Utility Operations Manager

QE Solar is seeking a highly motivated Utility Field Operations Manager to lead field operations supporting utility-scale solar and battery storage assets throughout North America. This role is responsible for overseeing field personnel, contractor coordination, operational performance, safety compliance, maintenance execution, and customer satisfaction across a portfolio of renewable energy assets.

The ideal candidate is a strong operational leader with utility-scale solar experience, excellent communication skills, and the ability to drive accountability, safety, and execution across geographically dispersed teams.

Travel: 25-35%

Oversee operations and maintenance activities across assigned utility-scale solar, BESS, substation, and MV/HV assets.

Lead Plant Managers responsible for utility sites and ensure consistent execution of site operations, preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, outage support, inspections, and compliance requirements.

Ensure Plant Managers maintain strong site ownership, including daily site walks, SCADA review, work planning, work order review, safety meetings, contractor coordination, and customer-ready documentation.

Support safe execution of utility-site work involving inverters, trackers, transformers, switch gear, substations, BESS, collection systems, and balance-of-plant equipment.

Drive accountability for LOTO, NFPA 70E, switching procedures, energized work controls, site-specific procedures, and customer/regulatory requirements.

Monitor and support work order progression, PM/CM completion, FWC-to-Complete closeout, backlog reduction, and documentation quality across assigned sites.

Provide coaching, mentorship, performance management, and leadership development for Plant Managers and site-level personnel.

Coordinate with internal engineering, ROC/control center, asset management, safety, compliance, and subcontractors to resolve site issues and maintain asset performance.

Support workforce planning, outage coverage, contractor mobilization, staffing needs, scheduling, and resource allocation across assigned utility sites.

• Oversee preventive, corrective, and emergency maintenance execution across assigned utility-scale solar, BESS, substation, MV/HV, and balance-of-plant assets.
• Ensure Plant Managers are effectively planning, prioritizing, and driving completion of PMs, CMs, inspections, outage work, and site corrective actions.
• Monitor site operational performance, equipment health, availability, downtime drivers, and recurring failures to ensure uptime and performance targets are achieved.
• Partner with engineering, ROC/control center, SCADA support, OEMs, and technical teams to resolve complex inverter, tracker, transformer, switch gear, SCADA, BESS, medium-voltage, and balance-of-system issues.
• Support escalation and resolution of utility-site issues involving outages, switching coordination, equipment failures, alarms, contractor support, and customer-impacting events.
• Drive operational excellence initiatives focused on reliability, work order discipline, PM/CM compliance, documentation quality, efficiency, and cost control.
• Ensure Plant Managers complete accurate maintenance documentation, work orders, photos, inspection results, test records, and reporting in a timely and customer-ready manner.
• Monitor FWC status, overdue work orders, aging backlog, and documentation gaps to ensure completed field work is reviewed, closed, and reported properly.

• Champion QE Solar's safety culture across assigned utility-scale solar, BESS, substation, and MV/HV sites.
• Ensure Plant Managers are consistently reinforcing site safety expectations, toolbox talks, hazard identification, pre-job planning, LOTO, JHAs, and safe work execution.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA 70E, company safety procedures, LOTO requirements, switching procedures, energized work controls, and customer site-specific policies.
• Support safe execution of utility-site work involving inverters, trackers, transformers, switch gear, substations, collection systems, BESS, and balance-of-plant equipment.
• Conduct field audits, site safety observations, Plant Manager check-ins, incident reviews, and corrective action follow-up across assigned sites.
• Verify safety documentation, permits, switching orders, LOTO records, inspection findings, and corrective actions are completed accurately and on time.
• Ensure subcontractors follow QE Solar safety…