Senior Associate, Technical Services (Operational Readiness)

Vena Energy Services (Australia) Pty Ltd; Makati; On-site; PHP 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Vena Energy Services (Australia) Pty Ltd seeks an Operational Readiness Senior Associate to ensure plants are ready for safe, reliable, and compliant turnover. The role bridges Construction, EPC, and O&M teams, overseeing documentation, training, spare parts, and readiness reviews.

The incumbent will guide O&M organization development, SOPs, and regulatory submissions while coordinating with NGCP, DOE/ ERC, IEMOP, and owners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering; Registered Electrical Engineer (REE) credential required.
• 5–8 years in power plant operations, maintenance, or commissioning, with ≥1 year in supervision.
• Strong knowledge of renewable systems and interconnection facilities.
• Familiarity with NGCP/DU/EC standards, WESM rules, and ERC/DOE compliance.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional coordination among EPC, BD, O&M and regulators.
• Excellent planning, documentation, and communication skills; willingness to travel to sites.

Responsibilities

• Monitor readiness plans covering people, processes, systems, and documents.
• Define readiness milestones aligned with project timelines and COD targets.
• Ensure as-built drawings, manuals, commissioning reports, and test certificates are handed over to O&M.
• Coordinate readiness reviews and acceptance walkdowns before plant turnover.
• Develop O&M organization structure, headcount, and job roles.
• Identify and implement training programs for operations personnel with OEMs/EPCs.
• Oversee SOPs, Emergency Response Plans, and Safety Work Instructions.
• Guide maintenance management system setup and preventive maintenance schedules.
• Validate spare parts lists, tooling, and special equipment requirements.
• Coordinate transfer and inspection of spare parts to site warehouses.
• Review performance guarantees, testing results, and warranties for O&M alignment.
• Ensure compliance with NGCP/DU/EC standards and WESM/ERC post-energization rules.
• Coordinate market registration with IEMOP and WESM integration.
• Prepare operational documentation for ERC COC, DOE COE-GET, and related submissions.
• Ensure operational parameters align with PSA or interconnection agreements.
• Lead EPC-to-O&M handover and close punch lists and performance tests.
• Act as the single point of contact during transition between teams.
• Verify warranty, performance bonds, and defect liability transfer responsibilities.
• Support ramp-up and early operation monitoring in the initial months.

Skills

Planning

Documentation

Communication

Coordination

Leadership

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering (Registered Electrical Engineer)

Job description

Job Summary:

The Operational Readiness Senior Associate is responsible for ensuring that each project is fully prepared for safe, reliable, and compliant operation upon commissioning and commercial turnover.

This role bridges the gap between Construction Team and O&M Team, overseeing all readiness activities— from technical documentation and asset registration to maintenance planning, manpower training, and spare parts mobilization.

The position requires strong technical knowledge of power plant systems, grid interconnection assets (substation and TL), and regulatory processes with NGCP, DOE, ERC, and IEMOP. The Operational Readiness Senior Associate ensures that all operational, technical, and commercial prerequisites are in place before project handover.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Readiness Planning

Monitor the EPC/O&M provider's development of comprehensive O&M Readiness Plans covering people, processes, systems, and documentation for each project nearing completion.

Define and monitor readiness milestones aligned with PCATC, CTE, FCATC, and COD timelines.

Ensure that all required as-built drawings, OEM manuals, commissioning reports, and test certificates are compiled and turned over from EPC to the O&M team.

Coordinate readiness reviews and acceptance walkdowns to confirm operational readiness before plant takeover.

O&M Organization and Capability Building

Work closely with the O&M Team in developing the O&M organization structure, including required headcount, job roles, and responsibilities for site operations.

Identify and monitor implementation of training programs for operations personnel in coordination with OEMs, EPCs, and Owner's Engineers.

Oversee development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Emergency Response Plans, and Safety Work Instructions.

Technical and Maintenance Preparation

Oversee EPC/O&M provider's establishment of the maintenance management system and ensure preventive maintenance schedules are in place.

Validate spare parts lists, tooling, and special equipment requirements with EPC and OEMs.

Coordinate the transfer and inspection of spare parts and consumables to site warehouses.

Review plant performance guarantees, testing results, and warranties to ensure alignment with O&M requirements.

Regulatory and Commercial Readiness

Ensure compliance with NGCP/DU/EC standards, WESM registration, and DOE/ERC post-energization requirements.

Coordinate with IEMOP and internal commercial teams for market registration, metering readiness, and WESM integration.

Oversee the preparation of operational documentation required for ERC COC, DOE COE-GET, and other regulatory submissions.

Ensure that operational parameters and controls are consistent with the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) or GEA Rules and interconnection agreements.

Turnover and Transition Management

Lead the EPC-to-O&M handover process, ensuring all punch lists and performance tests are turned over to the O&M Team.

Serve as the single point of contact between Construction Team, EPC, Business Development Team, and O&M Team during transition.

Verify that warranties, performance bonds, and defect liability responsibilities are properly documented and transferred.

Support operations ramp-up and performance monitoring during the first months of commercial operation.

Pre-requisites:

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering (Registered Electrical Engineer required).
• 5-8 years of experience in power plant operations, maintenance, or commissioning, with at least 1 years in a supervisory role.
• Strong understanding of renewable power plant systems (solar, wind, BESS) and interconnection facilities (substation/TL).
• Familiarity with NGCP/DU/EC standards, PGC/PDC, WESM Rules, and ERC/DOE compliance processes.
• Proven experience managing cross-functional coordination between EPC, BD, O&M, and regulatory stakeholders.
• Strong planning, documentation, and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects.
• Willingness to conduct periodic site visits to projects under commissioning or near turnover.

Are you ready to engineer a greener future?