Job Description:
Job Description – Senior Operations Engineer
Location: Manly, Australia
Work Type: Hybrid
Department: Project Engineering
Nextpower is seeking a skilled and motivated Operations Engineer to join our Project Engineering team and serve as a key technical liaison for utility-scale solar projects across construction, commissioning, and operation.
Reporting to the Engineering Director, this role bridges project design, construction, commissioning, operations, and customer support to ensure technical issues are resolved quickly and lessons from the field are captured effectively. The position will work closely with Project Engineering, Product Design, Operations & Maintenance, Sales, Quality, and external stakeholders to support delivery, improve fleet performance, and strengthen engineering standards.
The ideal candidate will combine sound engineering judgement, strong cross-functional coordination, and a practical approach to problem solving. This role suits someone who thrives on solving complex technical issues across multiple disciplines, managing competing priorities, and helping develop the systems, processes, and standards needed to support reliable project delivery and long-term asset performance.
Experience across design, construction, commissioning, and operations will be highly regarded, particularly where the candidate has worked hands-on with mechanical, electrical, or structural issues and can translate field learnings into clear corrective actions and engineering improvements.
Role Purpose
- Provide engineering support for utility-scale solar projects during construction, commissioning, and operation
- Support resolution of technical issues through root-cause analysis, corrective action development, and stakeholder coordination
- Assist construction and commissioning teams with technical guidance to ensure alignment with Nextpower standards and project requirements
- Strengthen the feedback loop between field delivery, operating assets, and internal engineering, quality, and product teams
- Support the development of technical standards, troubleshooting procedures, and engineering practices that improve project delivery and fleet reliability
Key Responsibilities
Operational and technical support
- Provide engineering support for projects experiencing performance, reliability, mechanical, electrical, structural, or equipment-related issues
- Lead or support root-cause investigations and define practical corrective action plans to restore or improve system performance
- Work with Operations & Maintenance, Product Engineering, and other internal teams to investigate field issues and support timely resolution
- Review field conditions, technical reports, and supporting documentation to identify likely causes of technical issues and recommend next steps
- Help prioritise technical issues based on delivery impact, customer needs, and risk to long-term asset performance
Construction and commissioning support
- Assist active construction projects with technical guidance and troubleshooting during installation, pre-commissioning, and commissioning
- Review site design packages and verify that field implementation aligns with Nextpower standards, specifications, and approved engineering intent
- Assign and coordinate CAD work with design resources to address customer requests, field modifications, and project-specific updates
- Support technical clarification and issue resolution where design intent, field conditions, and construction realities require practical engineering judgement
- Ensure commissioning and field issues are clearly documented and translated into actionable outcomes
Cross-functional coordination
- Work closely with Project Engineering, Product Design, Operations & Maintenance, Sales, and Quality teams to maintain clear communication and enable fast issue resolution
- Engage directly with EPCs, contractors, owners, and other external stakeholders to support troubleshooting, technical clarification, and corrective action implementation
- Coordinate internal engineering and operational inputs to ensure technical findings are aligned, practical, and clearly communicated
- Prepare clear, structured, and actionable engineering reports, summaries, and recommendations for internal and external stakeholders
- Support escalation management by organising information, clarifying technical risks, and driving timely follow-through on agreed actions
Continuous improvement and feedback loop
- Capture lessons learned from construction, commissioning, and operational sites and communicate key insights to design, quality, and product development teams
- Participate in the development and update of technical standards, standard operating procedures, and field troubleshooting processes
- Contribute to reliability improvement programs across the operating fleet by identifying recurring issues and supporting long-term corrective actions
- Help convert field experience into practical improvements in design guidance, documentation quality, commissioning practices, and field support processes
- Support the broader business in developing more efficient and consistent methods for managing technical issues across a growing fleet
Data and performance analysis
- Review system performance data from SCADA, monitoring platforms, Power BI, and related sources to identify trends, anomalies, and recurring technical issues
- Support data-driven decision-making for maintenance prioritisation, corrective action validation, and operational performance improvement
- Correlate field observations, engineering findings, and performance data to improve issue diagnosis and support stronger technical conclusions
- Maintain a disciplined approach to documenting issues, actions, outcomes, and recurring themes across projects and operating assets
Experience and qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, or Industrial Engineering, or an equivalent technical discipline
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in solar, renewable energy, or industrial engineering, with demonstrated interdisciplinary engineering experience
- Practical exposure across design, construction, commissioning, and operations, including mechanical or hands-on technical work
- Strong understanding of utility-scale solar design, tracker systems, and power plant operations
- Experience reviewing design documentation, field reports, and as-built drawings
- Strong communication, organisation, and technical documentation skills
- Ability to work across multiple disciplines and manage competing priorities in a structured and solutions-focused manner
Preferred
- Hands-on experience with construction support, field issue troubleshooting, or Operations & Maintenance coordination
- Familiarity with solar performance analysis tools, SCADA platforms, monitoring systems, or Power BI
- Experience working with EPCs, contractors, and suppliers in a technical support or issue-resolution capacity
- Knowledge of reliability engineering principles and root-cause analysis methodologies
- Experience contributing to technical standards, procedures, or process improvement initiatives
- Exposure to customer-facing technical support within utility-scale solar or related infrastructure projects
Personal attributes
- Strong problem-solving mindset with a practical and structured approach to issue resolution
- Comfortable working across technical disciplines and moving between field issues, engineering analysis, and stakeholder communication
- Able to manage a broad portfolio of issues and priorities without losing attention to detail
- Technically credible and confident engaging with both internal and external stakeholders
- Collaborative and proactive, with a strong sense of ownership and follow-through
- Clear communicator who can translate technical findings into concise, actionable messages
- Motivated by continuous improvement, operational reliability, and better long-term customer outcomes
Why this role matters
- This role will help Nextpower strengthen the connection between project delivery, operational performance, and product improvement by ensuring technical issues from the field are resolved effectively and translated into meaningful engineering learning.
- The successful candidate will play an important part in improving project outcomes from construction to operation, supporting customers and internal teams through complex technical challenges, and helping build the standards, systems, and feedback mechanisms needed to support the next generation of clean energy infrastructure.
At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.
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