Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Program Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Program Analyst is a subject-matter contributor and program delivery specialist who supports wind energy project development, permitting, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder engagement across onshore and offshore portfolios. This role synthesizes wind resource and grid integration analyses, prepares technical reports and regulatory submittals, coordinates cross-functional project teams, tracks policy and regulatory changes (BOEM/NEPA/FERC/state agencies), and monitors project budgets and performance metrics to accelerate safe, compliant, and bankable wind deployments. The ideal candidate combines technical fluency (resource assessment, GIS, energy modeling), strong program-management discipline, and pragmatic communication skills for internal teams and external stakeholders.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Energy Analyst / Renewable Energy Analyst
Environmental Specialist or Environmental Planner (NEPA/permit experience)
Policy Analyst or Regulatory Affairs Coordinator (energy sector)

Advancement To:

Senior Wind Program Analyst / Lead Project Analyst
Wind Project Manager / Development Manager
Director of Renewable Energy Programs / Head of Wind Development

Lateral Moves:

Grid Integration Analyst / Transmission Planner
Permitting & Compliance Specialist
Supply Chain & Procurement Analyst (renewables)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead and perform wind resource assessments and energy production estimates using industry-standard tools (e.g., NREL SAM, OpenWind, WindPRO), including analysis of wind speed data, turbine power curves, wake losses, and site-specific adjustments to forecast annual energy production (AEP).
Prepare and review technical reports, feasibility studies, and engineering memoranda that document resource assessment methods, assumptions, and results for internal stakeholders, investors, and regulatory filings.
Manage and coordinate environmental permitting and compliance activities for wind projects, including NEPA/State EAs, ESA consultations, avian and bat risk assessments, and coordination with federal and state agencies (BOEM, FERC, USFWS, state environmental agencies).
Lead siting and land/lease due diligence: analyze lease/license conditions, landowner agreements, easements, geotechnical constraints, and permit conditions that impact project timing and costs.
Develop and maintain project schedules, budgets, and risk registers; track milestones across cross-functional teams (development, engineering, environment, legal, finance) and report program status to executives and stakeholders.
Conduct grid interconnection and transmission impact assessments, coordinate with utilities and Independent System Operators (ISOs/RTOs), and support studies related to point-of-interconnection, transmission upgrades, and congestion impacts.
Support power market analysis and commercial structuring: model revenue scenarios, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), PPA structures, hedging strategies, and sensitivity cases to inform commercial decision-making.
Prepare regulatory filings, permit applications, technical appendices, and compliance documentation; ensure submissions meet agency standards and are defensible under technical and legal scrutiny.
Lead stakeholder and community engagement activities, including public meetings, outreach materials, issue tracking, and incorporation of community feedback into project design and mitigation strategies.
Perform procurement support: prepare technical scopes of work, evaluate vendor/contractor proposals, and participate in RFPs for site surveys, geotechnical investigations, environmental studies, and engineering services.
Oversee site characterization activities: coordinate meteorological mast or met-tower programs, LiDAR deployments, bathymetry and geophysical surveys (offshore), and review survey deliverables for quality and commercial acceptability.
Provide technical input to maritime, aviation, and navigation studies (FAA, USCG) and industry-specific assessments required for offshore wind leasing and coastal permitting.
Maintain and curate geospatial datasets and GIS layers for project siting, constraints mapping, environmental resources, and stakeholder footprints; produce maps and spatial analyses for internal and external use.
Lead data analysis and QA/QC processes for measurement data (anemometer/LiDAR), SCADA, and met/hub-height time series to ensure robust resource estimates and model inputs.
Coordinate with legal and commercial teams to support contract negotiation, including site control agreements, leases, interconnection agreements, and procurement contracts with clear technical requirements and deliverables.
Monitor federal, state, and local policy and regulatory developments that affect wind project economics and permitting pathways; produce policy briefs and impacts assessments for leadership.
Design and implement monitoring plans and compliance tracking systems that capture environmental mitigation measures, conditions of approval, and ongoing permit conditions throughout construction and operations.
Support finance and development teams by delivering technical risk assessments and documentation required for due diligence, investor materials, and project financing/grant applications.
Develop and maintain program-level KPIs, dashboards, and performance metrics to evaluate progress against targets for capacity in development, permit approvals, construction readiness, and cost drivers.
Coordinate cross-disciplinary teams to translate engineering and environmental requirements into actionable construction-ready packages and provide ongoing construction support where required.
Advise on turbine layout optimization and balance-of-plant design trade-offs that influence energy yield, grid connection costs, environmental impacts, and overall project economics.
Conduct cumulative impact analyses and coordinate multi-project planning to reduce environmental footprint and optimize regional deployment strategies for wind energy.
Prepare and deliver executive summaries, technical presentations, and decision-support materials for investment committees, permitting agencies, and community stakeholders.
Support post-construction performance verification activities, including as-built data reconciliation, power curve verification, and lessons-learned compilations to refine future development practices.
Manage grant and incentive program applications and reporting (state/federal) to secure financial support for feasibility studies, permitting, and early-stage development costs.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for development and operations teams, including SCADA, resource, and financial datasets.
Contribute to the organization's program-level data strategy and roadmap, ensuring consistent data standards and version control across projects.
Collaborate with business units to translate technical wind resource and regulatory needs into procurement and engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies where the organization uses agile methods for program delivery; track sprint outcomes and action items.
Act as a subject expert during internal audits, compliance reviews, and third-party technical due diligence engagements.
Mentor junior analysts, provide technical training on wind resource and permitting topics, and help scale best practices across the development team.
Maintain up-to-date knowledgebase and templates (permit checklists, study scopes, RFP boilerplates, GIS templates) to streamline recurring activities and accelerate project timelines.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Wind resource assessment and energy production modeling (NREL SAM, WindPRO, OpenWind, WindFarmer).
Geospatial analysis and mapping with ArcGIS, QGIS, and experience managing large GIS datasets.
Data analysis and scripting (Python, R, pandas) for time-series processing, power curve analysis, and automated reporting.
Advanced spreadsheet modeling and financial analysis (Excel, VBA) for LCOE calculations, PPA modeling, and sensitivity analysis.
Familiarity with met-mast and LiDAR data processing, SCADA data QA/QC, and statistical methods for extrapolation and bias correction.
Knowledge of environmental permitting frameworks (NEPA, ESA, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, state permitting) and experience preparing permit applications and technical appendices.
Understanding of grid interconnection processes, transmission studies, queue management, and coordination with ISOs/RTOs and utilities.
Experience with offshore-specific technical requirements when applicable: BOEM leasing, geotechnical and geophysical surveys, cable routing, and marine coordination.
Experience producing technical reports, regulatory submittals, and defensible documentation for investors, lenders, and permitting authorities.
Project management tools and methodologies (MS Project, Primavera, Jira/Confluence) and ability to maintain schedules and risk registers.
Contract development and procurement experience: drafting scopes of work, evaluating bids, and managing consultant/contractor performance.
Familiarity with environmental monitoring technologies and compliance tracking systems.

Soft Skills

Clear, persuasive written communication for technical reports, regulatory submissions, and community-facing materials.
Strong stakeholder management and facilitation skills to navigate agency reviews, landowners, and local communities.
Analytical problem solving with attention to detail and the ability to translate complex technical findings into actionable decisions.
Cross-functional collaboration skills to coordinate engineering, environmental, legal, and commercial teams.
Time and priority management; ability to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines.
Presentation and public speaking skills for community meetings, permitting hearings, and executive briefings.
Negotiation and commercial awareness when supporting contract and PPA negotiations.
Adaptability and resilience working in a fast-moving regulatory and market environment.
Ethical judgment and commitment to safety and environmental stewardship.
Mentoring and team development aptitude to scale program capabilities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Civil/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Atmospheric Science, Geography (GIS), or a closely related technical field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Renewable Energy, Environmental Policy, Engineering, Energy Systems, Applied Meteorology, or similar advanced technical degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wind Energy / Renewable Energy Engineering
Environmental Science / Natural Resources / Ecology
Atmospheric Science / Meteorology
Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering
Geospatial Science / Geography / GIS
Economics / Energy Policy / Environmental Policy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–8 years of relevant experience in wind energy, renewable energy development, environmental permitting, or energy program analysis.

Preferred:

5+ years of direct experience in wind project development (onshore or offshore), permitting and environmental compliance, or energy program management; demonstrated track record of delivering permit applications, resource assessments, or interconnection studies for utility-scale wind projects.