Job Description

Overview

Our client is a renewable energy company that develops, owns and runs wind and solar power plants in South Africa.

You run construction and commissioning across the company's project portfolio. You take wind, solar and grid projects from late-stage development and financial close through to commercial operation, safely, on time, on budget and to the quality the contracts and the lenders require. You lead on the owner's side and you hold the contractors to their contracts.

You report to the Chief Executive and sit in the senior leadership team. You work closely with growth, technical, operations and maintenance, commercial, finance, legal and the environmental, social and governance team. The process includes a psychometric assessment and a medical.

What You'll Do

Strategy and getting projects ready to build

• Set the construction and commissioning strategy for the company's growth plan.
• Set the rules every project is built by: delivery methods, standards, checks and who can approve what.
• Give construction input during late-stage development, bids and financial close, so projects are ready to build.
• Shape the procurement and contracting strategy for the engineering, procurement and construction contractors and the equipment manufacturers, and meet the requirements of the lenders' technical advisers.

Delivering the portfolio

• Lead the delivery of several projects at the same time, within the approved scope, schedule, budget, quality, lender commitments and approval limits.
• Watch project performance closely and step in early when a project starts to slip.
• Get projects through practical completion, commercial operation and final handover.
• Deliver the project management fee targets and meet the commitments in the technical services and service level agreements.

Project controls

• Run project controls: schedule, cost, risk, document control, project information systems, change management and dashboard reporting.
• Oversee the project management office.
• Keep clear decision rights for budget changes, contractor instructions, claims, variations and milestone sign-off, and escalate serious risks quickly.

Contractors and the commercial side

• Oversee the engineering, procurement and construction contractors, equipment manufacturers, owner's engineers, independent engineers and key suppliers.
• Manage the construction contracts commercially, including change control, claims and dispute strategy.
• Hold contractors to their targets on safety, quality, schedule, cost and commissioning.
• Choose the delivery models and partners that get the most value out of each project.

Quality, grid connection and handover

• Make sure quality checks run through the whole build.
• Make sure every project meets the engineering standards, specifications, the grid code and its grid connection obligations.
• Manage the construction and commissioning work with Eskom, the National Transmission Company South Africa, the Independent Power Producer Office, network service providers and the lenders' technical advisers.
• Get each plant ready for operations and hand it over cleanly to the operations and maintenance team.

Safety and risk

• Lead a culture of safety, quality and care for the environment on every site, with zero fatalities as the target.
• Find, reduce and manage construction risks, from delays and cost overruns to permits, grid connection and community and landowner issues.

The team

• Build the construction and commissioning team and grow in-house construction skills, while using delivery partners well.
• Coach and develop project leaders, and make sure the lessons from each project go into the next one.
• Support acquisition work where needed.
• Run the function's budget and plans.

What We're Looking For

• An honours degree in construction management, engineering or another relevant field.
• A project management certificate and a management development programme. MBA is an advantage.
• Ten to twelve years delivering large infrastructure, engineering or renewable energy projects, with at least eight years leading major capital projects or construction portfolios at senior management level.
• You have delivered renewable energy projects, including wind, solar, grid connection and the electrical infrastructure that goes with them.
• You have taken projects from late-stage development, financial close and contracting strategy through construction and commissioning to commercial operation.
• You have managed EPC contractors, equipment manufacturers, owner's engineers, independent engineers, lenders' technical advisers and project teams across several disciplines.
• A strong grasp of project governance, construction management, commissioning, quality, project controls, document control and project information systems.
• You have managed commercial contracts, approval limits, claims, disputes, budgets, change control and schedules.
• You have handled the main project relationships: Eskom, the National Transmission Company South Africa, the Independent Power Producer Office, permitting authorities, landowners, communities and operations teams.
• You have led teams across functions in a matrix organisation and brought in better ways of delivering projects.
• Registration as a PrEng preferable and a PrCM qualification.

What We Offer

• A senior leadership role in a renewable energy business with a pipeline of projects to build.
• Ownership of construction and commissioning across the whole portfolio, from financial close to commercial operation.
• Work across wind, solar and grid projects.
• Location: JHB, office based, with travel to the project sites.

Should you not hear back from us within 7 days, your application has been unsuccessful.