PLANT LEAD TECHNICIAN

EDP Energias de Portugal S.A.•Chalmers, IN, IN

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Lead Technician 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.

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
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.
Ability to walk across unpaved and rough surfaces when on wind farm sites
Ability to speak, read, and write English proficiently and deliver a variety of instructions furnished in written, verbal, diagram, or schedule form
Ability to lift items weighing up to 60 pounds
Ability to climb turbine towers in excess of 100 meters in height to access the work area
Weight must not exceed 275 pounds, excluding equipment/gear worn when performing job-related tasks, to be in accordance with the ANSI Fall Protection Standards.
Ability to interpret and follow a variety of instructions furnished in written, verbal, diagram, or schedule form
Ability to work in adverse weather conditions approx. 25% of the time while on wind farm sites
Ability to understand and communicate safety precautions when necessary

Responsibilities

Ensure proper operation, inspection and maintenance of wind turbines and associated wind plant equipment and systems including substation, met towers, tower switchgear, 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, encourage and recognize others completing safe acts and intervene 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 inspections 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 and work orders 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, substation, site office, and home office
Facilitate periodic equipment inspections and reporting
Monitor contractor performance and ensure quality and adherence to the highest standards and work practices.
Interface with local community members and land owners to establish and maintain report
Facilitate training requirements as it relates to areas of safety and compliance training
Facilitate daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reporting in accordance with operational, safety, regulatory, and environmental performance requirements
Ability to direct work of Plant Tech 1 and Plant Tech 2 technicians when applicable
Work closely with Operations Manager on budget administration
Periodically report to Operations Manager of day to day operations
Locate underground utilities installed at the wind plant with applicable state guidelines
Track and report drainage related concerns with approved vendors of the wind plant
Work closely with equipment suppliers and service entities as needed including filling warranty claims
Additional duties as required