Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Program Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Program Officer is a mid-to-senior level specialist responsible for planning, implementing, and monitoring wind energy programs and projects across onshore and offshore environments. This role drives program delivery by coordinating project teams, managing budgets and grants, ensuring regulatory and environmental compliance, conducting wind resource and technical assessments, and engaging with public, private, and community stakeholders to achieve program goals. The Wind Program Officer combines technical acumen, policy understanding, and strong program management skills to accelerate deployment of safe, environmentally responsible, and economically viable wind projects.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wind Energy Technician or Field Operations Technician
Environmental Specialist, Marine or Terrestrial
Project Coordinator or Junior Renewable Energy Project Manager

Advancement To:

Senior Wind Program Officer / Senior Project Manager
Program Manager, Renewable Energy
Director of Wind Programs or Head of Offshore Wind Development

Lateral Moves:

Policy Analyst (Renewable Energy / Offshore Wind Policy)
Stakeholder & Community Engagement Manager
Permitting & Compliance Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end program management for wind energy initiatives, including scoping, workplan development, schedule management, budget tracking, risk identification, mitigation planning, and delivery of program milestones on time and within budget.
Manage and administer grant and financing instruments related to wind programs, including preparing grant agreements, monitoring utilization, ensuring compliance with funder terms, and producing disbursement reports and audits.
Coordinate interdisciplinary technical teams (resource assessment, engineering, environmental science, permitting, construction, and operations) to integrate technical deliverables and maintain program quality and coherence.
Design and oversee wind resource assessments and site characterization activities, including wind measurement campaigns (met mast, LiDAR), data QA/QC, long-term wind data analysis, energy yield modeling, and interpretation of meteorological and oceanographic datasets.
Lead permitting and regulatory strategy development for onshore and offshore wind projects; prepare and manage submissions to permitting authorities, respond to regulatory inquiries, and ensure alignment with federal, state, and local requirements.
Conduct environmental and ecological impact assessments in collaboration with environmental specialists, ensuring appropriate studies (benthic, avian, marine mammals, habitat) are designed, reviewed, and integrated into mitigation plans and project decisions.
Develop technical and economic feasibility studies, prepare business case analyses, cost-benefit assessments, and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) modeling to inform investment decisions and program prioritization.
Prepare, edit, and review technical reports, environmental impact statements, permit applications, stakeholder briefs, and board-level presentations that clearly communicate complex technical and policy information to non-technical audiences.
Serve as primary liaison with external stakeholders — including regulatory agencies, tribal governments, community groups, port authorities, utilities, developers, and NGOs — to coordinate consultations, resolve issues, and build consensus for project progress.
Manage procurement and consultant engagements: prepare scopes of work, lead competitive procurement processes, evaluate proposals, negotiate contracts, and oversee consultant deliverables and performance.
Implement and manage project health, safety, and environmental (HSE) programs and compliance monitoring, ensuring construction and operations follow industry best practices and regulatory safety standards.
Track program KPIs and performance metrics, design monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and produce periodic program dashboards and executive summaries for stakeholders and funders.
Conduct cost estimation and budget forecasting, monitor expenditures versus baseline budgets, approve cost changes, and recommend corrective actions to maintain financial control of the program.
Lead siting assessments and grid interconnection planning, coordinate with transmission planners and utilities, review grid studies, and support applications for interconnection agreements and grid upgrades.
Support community engagement and socioeconomic planning by developing benefits-sharing frameworks, workforce development plans, local procurement strategies, and public consultation processes to maximize local value and acceptance.
Drive innovation and technology evaluation by tracking emerging wind technologies (floating turbines, advanced blades, digital twins), assessing applicability, and recommending pilots or demonstrations to reduce levelized cost and enhance resilience.
Oversee environmental monitoring and adaptive management during construction and operations, analyze monitoring datasets, and collaborate on mitigation adjustments to minimize impacts to protected species and habitats.
Facilitate technical workshops, stakeholder meetings, and multi-agency working groups to resolve technical disputes, build program alignment, and accelerate regulatory reviews and approvals.
Ensure data governance and quality control for project datasets, maintain centralized data repositories, document metadata and data processing workflows, and support reproducible analyses and reporting.
Lead risk management activities: identify program-level risks (technical, financial, regulatory, environmental), develop contingency plans, maintain a comprehensive risk register, and brief leadership with risk mitigation recommendations.
Provide mentorship and capacity building for junior staff and partner organizations through training, on-the-job coaching, and development of standard operating procedures and best practice guidance.
Coordinate decommissioning and end-of-life planning for wind projects, including cost estimation, environmental remediation planning, regulatory coordination, and stakeholder consultation to ensure responsible project closure.
Prepare and submit funding proposals and program concept notes to secure public grants, philanthropic funding, or concessional finance, aligning technical narratives with funding priorities and demonstrating measurable outcomes.

Secondary Functions

Support ongoing data analysis by extracting, cleaning, and visualizing wind resource, environmental monitoring, and operational datasets to inform project decisions and public reporting.
Contribute to organizational strategy by identifying emerging market and policy trends in wind energy, proposing priority areas, and supporting strategic planning workshops.
Collaborate with finance and legal teams to translate technical requirements into contract language, compliance clauses, and insurance specifications for project agreements.
Participate in agile program planning cycles, sprint planning, and cross-functional stand-ups to ensure timely delivery of program tasks and rapid resolution of blockers.
Assist in internal and external communications by drafting press releases, program updates, web content, and case studies that highlight program achievements and lessons learned.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Wind resource assessment and energy yield modeling (experience with tools such as WindPRO, WAsP, OpenWind, MeteoHub, or similar).
Offshore and onshore wind technical knowledge, including foundations, turbines, electrical systems, balance-of-plant, and floating wind technologies.
Permitting, environmental impact assessment (EIA), and regulatory compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions for wind projects.
Project and program management (PMP or equivalent experience) including scheduling (MS Project, Primavera), budgeting, cost control, and risk management.
Experience managing grants, public finance instruments, and donor-funded programs including reporting, audit readiness, and compliance.
Data analysis and visualization (Python, R, SQL, Excel advanced modeling, GIS tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS).
Grid interconnection and transmission planning knowledge, including interconnection studies and coordination with grid operators.
Contract drafting and procurement management, including development of scopes of work, RFPs, vendor evaluation, and contract negotiation.
Environmental monitoring design and analysis (wildlife/avian, marine mammals, benthic, habitat mapping) and adaptive management approaches.
Technical writing and presentation skills for preparing feasibility studies, technical reports, funding proposals, and board briefings.
Familiarity with HSE standards, construction safety plans, and environmental compliance monitoring frameworks.
Financial modeling for renewable energy projects, including LCOE calculations, cash flow models, and sensitivity analysis.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills with the ability to build consensus among regulators, communities, industry, and internal teams.
Excellent verbal and written communication tailored to technical and non-technical audiences.
Strategic thinking with the ability to translate policy and technical inputs into actionable program plans.
Problem solving and critical thinking under uncertainty, with demonstrated ability to make timely decisions and escalate when appropriate.
Leadership and team management, including supervising consultants and mentoring junior staff.
Negotiation skills to resolve conflicts, secure agreements, and manage competing priorities.
Adaptability and resilience in dynamic regulatory and industry environments.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail for multi-project oversight and compliance tracking.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Environmental Science, Renewable Energy, Oceanography, Project Management, or a closely related technical field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Renewable Energy, Environmental Management, Civil/Marine Engineering, Energy Systems, or Public Policy (energy-focused).
Professional certifications such as PMP, Prince2, or specialized offshore wind training/certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Renewable Energy Engineering
Environmental Science / Ecology
Civil, Mechanical or Marine Engineering
Oceanography / Meteorology / Atmospheric Science
Public Policy or Energy Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–8 years of progressive experience in wind energy, offshore renewables, or related energy infrastructure programs.

Preferred:

5+ years of direct experience managing wind projects or wind-related programs with demonstrable experience in permitting, stakeholder engagement, and technical project delivery.
Experience working with government agencies, funders, or international donors and familiarity with public grant management and compliance processes.
Demonstrated track record of delivering multi-stakeholder projects, managing consultants, and producing high-quality technical deliverables and reports.