Site Suitability Engineer

RWE Clean Energy, LLC
To start as soon as possible, full time, permanent

Functional area: Engineering
Remuneration: Exempt

The Site Suitability Engineer is a key technical interface to the OEM landscape and their new wind turbine developments. The team provides a holistic technical assessment to enable the business to select the most competitive turbine technologies and perform site suitability studies for our development projects. To strengthen the team, we are looking for a Site Suitability Engineer to support our onshore wind projects.

Role Responsibilities: 

• Perform site suitability and lifetime assessments, including load, fatigue, and Wind Sector Management (WSM). The role will include management of all site suitability-related tasks for projects in all stages of development
• Serve as a focal point of contact and coordinate on behalf of the Site Assessment & Suitability team the delivery of all work package specific tasks with the relevant internal stakeholders (Project Development, Engineering, Onshore Wind Technology Solutions) and the external stakeholders (OEMs, certification bodies, consultants etc.) including management of specific and special issues and consulting reviews of projects
• Conduct, review, and defend an independent assessment of site conditions for each project site (such as wind classification, turbulence, extremes, etc.). Take into consideration all project requirements and timelines, especially with regard to the suitability of using competitive wind turbine technology to maximize yield and minimize the cost of energy
• Participate in the pre-selection of wind turbines suitable for the site and establish a wind turbine short list
• Support coordination and provision of the necessary inputs to WTG OEMs, so that they can deliver the Site Suitability Report (SSR) / Mechanical Load Analysis (MLA) on time and of high quality
• Assess received SSRs/MLAs from OEMs
• Perform terrain and measurement sector assessments for power performance tests, and review 3rd party testing entity reports and conclusions
• Perform site visits, typically but not limited to WTG turbine micrositing, along with relevant stakeholders
• Collect information from operating sites with site suitability issues
• Identification and exchange of "Best Practice" and "Lessons Learned" beyond the project boundaries, as well as elaboration and coordination of the implementation of suggestions for improvement
• Application and (further) development of relevant in-house standards, tools, techniques, and processes within the area of responsibility
• Peer review of complex tasks and mentoring of colleagues with less experience

Job Requirements and Experiences:

• Minimum a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline (or comparable) required
• Comprehensive specialist knowledge and a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in site suitability assessment, preferably from working for a turbine OEM, are required 
• Experience in working within international project development organizations
• Good knowledge of wind yield assessment, wind turbine concepts, wind turbine loads, CFD software, Wasp, WindPRO, and Windographer
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English are required
• Programming skills (e.g., Python) are desirable
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to maintain confidentiality
• Willingness to travel based on tasks, both nationally and internationally (expected travel time in general <25%)
• Extensive knowledge of international rules and regulations applicable to wind turbines, such as the IEC61400 series, DNV GL standards, etc.
• Excellent proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Teams
• Strong leadership, team orientation, communication, and the ability to meet deadlines
• Motivated self-starter, decision-making, goal-oriented, and strong problem-solving abilities while working independently
• Proven ability to empathize, build relationships, and effectively communicate with people from a diverse set of backgrounds
• Is detail-oriented, has strong business acumen, and a sound understanding of business concepts

Work Environment:

This position is an office-based role with some travel and visits to other RWECE offices and field locations.  The employee must be able to sit, walk, or stand for long durations of time.

Pay range: The annual base salary range for this position in Illinois is $100,000 - $130,000. The listed salary range represents our good faith estimate for this position and represents the range for new hire salaries across all U.S locations. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. RWE considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s education & work experience, training & certifications, and key skills as well as market and business considerations at the time of the offer.

Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays. Eligible employees also participate in short-term incentives, in addition to salary.

Apply with just a few clicks: ad code 90028
Any questions? Contact rwece_recruiting@rwe.com

We look forward to meeting you. Of course, you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Xing, too.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

RWE Clean Energy is one of the biggest names in the US renewables industry – and No.2 in solar. With a 1,500-strong team, the business has over 15 years’ experience of developing, constructing and operating renewable energy facilities, and ambitious plans for the future.

As part of the RWE Group’s Growing Green strategy to expand globally its green portfolio to more than 65 GW of installed capacity and to invest globally more than EUR 55 billion gross by 2030, RWE Clean Energy is determined to significantly increase its operating asset base in the U.S. This is backed by a project pipeline of more than 24 GW in onshore wind, solar and battery storage which provides for one of the largest development platforms in the United States.

Every project brings constantly-evolving technical, practical and social challenges – and drives a culture where everybody thrives, has fun and feels excited by each day. Our financial stability also means you’ll have the freedom to act with conviction and courage as we pivot to new technologies – and continuously improve, together.