Senior Site Suitability Engineer
Location: Austin, TX (preferred) or Chicago, IL
Schedule: Hybrid (3 days in office, 2 days remote)
We are seeking a Senior Site Suitability Engineer to join our onshore wind projects team. This position plays a critical role in evaluating new wind turbine technologies and conducting site suitability studies to ensure projects are designed for maximum efficiency, yield, and safety.
Responsibilities:
- Perform site suitability and lifetime assessments, including load, fatigue, and Wind Sector Management (WSM).
- Manage all site suitability-related tasks across project stages.
- Serve as the main point of contact for internal stakeholders (development, engineering, technology teams) and external stakeholders (OEMs, certification bodies, consultants).
- Conduct independent assessments of site conditions (wind classification, turbulence, extremes, etc.) while meeting project requirements and deadlines.
- Support turbine pre-selection and create shortlists of suitable wind turbines for each project site.
- Coordinate with turbine OEMs to ensure timely delivery of high-quality Site Suitability Reports (SSR) and Mechanical Load Analyses (MLA).
- Review and assess OEM SSRs/MLAs.
- Conduct terrain and measurement sector assessments for performance testing; review third-party testing reports.
- Participate in site visits for turbine micrositing and data collection.
- Gather insights from operating sites with suitability issues and share best practices across projects.
- Contribute to development of in-house standards, tools, and processes for site suitability.
- Provide peer reviews of complex tasks and mentor junior colleagues.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field.
- Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in site suitability assessment, preferably within a turbine OEM.
- Strong knowledge of wind yield assessment, wind turbine concepts, loads, and relevant software (CFD, Wasp, WindPRO, Windographer).
- Fluent in English (oral and written).
- Programming skills (e.g., Python) preferred.
- Strong knowledge of international wind turbine regulations (IEC61400, DNV GL standards, etc.).
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and Teams.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently while meeting deadlines.
- Effective communicator with proven ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
- Willingness to travel up to 25% (domestic and international).
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineer to influence project development and ensure long-term performance of onshore wind projects.