Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Program Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Program Specialist is a hands-on program and technical lead responsible for planning, permitting, coordinating and delivering wind energy projects across onshore and offshore portfolios. This role combines regulatory navigation (NEPA/CEQA/BOEM), technical analysis (wind resource assessment, met masts, LIDAR, turbine layout), project and contract management, stakeholder engagement, and cross-functional coordination (environmental, engineering, construction, operations, procurement). The ideal candidate translates complex engineering and regulatory requirements into executable work plans, manages multi-stakeholder approvals, and drives projects from feasibility through commissioning while optimizing schedule, cost, and technical performance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wind Project Coordinator / Renewable Energy Coordinator
Environmental Permitting Specialist (energy projects)
Field Engineer / Wind Resource Analyst

Advancement To:

Senior Wind Program Manager
Offshore/Onshore Project Director
Head of Wind Development / Portfolio Manager

Lateral Moves:

Interconnection & Grid Integration Specialist
Environmental Compliance Manager
Asset Performance & O&M Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end wind program delivery for assigned projects, including feasibility studies, site selection, permitting strategy, engineering scope, procurement coordination, construction oversight and commissioning, ensuring projects meet schedule, budget and performance targets.
Develop and execute permitting plans and regulatory filings (NEPA, EIS, CEQA, local permits, BOEM leases) by preparing technical permit packages, coordinating with consultants, and managing agency consultations to secure approvals on schedule.
Manage stakeholder engagement and community outreach, including organizing public meetings, responding to public and tribal comments, coordinating with fisheries and coastal communities, and maintaining transparent communication to reduce permitting risk and secure social license.
Coordinate interconnection strategy and grid studies with utilities, ISO/RTO, transmission owners and third-party consultants to develop generator interconnection agreements (GIA), queue management, and transmission planning support.
Perform wind resource assessment and energy yield analysis using met mast, LIDAR, SCADA data and industry tools (e.g., WindPRO, WAsP, OpenWind) to size turbines, estimate AEP, and optimize layout to maximize energy capture and minimize wake losses.
Oversee technical due diligence, site characterization and geotechnical surveys (sub-bottom profiling, seabed sampling, soil borings) including managing marine contractors for offshore campaigns and ensuring data quality for foundation and cable design.
Prepare and review engineering deliverables including turbine layout, foundation design criteria, electrical system design, export cable routing, and construction packages to align technical scope with procurement and construction requirements.
Lead procurement and contracting processes for major works (turbines, foundations, balance of plant, cables) including RFP development, bid evaluation, commercial negotiation, and contract management to secure favorable terms and mitigate vendor risk.
Manage project budgets, cost forecasts, and cash flow; drive cost control initiatives and change-order management while maintaining auditable financial records and reporting to senior management and stakeholders.
Implement and maintain project schedules (MS Project, Primavera) with critical path analysis, milestone tracking, and recovery plans; lead cross-functional scheduling reviews to ensure timely delivery of permit conditions and construction activities.
Coordinate environmental compliance and mitigation programs during construction and operations, including monitoring plans, biological and archaeological surveys, turbidity controls, and adaptive management to satisfy permit conditions and ESG targets.
Oversee health, safety and environmental (HSE) programs for site and vessel operations, ensuring contractor compliance with safety plans, incident reporting, permit-required monitoring and regulatory inspections.
Manage data collection and analytics from SCADA, met towers and LIDAR to monitor turbine performance, validate energy models, identify degradation or anomalies, and support long-term O&M strategies and warranty claims.
Prepare high-quality technical reports, environmental assessments, permit applications, grant proposals and board-level summaries that communicate complex technical and regulatory information in clear, actionable formats.
Coordinate construction logistics and mobilization plans including vessel scheduling, harbor coordination, helicopter operations, onshore laydown areas and staging to optimize installation windows and minimize weather delays.
Lead risk identification and mitigation by developing risk registers, contingency plans, insurance requirements, and contractual protections for construction, environmental, and schedule risks.
Establish and maintain GIS databases for site layouts, environmental constraints, cable corridors and lease areas; produce maps and spatial analyses to support routing, permitting and stakeholder discussions.
Support community benefit planning, local hiring strategies, and workforce development initiatives tied to project siting and construction to optimize local economic impact and secure community support.
Drive cross-functional coordination across development, engineering, legal, environmental, commercial and operations teams to align on technical requirements, contractual commitments and regulatory milestones.
Monitor and enforce technical and contractual compliance during commissioning and handover, managing punch lists, performance acceptance tests, and final documentation to transition assets to operations with complete O&M packages.
Advise senior leadership on policy and market developments (RPS, tax credits, BOEM lease auctions, PPA trends) that affect project strategy, site prioritization and commercial opportunities.

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.
Support preparation of grant applications, funding proposals and incentive program submissions relevant to wind projects and offshore wind supply chain growth.
Mentor junior engineers and analysts by providing technical guidance, reviewing deliverables and setting standards for data quality and documentation.
Maintain an up-to-date library of regulatory guidance, coastal zone management rules, environmental precedents and technical standards for rapid reference during regulatory negotiations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Wind resource assessment and energy yield modeling (met mast, LIDAR, WindPRO, WAsP, OpenWind)
Permitting and regulatory compliance: NEPA/EIS, CEQA, BOEM leasing, local coastal and marine permits
Grid interconnection and transmission planning (GIA, ISO/RTO processes)
Project planning and scheduling tools (MS Project, Primavera)
Contracting and procurement for EPC, turbine supply agreements, balance-of-plant and marine services
GIS mapping and spatial analysis (ArcGIS, QGIS)
SCADA data interpretation, performance monitoring and basic scripting for data analysis (Python, R, SQL)
Technical report writing and permit application preparation
Geotechnical and geophysical survey coordination and data interpretation
Construction management and commissioning oversight for onshore/offshore installation
HSE program implementation and contractor safety management
Cost estimation, budgeting and financial reporting for project portfolios
Familiarity with turbine technologies, foundations (monopile, jacket, gravity), and export cable systems
Experience with stakeholder engagement tools and public consultation processes

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication tailored for regulators, technical teams and non-technical stakeholders
Cross-functional leadership and ability to coordinate dispersed, multidisciplinary teams
Negotiation and commercial acumen for contract and vendor management
Problem-solving and analytical thinking under schedule and budget pressure
Political and cultural sensitivity for community and tribal engagements
Adaptability to changing regulatory landscapes and offshore/onshore field conditions
Attention to detail and high standard for documentation and permit compliance
Project prioritization and time management across multiple concurrent workstreams
Coaching and mentorship for junior staff development
Strategic mindset to align project-level decisions with portfolio and corporate objectives

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical), Environmental Science, Oceanography, Geoscience, Renewable Energy, or related technical field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Renewable Energy, Environmental Management, Engineering, Coastal/Marine Science, or MBA for commercial-focused roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical, Civil or Electrical Engineering
Environmental Science / Marine Biology / Oceanography
Geology / Geotechnical Engineering
Energy Systems / Renewable Energy Policy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–8 years of direct experience in wind energy development, offshore wind projects, environmental permitting or related renewable energy programs.

Preferred:

5+ years in wind project development or portfolio management with demonstrated success delivering projects through permitting, procurement, construction and commissioning; experience with BOEM or large-scale transmission interconnection processes is highly desirable.