Wind Field Service Engineer

What The Role Is

The Field Service Engineer will support Clearway's wind turbine fleet, consisting of a diverse pool of original equipment manufacturers, nominal output capacity, and project life cycle.  The primary responsibilities of this position will consist of first-line support of field operations, support of various engineering projects, and field engineering investigations.  Additionally, a portion of responsibilities will include support of construction to operations transition of new wind farms to ensure optimal turbine availability and performance beginning with day one.

The position is hybrid and may be based out of the following locations: Scottsdale, AZ; Houston, TX; Princeton, NJ; San Francisco, CA; San Diego, CA; Denver, CO; one of Clearway’s Wind Farm Sites.

If you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications but see yourself contributing, please submit your resume.

What You'll Be Doing

• Work directly with wind farm operations teams to troubleshoot, investigate, and resolve equipment issues.
• Collect data on site and contribute knowledge and insight that will drive engineering actions and projects.
• Perform field investigations and generate reports on equipment failures.
• Develop field inspection documentation and checklists for field technicians to conduct inspections to support project tracking and deliverables.
• Provide engineering support to field personnel for corrective and preventative maintenance of turbines.
• Support various programs focused on wind fleet performance optimization (includes topics related to mechanical, electrical, software, blades, and foundations).
• Support operational activities for corrective and preventative maintenance of wind turbines.
• Support development of maintenance procedures, work instructions, and safety procedures, including implementation of Reliability Centered Maintenance practices for the fleet.
• Keep records, maintain documentation, and compile reports as required by company policy and procedures.
• Support specialized field repairs and major component replacements, particularly new procedures, technology, and vendors that require Engineering validation.
• Supervise vendors and contractors in the field to ensure Engineering work procedures and quality standards are followed and to support technical due diligence and issue resolution.
• Participate in continuous improvement processes relating to fleet-wide initiatives.
• Support root cause analyses (RCAs) of turbines, main components, and other high-impact failures/faults.
• Make recommendations on equipment maintenance, equipment manufacturers, and tooling based on objective observations, empirical measurements, and operational data.
• Support transition of new projects from construction to operations phase by becoming familiar with critical construction/assembly processes and commissioning instructions.
• Support and review QA/QC and commissioning processes used on site during project development.
• Adhere to appropriate company health, safety, environment, and quality processes for the business utilizing industry best practice.
• Travel, including overnight on short notice (up to 50%) with occasional flexible hours.
• Leverage site visits to identify opportunities for future Engineering projects from site need, open-eyed inspections of towers while on site, opportunities for improved tooling, processes, or safety issues.
• Support site weekly availability calls to identify site/platform/fleet trends and identify opportunities for projects via common issues.
• Act as a pseudo-Program Manager for Engineering projects to ensure cross-company communication between various Clearway groups, sites, and vendors.
• Attend vendor teardowns to build knowledge and experience to diagnose and recognize component-specific failure modes.
• Support Wind Operations across the full lifecycle spanning installation and commissioning, operations in and out of warranty, repower and decommissioning.
• Attend industry trade shows and conferences to identify emerging trends/technology/vendors that can support Clearway issues.

What You'll Bring

• BS in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering is highly preferred. Will consider years’ experience in lieu of an undergraduate degree. High school diploma minimally required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in engineering or field operations and maintenance is required.
• Must be able to effectively communicate and work with site personnel as well as third-party contractors.
• Must possess excellent skills to troubleshoot turbine faults, failures and recommend appropriate corrective action plans.
• Must have an in-depth understanding of electrical (controls and power systems) and mechanical systems.
• Must have an in-depth understanding of electrical or hydraulic pitch systems (both are preferable).
• Must have experience with converter systems and blades.
• Must have familiarity with BOP components: PMT, transformer vaults, capacitor banks, substations.
• Must possess an excellent understanding of maintenance plans and protocols.
• Must possess understanding of lubrication and tribology and basic knowledge of oil analytics.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts to both a technical and non-technical audience, including all levels of the organization, from upper management to site personnel.
• Ability to interpret/follow/develop technical instructions in verbal, written, diagrammatic, and schedule formats.
• Ability to read and interpret drawings, technical manuals, and commissioning instructions.
• Knowledge of proper use of LOTO for energy isolation.
• Ability to travel with short-term notice to Clearway Energy sites throughout the continental U.S.
• Ability to climb wind turbines with or without a climb assist. Capable of working at heights of up to 390’.
• Develop relationships with site managers and technicians to build trust and improve/sustain working relationships and garner support for projects and work requests.
• Conduct field surveys pulling together info from multiple sites and vendor/supplier input to drive and direct programs, make decisions about key processes, and turn the results into Engineering programs.
• Willingness to learn a wide range of technical Engineering topics and use that experience to execute field programs and solutions.
• Enthusiasm to trial new products, hardware, software, and solutions using incremental risk strategies.

What Would Be Nice

• 10 years of direct experience with multiple wind turbine platforms and 5+ years in field engineering or similar role.
• In-depth level knowledge of various drivetrain system designs employed in wind turbines.
• Experience developing reliability, maintenance optimization, and repair/upgrade options for wind turbines.
• Demonstrated experience in failure investigations of major components such as main bearings, gearboxes, and generators.
• Experience developing requirements and selection processes for approved 3rd party major component service providers.
• Experience in gearbox and generator root cause analysis and development of up-tower mitigation options, repair processes, and upgrade solutions.
• Experience with setup and design of experiments for field measurements as well as experience with Engineering measurement tools.
• Experience with analytical processing and analysis of turbine operational data to assess turbine, site, and cross-site performance.
• Experience following and developing reliability programs.
• Experience with technical writing for work instructions and technical specifications.
• Experience with statistics and analytics around fault frequency and impact to production.
• Demonstrated experience or willingness to learn boroscoping techniques, especially for gearboxes and generators.
• Ability or willingness to learn Computer Aided Drafting & Modeling to develop in-house design solutions to be installed/retrofit into Clearway turbines.

Clearway will not sponsor non-immigrant visas for this position (H-1B, TN, E-3, etc.).

#LI-Hybrid

Clearway Energy Group is leading the transition to a world powered by clean energy. Along with our public affiliate Clearway Energy, Inc., our portfolio comprises approximately 11.6 GW of gross generating capacity in 26 states, including 9.1 GW of wind, solar, and battery energy storage assets, and over 2.5 GW of conventional dispatchable power generation providing critical grid reliability services. As we develop a nationwide pipeline of new energy projects for the future, Clearway’s operating fleet generates enough reliable electricity to power more than 3 million homes today. Clearway Energy Group is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, Houston, Phoenix, Princeton, and San Diego. For more information, visit clearwayenergygroup.com.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Clearway Energy Group’s vision is a world powered by clean energy. Along with our public affiliate Clearway Energy, Inc., our portfolio comprises approximately 11.8 GW of gross generating capacity in 26 states, including 9.1 GW of wind, solar, and battery energy storage assets, and over 2.8 GW of flexible dispatchable power generation providing critical grid reliability services. As we develop a nationwide pipeline of new energy projects for the future, Clearway’s operating fleet generates enough reliable electricity to power more than 2 million homes today. Clearway Energy Group is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, Houston, Phoenix, Princeton, and San Diego. For more information, visit clearwayenergygroup.com.

Working at Clearway, Hybrid Together
Here at Clearway, we’re committed to balancing flexibility while fostering strong relationships with our teammates. We do this by prioritizing new hires based near one of our offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Scottsdale, Houston, Denver, & Princeton. Our office-based employees typically work together from fabulous spaces on Tuesdays & Thursdays to collaborate & learn, build community, get to know one another, & enjoy company-provided meals & events.

Clearway Energy is an equal opportunity employer that values a broad diversity of talent, knowledge, experience & expertise. We intentionally foster a culture of inclusion that empowers our employees to deliver superior performance to the communities we serve. We encourage minorities, women, individuals with disabilities & protected veterans to join the team. Clearway is a proud promoter of employment opportunities for our Military & Veterans.

What We Provide
Clearway offers all eligible employees working 20+ hours per week a comprehensive menu of benefits: generous PTO, medical, dental & vision care, HSAs with company contributions, health FSAs, dependent daycare FSAs, commuter benefits, relocation, & a 401(k) plan with employer match, a variety of life & accident insurances, fertility programs, adoption assistance, generous parental leave, tuition reimbursement, & benefits for employees in same-sex marriages, civil unions & domestic partnerships. For more on Clearway benefits, visit our Benefits Website.

Notice to Applicants
Clearway Energy is strongly committed to a philosophy of equal opportunity and fully complies with equal employment laws, ordinances, and regulations for all applicants and employees. We will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to apply and compete for employment opportunities for which they are qualified. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruiting@clearwayenergy.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Notice to California Applicants
Clearway Energy is strongly committed to a philosophy of equal opportunity and fully complies with equal employment laws, ordinances and regulations for all applicants and employees.