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Senior Manager, Operations - Solar

San Francisco Bay Area; San Diego, CA; Denver, CO; Austin, TX

Do you want to work with high caliber professionals in a dynamic and growing company? Are you entrepreneurial, hard-working, and collegial? Join us at SB Energy, a leading company backed by SoftBank and Ares pairing cutting-edge innovation with best-in-class execution. Our Mission is to provide reliable, affordable energy at scale to support America’s growing energy demands.

Headquartered in Redwood City, CA, SB Energy develops, builds, owns & operates some of the largest and most technically advanced energy and data center infrastructure projects in the United States. Since launching in 2019, the company has rapidly grown into a top-tier integrated platform with over 3 gigawatts (GW) in operation and a multi-GW pipeline of energy and data center infrastructure nationwide. SB Energy also utilizes its strong culture of innovation to identify and incorporate new technology into our projects, including our AI-based digital platform, to deliver energy infrastructure that is local, reliable, and matched to load. We are building the energy and technology future—today.

Come join us in accelerating the energy transition to cleaner, more sustainable sources of power!

Basic Function:

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Manager / Director – Operations to provide commercial and operational leadership for a growing portfolio of utility-scale solar projects across the United States. This role is responsible for ensuring solar assets deliver maximum value through strong operational performance, commercial optimization, budget management, contract administration, stakeholder management, and continuous improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate will combine deep industrial operations experience with strong business acumen and a proven ability to manage large-scale power generation assets in a commercially driven environment. The successful candidate will act as the business owner for the operating portfolio, ensuring operational decisions align with financial objectives, contractual commitments, investor expectations, and long-term asset value creation.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Lead the overall operational and commercial performance of utility-scale solar assets.
  • Serve as the primary owner of plant profitability and operational performance objectives.
  • Owner to maximize the generation of the portfolio to meet all objectives consistently
  • Develop and execute strategies to maximize revenue, plant availability, reliability, and long-term asset value.
  • Manage operating budgets, forecasts, and business plans for assigned assets.
  • Monitor operational KPIs and financial metrics, driving accountability throughout the organization.
  • Identify and implement initiatives to improve generation, reduce costs, and increase profitability
  • Manage key commercial relationships with O&M contractors, EPC contractors, OEMs, utilities, and service providers.
  • Ensure compliance with Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Interconnection Agreements, warranty agreements, and service contracts.
  • Lead contract performance reviews and commercial negotiations when required.
  • Interface with investors, lenders, regulatory agencies, and utility partners.
  • Support strategic business decisions related to asset acquisitions, divestments, and refinancing activities.
  • Own annual operating budgets and long-term operating plans.
  • Monitor operating expenditures and identify opportunities for cost optimization.
  • Develop business cases and ROI analyses for capital improvement projects.
  • Support asset valuation efforts and portfolio forecasting activities.
  • Partner closely with finance and accounting teams to achieve portfolio financial objectives.
  • In coordination with SBE Safety, ensure plants are meeting safety requirements
  • Ensure all sites are operating are meeting Energy Availability targets.
  • Manage day-to-day relationships and act as the primary SBE contact for coordination with O&M Service providers.
  • Oversee O&M Service Providers activities across the portfolio ensuring PM activities are conducted as per plan.
  • Provide feedback to O&M providers based on performance, safety and quality data and as per specific metrics.
  • Develop and implement O&M strategies to maximize the performance and lifespan of PV & BESS assets.
  • Keep track of all additional services/NCS approval and completion
  • In coordination with O&M Service Provider, pursue and resolve open warranty issues with OEMs and EPCs
  • Manage all site related non-covered services (NCS), including vegetation management.
  • Supervision of SBE Field Technicians as and when applicable.
  • Own tracker of open performance issues across portfolio. Present status updates and other reports to management on a regular cadence
  • Manage monthly, quarterly, and annual operational reports across SBE portfolio.
  • Lead HOTO from SBE O&M and interface with SBE Projects, EPC and O&M provider across all turnover deliverables and closing of punch lists.
  • Be the primary contact of SBE for any site visits, ad-hoc on-site coordination and logistics.
  • Lead and support development of self-perform capabilities within SBE.

Qualifications/Requirements:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a quantitative discipline
  • Advanced degree or additional certifications such as PMP, CFA, CPA preferred.
  • Minimum 10 years of experience working in industrial environments.
  • Minimum 7 years experience in utility scale solar operations required.
  • 3+ years of supervisory experience required.
  • Intimate knowledge of the energy and renewable energy market, and the ability to stay current with changing technologies, regulations, and industry trends.
  • Commercial mindset, strong prioritization, communication, and organizational skills.
  • Knowledge of National Electrical Code (NEC) and standard practices
  • Ability to read and understand electrical single-line and three-line diagrams and schematics.
  • Ability to demonstrate competent technical knowledge of general plant and system processes, electrical and SCADA systems.
  • Ability to demonstrate competent technical knowledge in analyzing equipment performance and identifying performance issues using software tools.
  • Experience with PV maintenance, including DC systems, AC MV systems, network communications and monitoring.
  • Strong analytical and diagnostic capabilities to guide other is in troubleshooting and corrective actions.
  • Strong learning skills with aptitude to independently research, understand, and implement knowledge in new areas.
  • Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire people to action through his/her influence.
  • Sound knowledge of industrial safety and experience in field quality is a plus.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and other applications for productivity
  • Ability to travel, as required.

Location: San Francisco Bay Area; San Diego, CA; Denver, CO; Austin, TX

The position requires up to 20% domestic travel

Base Pay - $160,000-$200,000

The pay range mentioned above is a guideline. We tailor each offer based on your unique skills, experience, location, and market benchmarks—while ensuring internal parity across our teams. In addition to competitive base pay, total compensation may include a discretionary annual bonus and a market leading comprehensive health and wellness benefits package. Final details will be discussed during the later stages of the hiring process.

Our Health & Wellness Benefits

At SB Energy, we invest in our people and their families with benefits designed for flexibility, support, and peace of mind. Full-time employees enjoy:

  • 100% Company-Paid Medical, Dental & Vision (for employees and dependents)
  • 401(k) with Company Match
  • Generous Paid Time Off + 11 Paid Holidays
  • 12 Weeks Paid Parental Leave
  • Life, AD&D & Long-Term Disability Coverage
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Medical, Dependent Care, Transit & Parking (with company contributions)
  • Mental, Physical & Social Wellness Support (with company contributions)
  • Flexible Work Arrangements & Hybrid Office Setup Benefits
  • Monthly Reimbursement for Phone, Internet & Data
  • Optional Legal & Pet Insurance Plans
  • Device Purchase Support

At SB Energy, the success of our projects is driven by a desire to see our projects benefit as many people as possible. We work to serve local communities through volunteering, fundraising, and much more. For example, we’re proud to support access and opportunity in engineering and clean energy through impactful mentorship programs and workforce training. When you join SB Energy, you can become a part of these efforts, collaborating with team members who share a vision of building a better future now! 

SB Energy is built on a foundation of collaboration and inclusion. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

To learn more about us, visit www.sbenergy.com.

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