Remote Lead Solar Farm Operations Engineer

Placements24; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Remote work flexibility

Training & development opportunities

Career advancement and bonuses

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Lead Solar Farm Operations Engineer to manage performance across large-scale solar plants in South Africa. This fully remote role supports a distributed cape-town-based team, focusing on maximizing energy generation, asset integrity, and grid compliance.

You will lead engineers, analyze SCADA data, coordinate maintenance, and mentor staff while evaluating new technologies to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical engineering.
• 7+ years of experience in operation and maintenance of solar PV power plants.
• Demonstrated expertise in PV system design, performance monitoring, and fault diagnosis.
• Proficiency with SCADA systems, data acquisition, and performance analysis software.
• Strong understanding of grid interconnection standards and power plant economics.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the operational performance of multiple solar farms, ensuring optimal energy output and system uptime.
• Develop and implement preventative maintenance strategies and corrective action plans for PV systems and associated infrastructure.
• Analyze performance data using SCADA and other monitoring systems to identify trends, anomalies, and areas for improvement.
• Manage remote troubleshooting and diagnostics of solar farm equipment, including inverters, panels, and tracking systems.
• Coordinate with field maintenance teams, contractors, and stakeholders to ensure timely and effective repairs and upgrades.
• Ensure compliance with all safety regulations, environmental standards, and grid codes.
• Prepare detailed operational reports, performance analyses, and recommendations for asset enhancement.
• Lead and mentor junior operations engineers and technical staff remotely.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies and operational practices to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Act as the primary technical point of contact for operational queries and escalations.

Skills

PV systems expertise

SCADA data analysis

Remote team leadership

Grid connection knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SCADA software

Data acquisition systems

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Lead Solar Farm Operations Engineer to manage performance across large-scale solar plants in South Africa. This fully remote role supports a distributed cape-town-based team, focusing on maximizing energy generation, asset integrity, and grid compliance.

You will lead engineers, analyze SCADA data, coordinate maintenance, and mentor staff while evaluating new technologies to improve efficiency and reduce costs.