Director of Operations & Maintenance (O&M)

Tapio; United States; Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

A renewable energy company is seeking a Director of Operations & Maintenance to lead solar asset maintenance and on-site technician teams. This role requires a proven leader with extensive solar O&M experience and strong knowledge of medium-voltage systems. The ideal candidate should possess an active electrical license and demonstrate excellent team management skills. This position offers a competitive package and the potential for remote work, emphasizing the importance of safety and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in solar O&M, field operations, or related technical services.
• Prior hands-on experience as a solar technician, electrician, or commissioning engineer.
• Strong working knowledge of PV systems, inverters, and medium-voltage infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of solar technicians for maintenance across solar sites.
• Provide hands-on support in troubleshooting and medium-voltage work.
• Own day-to-day O&M execution, including scheduling and logistics.
• Ensure asset availability and performance targets are met.
• Oversee safety and compliance for all field work.

Skills

Solar O&M

Medium-voltage competency

Team leadership

Troubleshooting

Safety compliance

Education

Active electrical license

Master Electrician credential

Tools

O&M software tools

Monitoring platforms

Job description

Director of Operations & Maintenance (O&M)

Position: Director of O&M - DG Solar and BESS (Renewables)

Location: Chicago, IL strongly preferred, exceptional remote candidates considered

Package: $170k-190k base + bonus

Company Overview

Our client is an emerging IPP in the renewable energy space. Well-funded and building an executive team focused on accelerating the energy transition market by developing, acquiring, owning, and operating DG solar projects across the US.

The Role

The Director of O&M will lead the company’s on-site technician team and own field-level operations and maintenance across a growing portfolio of operating solar assets.

This individual will be a true player-coach: a seasoned field leader who is comfortable in PPE, working on inverters and medium-voltage equipment, while also building process, managing technicians, and reporting performance to internal stakeholders and external partners.

The ideal candidate brings deep solar O&M experience, strong medium-voltage competency, and the leadership presence to be the “adult in the room” for all field activities.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a distributed team of solar technicians responsible for corrective and preventative maintenance across C&I and DG solar sites.
• Act as a player‑coach in the field, providing hands‑on support on complex troubleshooting, medium‑voltage work, and critical outages.
• Own day‑to‑day O&M execution, including scheduling, dispatch, work order management, and coordination of site access and logistics.
• Ensure asset availability and performance targets are met; leverage monitoring platforms and field findings to drive reliability and production improvements.
• Oversee safety, compliance, and quality for all field work, including JHAs, incident reporting, and adherence to applicable codes and utility requirements.
• Manage relationships with subcontractors, specialty service providers, and OEMs, ensuring work is delivered safely, on time, and to standard.
• Partner closely with Asset Management, Engineering, and Finance to plan outages, align on budgets, and communicate performance and incident updates.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of O&M processes, documentation, and reporting tools as the portfolio and team scale.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in solar O&M, field operations, or related technical services (C&I / DG strongly preferred).
• Prior hands‑on experience as a solar technician, electrician, or commissioning engineer.
• Strong working knowledge of PV systems, inverters, transformers, and medium‑voltage infrastructure (switchgear, reclosers, etc.).
• Active electrical license; ability to obtain and maintain Illinois licensure. Master Electrician credential strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading or managing technician teams in the field.
• Comfortable using O&M and monitoring software tools, and translating data into actionable decisions.
• Proven track record operating safely, independently, and with sound judgement in the field.
• Willingness to travel frequently to sites across Illinois and Wisconsin as required.