements for retrofits, reliability upgrades, and control system modifications, and manage those projects through feasibility, design, and implementation phases.
Facilitate HSE and GWO-compliance reviews for field teams, ensuring work plans meet safety and regulatory standards and integrating lessons learned into future operations.
Conduct financial analysis of lifecycle scenarios, scenario modeling for component replacement vs. repair, and ROI calculations for reliability investments and performance improvement projects.
Manage stakeholder communications with landowners, local authorities, and community representatives during planned outages, emergency events, or performance disputes to maintain positive relationships and mitigate reputational risk.
Develop continuous improvement initiatives (process optimization, predictive analytics, spare-parts rationalization) and lead pilots to scale successful approaches fleet-wide.
Support integration of new turbines or acquisitions into portfolio operations by performing due diligence, baseline performance assessments, and integration planning across systems and teams.
Coordinate emergency response and escalation protocols for site incidents, performance excursions, or supply-chain disruptions, ensuring timely triage and restoration of service.
Drive standardization of maintenance procedures and best practices across sites to realize economies of scale, reduce variability in performance, and ease contractor onboarding.
Mentor junior analysts and field staff on data interpretation, program delivery processes, and cross-functional communication to build internal capability and resilience.

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.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proven proficiency with SCADA systems and turbine telemetry interpretation (e.g., ability to work with raw SCADA streams, alarm logs, and supervisory control datasets).
Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, VBA or macros, and financial modeling for O&M forecasting and scenario analysis.
Experience with data analysis and scripting languages (Python, R) for time-series analysis, anomaly detection, and model automation.
Dashboarding and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker) for KPI visualization, performance tracking, and executive reporting.
Familiarity with condition monitoring platforms and vibration analysis techniques, including data interpretation from accelerometers and oil analysis trends.
Knowledge of wind turbine components and systems (nacelle systems, drivetrain, pitch system, electrical generators, power converters).
Contract and supplier management experience, including drafting SOWs, evaluating proposals, issuing PO changes, and monitoring SLA compliance.
Project scheduling and controls tools (MS Project, Primavera, or equivalent) for outage and capital project management.
Experience with asset management systems and maintenance management software (CMMS/MRO tools such as IBM Maximo, SAP PM, or equivalent).
Strong understanding of industry standards and regulations (IEC 61400 series familiarity, environmental permitting, and local grid interconnection rules).
Competence in reliability engineering concepts (MTBF/MTTR, RCM, FMEA) and techniques for improving fleet uptime.
GIS proficiency and basic spatial analysis for turbine siting, access logistics, and wake-loss planning (desirable).
Familiarity with health, safety, and environmental protocols for wind sites; GWO certifications or equivalent are advantageous.
Experience preparing and managing warranty claims, technical service requests, and OEM engagements.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder management: able to build trust with operations crews, vendors, senior leadership, and external partners.
Excellent written and verbal communication with the ability to translate technical detail into business impact for non-technical audiences.
Analytical mindset and problem-solving discipline with attention to data quality, assumptions, and reproducibility.
Organizational skills to balance multiple sites, competing priorities, and tight outage windows without sacrificing safety or compliance.
Negotiation and conflict-resolution skills for contractor performance issues and commercial settlements.
Initiative and continuous-improvement orientation, comfortable designing pilots and scaling process improvements.
Collaborative team player who can lead cross-functional initiatives and influence without direct authority.
Adaptability to changing site conditions, emergency responses, and evolving regulatory or contractual requirements.
Coaching and mentoring capability to upskill junior team members and embed best practices.
Customer-centric focus to maintain productive relationships with landowners, lenders, and power buyers.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Data Science, Environmental Science, Business, or a related technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Engineering, Energy Systems, Data Analytics, or an MBA with a renewable-energy focus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
Renewable Energy / Wind Energy Technology
Data Science, Statistics, or Applied Mathematics
Environmental Science or Sustainability
Business Administration, Finance, or Project Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3 to 7 years of relevant experience in wind energy, turbine operations, reliability engineering, or O&M program management.

Preferred:

5+ years of hands-on experience with wind farm operations, SCADA analytics, contract management, and cross-functional program delivery in the renewable sector.
Prior exposure to offshore or multi-region fleet operations and experience interacting with OEMs and major service providers.

Keywords: wind turbine program analyst, wind energy, wind farm operations, SCADA analysis, condition monitoring, asset management, O&M, reliability engineering, vendor management, outage planning, performance optimization.