Sr Preconstruction Associate

RWE•Austin, TX

About The Position

The Senior Preconstruction Associate supports and coordinates preconstruction activities for utility-scale wind, solar, and storage renewable energy projects, including engineering, permitting, interconnection, and scope development. Working under the direction of the Director and alongside Senior Project Managers, the role helps ensure projects are designed, de-risked, and contractually prepared so construction can begin and proceed efficiently without delays or gaps. The position coordinates project readiness, schedules, engineering and permitting deliverables, surveys, design reviews, interconnection planning, and handoffs to Project Execution. It supports value engineering, site layout reviews, civil permitting, O&M scope integration, EPC/BoP bidding, contractor selection and negotiations, estimates, final investment decision deliverables, and offtake and engineer-selection efforts. The role works across internal teams and with third-party engineers, contractors, and other stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field from an accredited university.
At least 3 years of experience in renewable energy construction, engineering, and project management.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to manage customer relationships.
Demonstrated desire to learn about the company and the renewables industry.
Excellent proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and Teams.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including clear reports and concise summaries for technical and leadership audiences, and ability to meet deadlines.
Strong organizational skills and ability to coordinate multiple tasks, projects, and deliverables.
Working knowledge of preconstruction workflows and how surveys, reports, and permits affect engineering timelines.
Ability to resolve routine coordination and documentation issues with minimal guidance and escalate complex issues appropriately.
Ability to multitask while working independently and as part of a team.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States; employment visa sponsorship or takeover of sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

An engineering degree.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Experience with wind, solar, and/or BESS civil design, permitting, interconnection, or BoP/EPC contracting.
Familiarity with CPM scheduling.
Experience contributing to process-improvement efforts.

Responsibilities

Track priorities, schedules, deliverables, and action items across assigned projects from approximately 30% design through mobilization; help build schedules, manage internal timelines and third-party engineers, own portions of documentation workflows, and escalate issues.
Prepare status reports, risk and issue logs, decision-ready summaries, and materials for internal project reviews; validate permit and drawing-status inputs and flag delays or gaps.
Identify cost, schedule, constructability, design, and permitting risks; gather information, coordinate stakeholders, and document options for LCOE and value-engineering reviews.
Coordinate engineering deliverables and design reviews with internal Engineering teams and third-party engineers, tracking geotechnical, civil, high-voltage, PV, and BESS designs and organizing review comments and meetings.
Coordinate survey and predecessor activities with Development, Engineering, and Procurement; track topographic and ALTA survey completion and route questions to the appropriate PM or Director.
Support site layout optimization by setting timelines and participating in buildable-area reviews, site visits, and contractor meetings, providing trade-off input to Solar Engineering.
Help prepare and track civil permitting plans by identifying required permits, approval processes, and timelines with Engineering, Development, Environmental, Execution, and Legal; prepare SWPPP and building permit materials.
Help prepare interconnection plans and schedules by aligning Engineering, Transmission, Global Data Management, and Compliance on equipment, testing, data, and control requirements for back-feed, export, and substation operation.
Coordinate with O&M on facility specifications, initial spares, and startup needs so requirements are captured in the BoP scope of work.
Assemble scopes of work and support EPC/BoP bidding by consolidating engineering inputs, organizing reviews, identifying scope gaps, compiling target-price assumptions and bid comparisons, coordinating Owner Supplied Equipment allocation, and handing packages to Procurement.
Support contract strategy, contractor selection, and negotiations with Procurement and Execution; assist with bid reviews and estimating and participate in contractor meetings to review bids, clarify scope, and discuss pricing and schedule.
Assemble project estimates, databooks, and handover checklists with Estimating and Engineering and confirm inputs are complete and accurate for FID deliverables.
Prepare first drafts of offtake RFP and TRC content and support BTA EOR selection and project engineering coordination by arranging meetings, tracking actions, and preparing documentation.