Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a Wind Coordinator to act as the operational backbone for utility-scale and distributed wind assets. The Wind Coordinator ensures safe, efficient and compliant operations by coordinating O&M activities, monitoring turbine performance via SCADA, scheduling and supervising contractors and technicians, managing permits and access, and serving as the primary on-site and remote liaison between asset owners, grid operators, local regulators and community stakeholders. This role balances technical understanding of wind turbines and electrical infrastructure with strong project coordination, reporting and HSE leadership.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wind Technician / Turbine Technician transitioning into site coordination
Site Administrator or Operations Assistant within renewable energy projects
Junior Commissioning or Project Engineer with field exposure

Advancement To:

Senior Wind Coordinator / Lead Site Coordinator
O&M Manager or Operations Manager (Wind)
Asset Manager or Portfolio Operations Lead

Lateral Moves:

Commissioning Engineer
Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Manager
Scheduling / Resource Planner
Service Contract Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate and schedule daily and weekly O&M activities across the wind farm, including turbine inspections, corrective and preventive maintenance, planned outages, major component replacements (nacelle, gearbox, blades) and integration with contractor availability to minimize downtime and maximize energy production.
Act as the primary SCADA operations point of contact: monitor real-time turbine and substation alarms, analyze performance deviations, coordinate remote troubleshooting with OEM support and escalate incidents to engineering teams and asset managers.
Manage onsite commissioning and acceptance testing activities for new turbines and substations, including FAT/SAT coordination, functional testing, witness testing, documentation of commissioning checklists and handover packages to operations.
Lead contractor management and supervision on site: prepare and review work scopes, evaluate method statements, coordinate daily briefings, enforce contractual SLAs, and conduct post-job quality inspections to ensure compliance with technical standards.
Implement and enforce HSE programs and site-specific safety plans: conduct pre-job briefings (tailgate talks), ensure permit-to-work execution, facilitate incident reporting and investigations, and drive continuous improvement to reduce recordable incidents.
Prepare, maintain and update detailed work packs, job hazard analyses (JHAs), confined space and electrical isolation plans, and ensure technicians and contractors have required certifications, training and PPE prior to work commencement.
Coordinate crane and heavy-lift activities, including lift planning, route surveys, ground preparation, rigging plans, and liaise with lifting engineers to ensure safe and efficient major component replacements.
Manage site access, logistics and traffic planning: coordinate personnel and vehicle access, oversee material handling and storage, control laydown areas, and optimize inbound/outbound logistics for spare parts and consumables.
Oversee spare parts inventory and materials management: log parts usage in CMMS, coordinate replenishment with procurement, manage critical spares strategy and minimize AOG (aircraft on ground style) downtime through proactive stocking decisions.
Maintain regulatory and environmental compliance: manage permits and approvals, coordinate environmental monitoring (avian/bat monitoring, erosion control), and work with regulatory bodies and landowners to ensure ongoing compliance with lease and permit conditions.
Perform rigorous performance analysis and reporting: prepare daily/weekly/monthly production and availability reports, analyze lost production causes, quantify curtailment events, and recommend corrective actions to restore plant performance.
Coordinate grid connection and curtailment actions with the Transmission System Operator or Distribution Network Service Provider; manage reactive power, fault reporting, and compliance with grid code requirements during abnormal conditions.
Facilitate operational readiness and mobilization for seasonal activity peaks: plan resources for winterization, storm response, and planned outage windows to align with revenue optimization strategies.
Maintain accurate and auditable documentation for O&M activities: logbooks, inspection records, commissioning dossiers, contractor timesheets, warranty documentation and regulatory submissions for audit and insurance purposes.
Lead operational risk assessments and mitigation planning: identify single points of failure, perform FMEA-style reviews for critical systems, set contingency plans and own escalation pathways for emergent technical or safety issues.
Coordinate stakeholder communications including landowners, local authorities, community relations teams and emergency services; represent site operations professionally and resolve access, noise, or visual concerns proactively.
Supervise and mentor early-career technicians and subcontractor crews on safe work practices, turbine-specific procedures and site-specific protocols to build a resilient, competent operations workforce.
Manage site budget inputs for O&M activities: track labor hours, contractor spend, spare parts usage, and provide variance reports to asset management to support accurate forecasting and cost-control measures.
Support warranty claims and OEM engagement: prepare failure reports, collate failure mode evidence (vibration, oil analysis, SCADA logs), and coordinate OEM investigations and warranty remediation actions.
Coordinate remote and on-site emergency response including turbine fires, grid faults, severe weather events or security incidents; activate emergency plans, coordinate with emergency responders and manage post-event recovery and reporting.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives by collecting lessons learned from incidents and outages, implementing corrective actions, updating SOPs, and sharing best practices across sites to elevate fleet performance.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc performance analytics and exploratory data analysis by extracting SCADA, meteorological and maintenance data to inform short-term operational decisions and long-term optimization.
Contribute to the organization's operational strategy and roadmap by identifying recurring failure modes, recommending upgrades, and participating in technical reviews with engineering and procurement teams.
Collaborate with procurement and supply chain to expedite critical parts, support competitive tendering for service contracts, and validate technical proposals during contractor selection.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies when working with asset management, digitalization or SCADA improvement projects to define priority operational requirements and acceptance criteria.
Maintain and improve digital systems and CMMS workflows: assist with configuration, ensure correct tagging of assets, and train field teams to increase data quality and reliability.
Coordinate and support scheduled remote and on-site training sessions for technicians and new hires, maintain training records and identify skill gaps for targeted upskilling.
Support environmental monitoring programs, assist with reporting required by permits (noise, wildlife, water) and coordinate mitigation measures where necessary.
Assist in preparing and responding to regulatory audits and insurance inspections, providing supporting documentation and facilitating site visits.
Participate in community engagement activities as required, providing transparent operational updates and addressing local stakeholders’ questions about site performance and planned works.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strong understanding of wind turbine technology (nacelle, gearbox, generator, pitch and yaw systems) and common OEM maintenance practices.
Proficient with SCADA systems and alarm/event log analysis to diagnose faults, calculate lost production and identify root causes.
Experience using CMMS / EAM platforms (e.g., Maximo, SAP PM, Infor EAM) to log work orders, manage maintenance plans and control spare parts.
Knowledge of electrical systems relevant to wind farms: medium voltage switchgear, transformers, protection relays and earthing systems.
Proven competence in lift and crane planning, read-and-approve lift plans, and coordinate heavy lifting activities safely.
Familiarity with regulatory permits, environmental monitoring requirements and grid connection / grid code compliance.
Ability to create and review technical documentation: commissioning dossiers, test reports, inspection checklists, method statements and JHAs.
Practical experience with vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermography or condition monitoring tools is highly desirable.
Strong competency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel for KPI tracking and pivot reports, PowerPoint for stakeholder reports), and experience with Power BI or similar visualization tools preferred.
Solid project coordination skills including schedule management (MS Project or Primavera understanding), resource allocation and budget tracking.
Experience with contractor and vendor management: issuing RFIs, evaluating technical proposals, and enforcing SLAs and KPIs.
Understanding of HSE regulatory frameworks, permit-to-work systems and incident investigation methodologies.

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills for multi-stakeholder coordination, reporting and community engagement.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize competing operational demands under tight deadlines.
Analytical problem-solver who can translate SCADA and operational data into actionable maintenance decisions.
Leadership and people management capability to supervise technicians and contractors while fostering a safety-first culture.
Effective decision-making under pressure during emergency or outage situations.
Strong interpersonal skills for negotiating access, resolving disputes with landowners or vendors and maintaining professional relationships.
Adaptability and resilience in variable weather conditions and remote site working environments.
Attention to detail and high level of accuracy in documentation for compliance and audit readiness.
Time management and planning skills to coordinate multi-disciplinary activities and reduce unnecessary downtime.
Continuous improvement mindset; proactive about suggesting and implementing operational efficiencies.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree or diploma in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Renewable Energy Technology, or related technical discipline; or equivalent trade qualification plus demonstrable field experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical or Electrical) or BSc in Renewable Energy, Project Management certification (PMP or equivalent), or specialized wind energy courses/certifications (e.g., GWO, WTMA, or OEM-specific training).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Renewable Energy Technology
Environmental Science or Environmental Management
Project Management / Construction Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3 to 7 years of progressive experience in wind farm operations, O&M coordination, commissioning, or wind project construction.

Preferred:

5+ years’ experience coordinating utility-scale wind farms, with demonstrated experience in SCADA operations, contractor supervision, HSE program delivery, and grid coordination. Experience with multiple OEM turbine platforms and managing large capital works or major component exchanges is highly advantageous.