Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Assistant is an early-career, site-focused role supporting operations, maintenance and commissioning of onshore (and occasionally offshore) wind farms. The role combines field work, remote monitoring (SCADA), administrative coordination and technical data tasks to help ensure safe, efficient and compliant turbine performance. The Wind Assistant works closely with O&M technicians, asset managers, engineers and external contractors to execute work orders, perform inspections, log defects, support troubleshooting and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across wind assets.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Field Technician / Wind Technician Apprentice
Electrical Technician or Mechanical Technician
Recent graduate in Mechanical/Electrical/Renewable Energy engineering

Advancement To:

Senior Wind Technician
O&M Engineer / Commissioning Engineer
Site Supervisor / Shift Lead
Asset Performance Analyst

Lateral Moves:

Health & Safety Advisor (Wind)
Environmental Compliance Specialist
Project Coordinator / Site Logistics Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct routine visual and operational inspections of wind turbines, towers, blades, hubs and associated balance-of-plant equipment, documenting defects and safety hazards in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).
Monitor and respond to SCADA alarms, investigate performance alerts and escalate turbine faults to senior technicians or engineers while maintaining clear incident logs and follow-up actions.
Assist with on-site commissioning, start-up and performance acceptance testing for new turbines and components, including carrying out checklists, assisting technicians with commissioning procedures and verifying sensor outputs.
Perform basic electrical and mechanical fault finding under supervision—assist with isolations, component removal, replacement and reassembly while adhering to electrical safety and lockout/tagout procedures.
Support planned preventive maintenance (PPM) tasks by preparing work packs, gathering tools and parts, assisting technicians during scheduled shutdowns and ensuring timely completion of checklists.
Complete detailed blade inspections (visual, borescopic or rope-access assisted when qualified) and document erosion, leading edge damage, delamination or repairs required; coordinate with blade technicians and contractors for repairs.
Assist in vibration and oil analysis programs by collecting lubricant samples, uploading vibration logs, and coordinating with third-party condition monitoring providers to support predictive maintenance.
Carry out site visits to collect field readings (temperatures, pressures, RPMs), validate SCADA-derived data and reconcile field measurements with the asset performance database.
Support logistics and spare parts management: receive, inventory and track spare parts, prepare kits for planned maintenance, and coordinate transports and crane bookings with logistics partners.
Maintain accurate records for compliance and regulatory reporting including permits, lift plans, inspection reports, environmental monitoring logs and health & safety documentation.
Execute small repairs and adjustments to turbine components (hydraulics, yaw systems, control cabinets) under the supervision of certified technicians, following manufacturer and OEM procedures.
Assist with rope access or drone-based inspections (where certified) to capture high-resolution imagery and deliverable reports for blade health, tower conditions and external equipment.
Aid in root cause analysis of repeated faults by gathering SCADA logs, mechanical records and failure history to support engineers in corrective actions and reliability improvements.
Facilitate safe contractor mobilization and supervision on site—verify permits, ensure contractors follow site-specific HSE rules and support daily briefings and toolbox talks.
Support meteorological and wind resource measurement activities by installing, calibrating and maintaining met masts, LiDARs and anemometers; perform data quality control and basic resource analyses.
Assist in developing and maintaining site-specific emergency response plans, participate in emergency drills and first response where trained.
Prepare routine performance and availability reports for the asset management team, summarizing downtime causes, corrective actions and opportunities to improve energy yield.
Carry out route and access condition surveys, ensuring roads, gates and crane pads are safe and accessible; coordinate remedial works and contractor activity to maintain site operability.
Help implement continuous improvement projects by participating in root cause reviews, identifying efficiency gains in work packs, and supporting small capital improvement installations.
Support remote monitoring activities during night shifts or planned outages as required, providing real-time updates and assisting remote engineers to triage faults.
Assist with routine electrical safety checks, insulation resistance testing and basic PLC/SCADA configuration under supervision, ensuring control systems are up to date and secured.
Conduct noise and environmental monitoring tasks where required to ensure compliance with planning consents and environmental permits.
Maintain high standards of Housekeeping and tool accountability in workshops and service vehicles to support safe, efficient operations.
Support data-driven initiatives by collecting, validating and uploading field data, contributing to datasets used in predictive maintenance models and asset optimization efforts.
Perform administrative duties including updating maintenance records, creating work orders, managing permit-to-work documentation and supporting billing or time capture processes.

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 commercial and procurement teams during tendering by providing technical specifications for consumables and maintenance contracts.
Provide on-call support on a rota basis during outages or severe weather events and participate in incident debriefs to capture lessons learned.
Support community liaison activities during site works by attending local meetings and helping communicate work schedules and safety notices.
Help maintain and update technical drawings, as-built documentation and site configuration records in the document control system.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

SCADA systems operation and alarm management (experience with SCADA vendors or remote monitoring tools).
Basic electrical and mechanical troubleshooting skills relevant to wind turbines and balance-of-plant equipment.
Familiarity with CMMS platforms (e.g., IBM Maximo, Infor EAM, SAP PM) for work order creation and maintenance tracking.
Competence with condition monitoring tools: vibration analysis basics, oil sampling procedures and interpretation workflows.
Experience or exposure to wind resource measurement hardware (met mast, LiDAR) and software tools for QC of anemometry data.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite with advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, conditional formatting) for reporting and data analysis.
Basic scripting or data-query skills (SQL, Python, MATLAB or R) for data extraction, cleansing and simple analytics (preferred).
Knowledge of turbine control systems and basic PLC logic concepts; ability to read electrical one-lines and schematics.
Familiarity with health & safety systems, permit-to-work, LOTO (lockout/tagout), and incident reporting tools.
Experience with inspection technologies: drones (UAV), borescopes, rope access coordination or third-party inspection management.
Understanding of hydraulics, gearboxes, yaw systems and pitch control basics as they apply to turbine maintenance.
Experience using GIS or site mapping tools for asset location and permit mapping (ArcGIS, QGIS).
Practical knowledge of crane operations, lift plans, and logistics planning for turbine component replacement.
Basic knowledge of environmental compliance requirements relevant to wind farms (protected species mitigation, habitat monitoring).
Familiarity with commissioning procedures, acceptance testing and performance verification against contractual KPIs.

Soft Skills

Clear, concise communication skills for coordinating with technicians, engineers, contractors and stakeholders.
Strong observational skills and attention to detail for inspection reporting and data validation.
Problem-solving mindset with the ability to escalate appropriately and document remedial actions.
Time management and organizational skills to prioritize reactive and planned tasks across multiple sites.
Team player attitude with the ability to work under supervision and support cross-functional teams.
Adaptability to variable weather, travel demands and shifting operational priorities.
Customer-focused approach when interacting with landowners, contractors and internal stakeholders.
Proactive learning orientation—eager to develop technical competence and certifications in wind industry disciplines.
Resilience and professionalism in high-pressure situations such as outages or emergency response.
Report writing and documentation skills for clear handovers, debriefs and compliance reporting.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent with vocational training; technical college certification in electrical, mechanical or wind technician disciplines preferred.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Environmental Science or a related technical discipline.
Relevant vocational qualifications such as NVQ/SVQ, City & Guilds or equivalent in electrical/mechanical trades.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical Engineering
Electrical / Electronic Engineering
Renewable Energy / Wind Energy Technology
Environmental Science / Environmental Management
Physics / Applied Physics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

0–3 years of hands-on experience in wind farm operations, field maintenance, or relevant industrial maintenance roles; trainee and graduate entry considered for strong candidates.

Preferred:

1–4 years in wind O&M, field service, or power generation; demonstrated exposure to SCADA, commissioning or maintenance workflows is highly desirable.
Prior experience working at height, confined spaces, or in outdoor field roles with the ability to travel regularly to remote sites.

Certifications & licences often required or strongly preferred:

Working at Heights / Tower Climbing certification
Confined Space Entry
First Aid / Emergency First Responder
CSCS or equivalent site safety card (or local equivalent)
Driving licence (valid for site travel); crane/lift, and UAV/drone certification where applicable