Vice President, Canadian Operations - Renewable Energy

FirstLight Power; Toronto; Remote; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Vice President of Canadian Operations to lead renewable energy initiatives. This remote role focuses on overseeing plant operations, enhancing productivity, and ensuring compliance with regulations across multiple facilities in Canada. The ideal candidate will possess extensive leadership experience and a strong technical background in renewable energy. Join a passionate team dedicated to accelerating the decarbonization of the electric grid and making a positive climate impact while enjoying a rewarding work environment with competitive benefits.

Benefits

Competitive benefits package

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• 10+ years of leadership experience in power plant environments.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of plant operations across Canada.
• Establish project objectives and maintain compliance with regulations.
• Direct professional development of operations organization.

Skills

Leadership

Technical Oversight

Operations Management

Public Speaking

Problem Solving

Bilingual (English and French)

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Business, Accounting, or Finance

Tools

MS Suite

Financial Modeling Programs

Budgeting Programs

Job description

About Us

FirstLight is a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company serving North America. With a diversified portfolio that includes over 1.65 GW of operating renewable energy and energy storage technologies and a development pipeline with 4+ GW of solar, battery, hydro, onshore wind and offshore wind projects, FirstLight specializes in hybrid solutions that pair hydroelectric, pumped-hydro storage (including Northfield Mountain, the largest energy storage facility in New England), utility-scale solar, large-scale battery, and wind assets. The company’s mission is to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid by supporting the development, operation, and integration of renewable energy and storage to meet the world’s growing clean energy needs and deliver an electric system that is clean, reliable, affordable, and equitable. Based in Burlington, MA, with operating offices in Northfield, MA, New Milford, CT, Oshawa, ON and Montréal, QC, FirstLight is a steward of more than 14,000 acres and hundreds of miles of shoreline along some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in North America.

In Canada, FirstLight operates through its subsidiaries H2O Power and the recently acquired Hydroméga which is headquartered in Montréal. We operate 18 hydroelectric generating stations located in Ontario and Quebec and we are one of the largest providers of hydroelectric power in these provinces. FirstLight is wholly owned by PSP Investments, one of Canada’s largest pension investment managers and we have over 200 employees in Canada and the US.

We proudly serve our host communities and beyond through our clean energy assets, the recreation spaces we steward, the jobs we produce, and the economic benefit we deliver through our operations and charitable actions.

We are a team of caring, passionate professionals who are driven to deliver positive climate impact and to have fun while doing it! We value diversity, equity and inclusion and encourage people with diverse perspectives, skills and experiences to apply.

Position Detail:

We currently have an opening for an experienced Vice President, Canadian Operations, Renewable Energy for this remote role based in the Toronto or Montreal areas in Canada. The Vice President, Canadian Operations reports to the Senior Vice President, Plant Operations and is responsible for leading all aspects of Plant Operations at our generating facilities across Canada while also supporting various leadership functions across the organization. The VP, Canadian Operations is a key member of the leadership team and is integral to key decision making and execution. The role will encompass a comprehensive view of the Canadian plant operations, aiming to enhance productivity, mitigate risks, and foster a culture of excellence.

Our ideal candidate possesses the experience, passion and energy to be a driving force in FirstLight’s continued evolution to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid to meet the clean energy needs of tomorrow.

Key Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

• Direct the activities of all senior managers and directors in their geographic area and maintain a positive employee relations climate for all employees through consistent application of all FirstLight programs;
• Monitor the day-to-day operation, maintenance, fiscal, and administrative functions of each operating facility;
• Establish project objectives, policies, procedures, and performance standards within boundaries of company policy and procedures.
• Responsible for the oversight and direction of plant compliance with company policies and procedures, governmental regulations, annual operating plans, and good engineering practices at each facility;
• Work with local governments, First Nations, non-governmental agencies, provincial, municipal and federal regulatory agencies to address issues and concerns relating to the operation and maintenance of facilities and their impact on the communities and adjacent landowners;
• Prepare, review, negotiate, and approve business contracts to ensure the reliable and profitable operations of all FirstLight generation facilities. Optimize plant technical and financial performance through enhancements and/or modifications to contracts;
• Maintain key contractual compliance and strive to enhance the revenue stream of electric sales, site lease, partnership agreements, operation and maintenance agreements, and legal matters as they arise;
• Keep abreast of changing market trends and new opportunities in Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), power marketing, financial and risk management techniques.
• Interface with the internal commercial organization to enhance communications, outage decision making, dispatch decisions, metric utilization, and plant capability to maximize economic performance of the merchant plants;
• Recommend the hiring, termination, and pay schedules for the operating facilities.
• Direct professional development of key members of the operations organization, including identifying needs and supporting plans. Identify personal development requirements for continued performance improvement;
• Prepare and submit for review and approval strategic plans, budgets, and periodic reports;
• Direct lender-required technical and budget review programs;
• Complies with all Corporate policies and IT procedures;
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Job Qualifications / Skills

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution. Degree in Engineering, Business, Accounting, or Finance, highly preferred;
• 10+ years of related leadership experience required;
• Proven track record of exceptional leadership and oversight of technical, operations, and maintenance teams in power plant environments, managing teams of 15 or more;
• Demonstrated technical, commercial, and managerial experience with both regulated and independent power markets;
• In-depth knowledge of renewable power generating facility equipment associated with hydro, wind, solar, and battery storage highly preferred;
• Bilingual in English and French, preferred;
• Proficiency with MS Suite, operational, financial modeling and budgeting programs;
• Excellent public speaking abilities and superior written communication skills;
• Superior problem solving, organization, and prioritization skills;
• Ability to travel within Canada and occasionally to the US.

Why Work for FirstLight?

We consider our employees to be our most valuable resource and we strive to provide a challenging, collegial, and rewarding workplace. FirstLight embraces a company-wide commitment to recruit, develop, and retain a dedicated, diverse, and engaged workforce that is motivated to be ever better both professionally and personally.

Joining the FirstLight Team is an opportunity to experience a unique and exciting culture. We offer a competitive benefits package.

FirstLight provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetics, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal and local laws. In addition to federal law requirements, FirstLight complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

FirstLight’s values are: Respect – Integrity – Safety – Excellence – Innovation - Team

Join Our Team!

Want to learn more about FirstLight? Check us out below!

Diversity Jobs | LinkedIn | Our Website