Plant Technician Iii - Timber Road Wind Farm

General Description:

The Plant Technician III is responsible for the on-site operations, maintenance, repairs, and replacement of equipment at one of EDPR NA’s operating wind-energy generation sites. You will lead all areas of plant operations as directed by the Operations Manager and will work closely with external contractors, Central Maintenance, Performance Analysis, and other internal departments as needed.

Main Accountabilities:

• Ensure proper operation, inspection, and maintenance of wind turbines and associated wind plant equipment and systems including substations, met towers, tower switchgears, SCADA systems, road maintenance, crop damage assessments, general building maintenance, etc.
• Proactively look for improvement opportunities to job appropriate processes and procedures
• Effectively gather information regarding performance issues associated with turbines, met towers, metering, etc. May diagnose, recommend, and implement solutions up to intermediate routine issues.
• Comply with all pertinent environmental health and safety programs
• Act as a safety role model by encouraging and recognizing others completing safe acts and intervening when unsafe acts are being practiced
• Perform a variety of administrative duties satisfying both internal and external reporting requirements. Administrative responsibilities include but are not limited to plan of the day (POD) reports, reviewing work orders, SAP processing, fault reports, offline turbine reports, QA/QC inspection reports, and engineering cases.
• Identify gaps in safety standards and safety risks in the work environment and provide recommendations to higher-level technical staff and management
• Demonstrate and promote integrity, strong initiative, and a no-compromise focus on safety and quality of work on a continuous basis
• Review completed service checklists for accuracy and maintain punch list for future work activities
• Adhere to effective internal controls
• Perform data collection and prepare reports in order to meet reporting requirements
• Perform QA/QC inspections in accordance with applicable SOP
• Engage appropriate internal and external resources to correct performance issues
• Ensure that reliable electronic communication is maintained between the turbines, substations, site office, and home office
• Facilitate periodic equipment inspections and reporting
• Monitor contractor performance to ensure quality and adherence to the highest standards and work practices
• Interface with local community members and landowners to establish and maintain rapport
• Responsible for facilitating training requirements as related to areas of safety and compliance training
• Facilitate daily, weekly, monthly, and annual reporting in accordance with operational, safety, regulatory, and environmental performance requirements
• Work closely with equipment suppliers and service entities as needed
• Additional duties as required

Direct reports: None
Travel: as needed

• 1+ years of college or technical school education or an equivalent combination of training and experience
• 3 – 5 years of relevant experience in wind energy or a related industry
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office software, SQL Server software, and facility management and reporting systems
• Experience with power plant operations and maintenance, wind plant operations, and turbines, high-voltage switching, post-operational repair, and maintenance of turbines preferred

Behavioral requirements:

• Ability to operate a motor vehicle and possession of a valid driver’s license
• Ability to work around low, medium, and high-voltage equipment
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to other operational sites within the US and Canada as needed
• Ability and willingness to work overtime on holidays and weekends and to work on short notice as needed due to on-call scheduling
• Ability and willingness to respond to site emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as needed

Physical demands & working conditions:

• Sitting/Standing/Flexibility: Ability to frequently perform physical tasks including standing, sitting, walking, kneeling, bending, twisting, squatting, and reaching approximately 25% of the time while on Wind Farm sites. Ability to stand and sit for 8 or more hours when in an office environment.
• Walking: Ability to walk across unpaved and rough surfaces when on Wind Farm sites
• Speech/Reading: Ability to speak, read, and write English proficiently and deliver a variety of instructions furnished in written, verbal, diagram, or scheduled form
• Lifting: Ability to lift items weighing up to 60 pounds
• Climbing:
• Ability to climb turbine towers in excess of 100 meters in height to access the work area
• Weight must be between 125 and 275 pounds, excluding equipment/gear worn when performing job-related tasks, to be in accordance with the ANSI Fall Protection Standards.
• Vision/Hearing: Ability to interpret and follow a variety of instructions furnished in written, verbal, diagram, or schedule form
• Tolerance to Extreme Weather Conditions: Ability to work in adverse weather conditions 25% of the time while on Wind Farm sites
• Safety: Ability to understand and communicate safety precautions when necessary