June 9, 2021 David Wagman

Leeward Renewable Energy named Willem van der Ven as its COO. He reports to Jason Allen, CEO, and assumes leadership of field and energy services, asset management, EHS, fleet procurement, operational engineering, control center, and data analytics. Van der Ven has worked in the energy business for more than 25 years, with 18 years of experience in renewables. He most recently served as VP, power operations for Enbridge and also held senior leadership roles at Atlantic Power Corp., KR Wind Inc., and Suzlon Energy Corp.

Quest Renewables said that Danny Kraft joined the company as director of customer development. He earlier spent four years at a solar start-up business where he supported product development, sales and marketing, project and construction management, and operations. Kraft earlier worked for the corporate offices of Best Buy and Target. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Psychology from St. Cloud State University and has a Photovoltaic Associate Certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners.

Maxeon Solar Technologies appointed Steve Leonard as an independent non-executive director to its board of directors. Leonard has more than 30 years of private and public sector experience in the technology industry in Asia and Europe. He currently serves as CEO of Singularity University, and also serves as an independent non-executive director at Singapore Post Ltd., an e-commerce logistics and services provider, and AsiaSat, a privately held Hong Kong-based satellite operator.

Leyline Renewable Capital named Jay Modi as chief financial officer, responsible for maintaining Leyline’s financial health by optimizing financial processes and providing strategic management of accounting, corporate finance, investor relations, asset management, human resources, and IT functions. Modi has more than 15 years of corporate finance experience, including 12 years in the renewable energy industry.

Utility NiSource named Melanie Berman as senior VP and chief human resources officer and Carlos Ayala as VP and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. Berman most recently led HR at The Michaels Companies where she was executive VP and chief human resources officer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York and a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from Baruch College. Ayala joins NiSource from Honeywell where he served as global director, inclusion and diversity. He holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and history from Davis Elkins College.

Sponsored–Solar Development and Asset Manager (Seattle, Washington)

The  Solar Development and Asset Manager will manage the operations and development of utility scale renewable energy projects. The ideal candidate will have a Civil Engineering or Construction Management background and strong experience negotiating and managing EPC Contracts, Supply Agreements, and O&M Agreements.

Responsibilities

• Strong involvement in pre-construction design, engineering and procurement processes of company’s solar, wind, and battery storage projects including rendering of RFPs and scope descriptions, contract review, negotiation and management.
• Responsible for managing operating portfolio asset operations, including contractor management, contractor negotiations, project performance analysis, troubleshooting issues, and overseeing repair work.
• Provide technical support for project development, including resource analysis, involvement in preparing permitting and interconnection applications, and PPA negotiation.
• Provide technical support and assist in due diligence of potential acquisitions of operating or under-development renewable project assets.
• Promote incident and injury free workplace through strict adherence to company health and safety program.
  Provides supporting interface with local and community officials and authorities.
• Maintains strict project schedule and budget; ensuring that all third parties and vendors adhere to schedule.
• Will work extensively with other departments within the Corporation, with third party companies including engineering firms, equipment suppliers, financial institutions and cooperation partners, and with federal, state and local government agencies, organizations, and community leaders.

Qualifications

• BS in civil engineering, electrical engineering, or related.
• 4+ years of experience in construction management, design engineering, field inspection and testing.
• Experience with operations & maintenance, and asset management in the renewable energy industry.
• Understanding of ACI, IEC, IEEE, ICC, ASTM, AASHTO, OSHA and other typical industry standards
• Strong background in Permitting and Regulatory Approval process with respect to Construction.
• Software knowledge including:
  Advanced knowledge of MS Office (especially MS Excel)
  Advanced knowledge of MS Project
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication and organizational skills. These include but are not limited to: contract review, technical document review, business communication, event description, performance review and new document synthesis.
• Ability to travel (air and land); driver’s license and safe driving record required.
• Ability to comprehend and analyze technical information.
• Flexible and cooperative with a well-developed team spirit
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage diverse relationships and multiple, complex projects simultaneously

More information on this career opportunity is available here.