Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Farm Manager

💰 $90,000 - $160,000 / year

OperationsRenewable EnergyWindAsset Management

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Farm Manager is accountable for the safe, reliable, cost-effective operation and maintenance (O&M) of one or multiple wind farm assets. This role drives asset performance, availability and lifecycle cost optimization through leadership of on-site teams and external contractors, implementation of maintenance strategies (preventive, predictive and corrective), SCADA and condition monitoring oversight, HSE and regulatory compliance, and proactive stakeholder management. The Wind Farm Manager translates technical performance data into operational decisions, owns budget and CAPEX/OPEX forecasting, and ensures the asset meets contractual and commercial targets.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Wind Turbine Technician / Senior Technician
  • Maintenance Supervisor / Site Supervisor (Turbine or Electrical)
  • Field Service Engineer (Wind or Power Generation)

Advancement To:

  • Asset Manager / Portfolio Manager (Wind)
  • Regional Operations Manager / Head of Operations
  • Director of Renewable Asset Management / VP of Operations

Lateral Moves:

  • Project or Construction Manager (Wind Farm Build)
  • Commissioning Manager
  • Performance & Reliability Engineer / Condition Monitoring Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead day-to-day operations and maintenance for the wind farm, ensuring safe execution of all work activities and continuous alignment with corporate safety and environmental policies to maintain high HSE standards.
  • Develop, implement and continuously improve the O&M strategy (preventive, predictive and corrective maintenance) focused on maximizing turbine availability, reducing downtime and optimizing lifecycle cost.
  • Manage, schedule and oversee multi-disciplinary teams and third-party contractors (EPCs, turbine OEMs, electrical contractors), including performance management, safety briefings, work permits and contract compliance.
  • Monitor SCADA, CMS (Condition Monitoring Systems) and supervisory systems to detect underperformance or failure modes, initiate investigations, and direct resolution to restore availability and performance targets.
  • Plan and coordinate planned and unplanned outages, major inspections and turbine overhauls, ensuring resource allocation, detailed scope definition, risk mitigation and minimal production loss.
  • Own the site-level budget and financial performance (OPEX/CAPEX), prepare accurate forecasts, approve invoices, track spend versus plan, and implement cost-control measures without compromising reliability.
  • Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and post-failure reviews for major incidents, producing corrective action plans, lessons learned, and preventative measures to avoid recurrence.
  • Maintain spare parts strategy and inventory management (critical spares, long lead items), implement parts re-ordering processes, and reduce critical downtime caused by missing components.
  • Ensure electrical and mechanical integrity of turbines, substations, transformers and auxiliary systems through scheduled inspections, thermographic surveys, vibration analysis and condition-based maintenance activities.
  • Enforce and continually improve HSE systems, safety culture, emergency response and rescue procedures, including incident reporting, incident investigation and regulatory submissions.
  • Produce and present regular operational reports and KPIs (availability, production vs P50, downtime analysis, MTTR, MTBF, incident statistics) to asset owners, stakeholders and executive teams.
  • Negotiate and manage service contracts (O&M, warranty extensions, spare parts agreements, grid connection support) and ensure contractor SLAs are met, including performance-based metrics and liquidated damages where applicable.
  • Coordinate with grid operators, utilities and interconnection stakeholders to ensure compliance with grid codes, curtailment procedures and reactive power or frequency support requirements.
  • Oversee commissioning activities for new turbines or retrofits, witness acceptance tests, ensure documentation handover, and validate performance against contractual guarantees and acceptance criteria.
  • Implement and manage condition monitoring, predictive analytics and remote diagnostics programs to extend component life, forecast failures and prioritize workscopes based on risk.
  • Ensure all asset documentation, technical drawings, O&M manuals, health and safety files and regulatory permits are accurate, up-to-date and available for audits and inspections.
  • Drive continuous improvement and reliability engineering initiatives (RCM, FMEA, reliability-centered maintenance) to reduce failure frequency and lower levelized cost of energy (LCoE).
  • Manage community, landowner and local stakeholder relationships to maintain social license to operate, resolve site access or noise/visual concerns, and support local content objectives.
  • Lead training, competence development and certification programs for site personnel and contractors (rescue training, HV switching, lockout-tagout, working at heights).
  • Coordinate environmental monitoring and compliance (avian monitoring, habitat protection, site runoff management) and prepare environmental reporting in line with permits and regulatory requirements.
  • Respond and coordinate emergency situations (major equipment failures, fire, severe weather events), mobilizing resources, communicating with stakeholders and executing recovery plans.
  • Collaborate with the central engineering, analytics and asset management teams to implement digitalization, data-driven performance improvements and reporting automation.
  • Validate warranty, insurance and guarantee claims with OEMs and insurers, coordinating evidence collection, failure analysis and claim settlement processes.
  • Drive spare parts obsolescence planning, refurbishment programs and lifecycle replacement projects to manage long-term sustainment costs.

Secondary Functions

  • Support corporate capital projects by providing site-level input for upgrades, repowering, blade retrofits, and electrical system improvements.
  • Participate in tender evaluations, technical due diligence and commercial assessment for new asset acquisitions or service contract renewals.
  • Contribute to long-term asset strategy and lifecycle planning including repowering options, end-of-life considerations and asset valuation inputs.
  • Provide technical support to business development for bid preparation, P50/P90 production estimates and O&M cost modeling.
  • Maintain relationships with local authorities, emergency services and community groups to facilitate permitting, access and emergency coordination.
  • Support IT and cybersecurity efforts related to SCADA/CMS systems, ensuring secure remote access and adherence to corporate IT policies.
  • Aid in procurement processes for specialized equipment, lifting operations and major component replacements, ensuring specification compliance and vendor selection.
  • Mentor junior staff and provide cross-functional knowledge transfer to operations planning, reliability engineering and asset management teams.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proven knowledge of wind turbine systems (rotor, gearbox, generator, pitch and yaw systems), electrical infrastructure (medium/ high voltage), and balance-of-plant equipment.
  • SCADA/CMS systems operation and alarm management experience (e.g., SCADA visualization, data trending, fault codes analysis).
  • Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance techniques (vibration analysis, oil particle monitoring, thermography).
  • Hands-on familiarity with mechanical and electrical maintenance practices, HV switching and safety protocols.
  • Proficiency with Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and ERP systems for work order management and inventory control.
  • Strong understanding of grid codes, curtailment procedures, reactive power and power quality requirements.
  • Experience with contractor and service provider management, including SLA negotiation and performance enforcement.
  • Budgeting, financial forecasting and cost control skills for OPEX and CAPEX management.
  • Knowledge of regulatory permitting, environmental compliance and health & safety legislation applicable to wind farms.
  • Ability to interpret technical drawings, electrical schematics and OEM maintenance manuals.
  • Data analysis skills with MS Excel, KPI dashboards, and familiarity with analytics tools (Power BI, Tableau or Python/R preferred).
  • Experience in root cause analysis methodologies (5-Why, Ishikawa, FMEA) and implementing reliability-centered maintenance.

Soft Skills

  • Strong leadership and people-management skills; proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and manage contractors.
  • Clear, persuasive communication and stakeholder management skills — able to present complex technical information to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Excellent problem-solving and decision-making under pressure, prioritizing safety and production goals.
  • Strong organizational skills, time management and the ability to coordinate multiple concurrent activities.
  • Negotiation and commercial acumen for interacting with suppliers, contractors and landowners.
  • Adaptability and resilience to manage operations in harsh environments and changing regulatory contexts.
  • Coaching and mentoring ability to build technician competence and a safety-first culture.
  • Conflict resolution and mediation skills for workforce and community interactions.
  • Analytical mindset with a focus on continuous improvement and data-driven decision making.
  • Attention to detail and quality orientation toward documentation, compliance and audit readiness.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Renewable Energy, Engineering Management, Business Administration (MBA) or related advanced degree or relevant certifications (NEBOSH, IOSH, OEM training).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical/Electronic Engineering
  • Renewable Energy / Wind Energy Technology
  • Industrial Engineering / Maintenance Engineering
  • Engineering Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12 years in wind farm operations, maintenance or related power generation roles, with progressive responsibility.

Preferred:

  • 8+ years managing wind farm sites or multi-site operations with demonstrable results in availability improvement, cost control and HSE performance.
  • Experience working with OEM service providers, contract management, and financial oversight of O&M budgets.
  • Proven track record with SCADA/CMS, CMMS tools, and reliability engineering methodologies.
Explore More Careers