Senior Preconstruction Project Lead, Clean Energy

AES Corporation; Portland (ME); On-site; USD 119,000 - 148,000; Full time

Job summary

AES Corporation is seeking a Senior Preconstruction Project Manager to lead preconstruction activities for utility-scale renewable energy projects, coordinating across Development, Engineering, Estimating, Procurement, Construction, Finance, and external EPC contractors to define executable scope, cost, schedule, procurement, and risk strategies.

As a trusted project leader, you will help drive investment-quality decisions, strengthen cross-functional alignment, and ensure a seamless transition

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• Significant professional experience in renewable energy project development, preconstruction, estimating, engineering, procurement, construction, or project management.
• Understanding of utility-scale project lifecycle, including feasibility, permitting, interconnection, procurement, EPC contracting, and construction.
• Experience supporting EPC solicitations, bid evaluations, commercial negotiations, cost reviews, and project risk assessments.
• Strong working knowledge of utility-scale solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems.
• Ability to develop and interpret schedules, cost estimates, bid comparisons, risk registers, and executive-level reporting.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, organizational, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, Primavera P6, Procore, Quickbase, Microsoft Project, and Bluebeam.

Responsibilities

• Lead preconstruction engagement for assigned projects and align scope, schedule, deliverables, risks, and execution strategy.
• Assess project maturity across permitting, entitlements, site control, interconnection, design, procurement, logistics, and constructability to support informed decision-making.
• Identify project risks and opportunities, develop mitigation strategies with cross-functional partners, and communicate impacts and recommendations clearly.
• Provide executive-ready reporting on milestones, priorities, workload, and key dependencies.
• Support M&A due diligence, opportunity assessments, and red-flag memoranda for potential projects and acquisitions.
• Contribute to continuous improvement by identifying lessons learned and best practices that enhance project performance and scalability.
• Develop and maintain integrated development and construction schedules that incorporate design, utility, permitting, equipment delivery, logistics, and milestones.
• Collaborate with Estimating to validate capital cost assumptions, reconcile EPC pricing with internal estimates, and identify opportunities to improve cost accuracy and project value.
• Develop EPC engagement strategies and manage procurement processes with cross-functional teams.
• Mentor and share knowledge with colleagues to strengthen team capabilities.
• Promote a culture of safety, integrity, accountability, inclusion, collaboration, and disciplined decision-making.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Cost estimation

Scheduling

Procurement

Communication

Mentoring

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline

Tools

Procore

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Bluebeam

Excel

PowerPoint

Microsoft Teams

Quickbase

Job description

AES Corporation is seeking a Senior Preconstruction Project Manager to lead preconstruction activities for utility-scale renewable energy projects, coordinating across Development, Engineering, Estimating, Procurement, Construction, Finance, and external EPC contractors to define executable scope, cost, schedule, procurement, and risk strategies.

As a trusted project leader, you will help drive investment-quality decisions, strengthen cross-functional alignment, and ensure a seamless transition