Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wind Program Supervisor

🎯 Role Definition

The Wind Program Supervisor leads all operational aspects of a wind farm or portfolio segment, delivering safe, compliant, and cost-effective operations and maintenance (O&M). This role supervises multi-disciplinary field teams and outside contractors, manages outage planning and execution, optimizes turbine availability through condition-based maintenance and SCADA-driven performance analytics, and acts as the primary point of contact for regulatory agencies and community stakeholders. The supervisor enforces health, safety, and environmental (HSE) standards, controls program budgets, and drives continuous improvement initiatives to extend asset life and maximize energy production.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wind Turbine Technician III / Lead Wind Tech
Field Operations Supervisor / O&M Technician Lead
Maintenance Planner / Asset Technician

Advancement To:

Asset Manager / Operations Manager — Wind Portfolio
Senior Manager, O&M Programs
Director of Wind Operations or Plant Director

Lateral Moves:

Project Manager — Turbine Upgrades & Repowering
Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Manager
Technical Sales or Service Delivery Manager (OEMs/SCADA)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead day-to-day operations and maintenance activities across assigned wind assets, ensuring safe, efficient, and compliant delivery of O&M services to maximize availability and energy production.
Supervise, mentor, and schedule multi-disciplinary field crews and subcontractors (mechanical, electrical, blade, civil), establishing clear performance expectations, enforcing SOPs, and conducting regular performance reviews.
Plan, coordinate, and execute planned and unplanned outages, major repairs, and component replacements (gearboxes, generators, blades), including crane logistics, vendor management, and risk mitigation to minimize downtime.
Manage and optimize preventive and predictive maintenance programs using CMMS (e.g., SAP, IBM Maximo), condition monitoring systems, and vibration/thermography analysis to reduce reactive maintenance and lifecycle costs.
Interface with SCADA and turbine OEM portals to continuously monitor turbine health, alarm management, and performance deviations; analyze telemetry and SCADA data to identify root causes and corrective actions.
Develop and maintain comprehensive maintenance plans, budgets, and forecasts; monitor spend vs. budget, approve purchase orders, and work with procurement to ensure timely availability of critical spares.
Implement and enforce robust health, safety, and environmental (HSE) programs—lead toolbox talks, site-specific safety plans, incident investigations, and near-miss reporting to achieve and maintain zero-harm objectives.
Ensure compliance with regulatory, environmental, and permitting requirements (FAA lighting, state and local permits, wildlife mitigation measures, and interconnection agreements); prepare documentation and reports for agencies and stakeholders.
Oversee warranty and vendor claim processes with OEMs and suppliers—document failures, negotiate resolutions, and manage corrective action plans to protect asset value and recovery rights.
Lead root cause analyses (RCA) and continuous improvement projects (RCA reports, corrective/preventive actions, lessons learned) to reduce repeat failures and enhance reliability.
Coordinate with electrical utilities, substation teams, and control room operators to manage grid interactions, curtailments, and power quality issues while ensuring safe isolation procedures for work.
Maintain spare parts inventory strategy and rebuild programs—define critical spares list, manage storage, and optimize logistics to reduce AOG (Aircraft On Ground) style delays for critical repairs.
Drive contractor performance management, including RFP development, contract oversight, KPIs, safety performance metrics, and invoice validation to ensure contractual obligations are met.
Prepare and present regular operational reports and KPIs (availability, AEP, MTTR, MTBF, O&M cost/MW) to senior leadership and asset owners; translate technical metrics into business impact and action plans.
Oversee condition assessment programs for blades, towers, and foundations (visual, UAV inspections, NDT techniques), coordinate repair scopes, and schedule access/rope/crane operations safely and cost-effectively.
Implement lifecycle management strategies and repowering feasibility assessments—evaluate component replacement options, uprates, and performance enhancements to maximize long-term ROI.
Manage emergency response and business continuity planning for events such as severe weather, wildfire threats, or security incidents; lead incident command or liaise with emergency services as needed.
Drive training and competency development programs for technicians (electrical safety, high-voltage procedures, rope access, confined space, crane slinger/signaler), maintain training records and certifications.
Maintain and update technical documentation and SOPs (permit-to-work, lockout/tagout, hazard assessments), ensuring version control and accessibility for field teams and contractors.
Lead stakeholder engagement efforts—coordinate community outreach, landowner relations, and local authority communications to support social license to operate and smooth site access.
Implement and oversee reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) and performance improvement initiatives—use analytics, failure modes, and life cycle cost analysis to prioritize investments.
Ensure environmentally responsible operations including avian and bat mitigation measures, erosion control, waste management, and adherence to conditions in site-specific environmental permits.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and perform exploratory analysis on SCADA and condition-monitoring datasets to inform maintenance strategy and business cases.
Contribute to the organization's wind O&M strategy and capital planning roadmap; provide technical input for budget proposals and project prioritization.
Collaborate with engineering, procurement, and asset management teams to translate field observations into engineering change requests and specification updates.
Participate in cross-functional sprint planning and agile-style improvement projects focused on digitization, CMMS enhancements, and workflow automation.
Assist in preparing technical proposals, grant applications, or tax incentive documentation related to renewable energy production or site upgrades.
Support corporate sustainability and reporting initiatives by delivering audited operational data and inputs for ESG disclosures.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep technical knowledge of wind turbine systems (electrical generators, drivetrains, gearboxes, blades, pitch and yaw systems) and proven experience with O&M best practices.
SCADA and telemetry systems proficiency for remote monitoring, alarm triage, and basic analytics to detect performance and reliability trends.
Experience with CMMS platforms (e.g., SAP, IBM Maximo, Infor EAM) for work planning, scheduling, and inventory management.
Electrical troubleshooting up to medium voltage (MV) distribution, grounding systems, switchgear, and power electronics in a wind plant context.
Predictive maintenance techniques including vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermography, and condition-based monitoring interpretation.
Crane operations planning and logistics experience, including lift studies, heavy-lift coordination, and contractor oversight for major component exchanges.
Familiarity with blade inspection and repair methods (UAV inspections, rope access, composite repairs) and associated safety procedures.
Knowledge of industry safety standards and certifications (OSHA 30, H2S, First Aid, Confined Space Entry, Rescue, IRATA/SPRAT for rope access where applicable).
Contract management skills: drafting SOWs, RFPs, vendor performance KPIs, and managing warranty/claim processes with OEMs.
Data literacy: ability to analyze SCADA, spreadsheets, and basic scripting (Excel advanced functions, Power BI/Tableau visualization, Python/R basics preferred).
Budgeting and cost control experience for O&M spend, CAPEX planning, and vendor invoicing reconciliation.
Regulatory and environmental compliance knowledge including FAA lighting, migratory bird/wildlife mitigation, and local permitting frameworks.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people management: coaching, performance management, conflict resolution, and building high-performing field teams.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management: able to translate technical issues into business impact for senior leadership, landowners, and regulators.
Problem-solving orientation with a structured approach to RCA and continuous improvement; decisive under pressure during outages and emergencies.
Organizational skills and time management to juggle simultaneous projects, shifting priorities, and field schedules.
Collaborative mindset: ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, finance, procurement, and environmental teams.
High attention to detail for safety-critical documentation, permit compliance, and warranty claim substantiation.
Adaptability and resilience in remote-site and weather-dependent operations, remaining calm and solution-focused during disruptions.
Coaching and training aptitude to develop technician competency and succession planning for critical roles.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Industrial Technology, or related technical discipline; or equivalent technical training plus substantial field experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical/Electrical), Renewable Energy, Energy Systems, or MBA for candidates focused on asset/portfolio management.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Renewable Energy / Wind Energy Technology
Industrial Maintenance / Mechatronics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12+ years in wind farm operations, maintenance, or related heavy industrial maintenance roles.

Preferred:

8+ years of direct wind O&M experience with 2–5 years in a supervisory or lead role.
Demonstrated experience managing multi-million-dollar O&M budgets, outage programs, and contractor portfolios.
Prior experience working with turbine OEMs, SCADA providers, and third-party service vendors in a utility-scale wind environment.
Proven track record of implementing reliability and safety programs that materially improved asset availability and reduced costs.