Director of Operations & Maintenance

New Energy Equity•Annapolis, MD

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Operations & Maintenance is responsible for leading ESS’s field service organization, ensuring the safe, efficient, and high-quality delivery of preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, and diagnostic services across the company’s solar portfolio. This role is the single operational authority for all field O&M activity and serves as the primary escalation point for client service issues related to O&M contract delivery. The Director of O&M manages three Regional Managers and the Engineering & Remote Operations Center (ROC), integrating field execution with real-time monitoring to deliver on contractual obligations. This position owns the O&M contribution margin and is accountable for technician utilization, workforce development, and operational standardization across all regions. This role does not encompass safety program ownership, special projects, vegetation management, or technology platform administration. The Director of O&M coordinates with these functions but maintains a focused mandate on O&M field execution and delivery excellence.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage ESS’s field O&M organization across all operating regions (currently IL, MN, NY, MD, ME, VA, NJ, DE, CT), ensuring consistent delivery against contractual obligations.
Directly manage Regional Managers and ensure effective deployment of Team Leads and O&M Technicians to service the active solar portfolio.
Serve as the single point of authority for cross-regional operational decisions, including resource sharing, workload balancing, and emergency response coordination.
Drive a culture of safety and accountability among all field personnel in close coordination with the General Manager and the Health & Safety Officer.
Ensure field teams maintain compliance with all applicable OSHA regulations, NFPA 70E standards, and company safety protocols during daily operations.
Serve as the primary escalation point for client service issues related to Technical O&M contract performance, response times, and system availability.
Represent ESS in technical and operational conversations with clients, asset managers, and third-party stakeholders as necessary.
Coordinate with the Director of Client Services to ensure transparent, accurate performance reporting and proactive communication on all portfolio matters.
Address and resolve escalated performance, service, and operational issues promptly, driving internal and external alignment on corrective actions.
Develop strong and enduring client relationships focused on operational trust, responsiveness, and long-term partnership.
Oversee the Engineering & ROC team responsible for real-time monitoring, alert triage, performance analysis, CMMS Work Order Creation, and field dispatch coordination.
Ensure integration between the ROC monitoring workflow and field dispatch operations to minimize response times and maximize system availability.
Support the ROC in delivering accurate, transparent client-facing performance reports in coordination with the Client Services team.
Leverage ROC data and analytics to drive preventive maintenance strategies, identify underperformance trends, and inform resource allocation decisions.
Own the O&M contribution margin, including direct oversight of field labor costs, materials spend, and subcontractor expenses relative to O&M and corrective maintenance revenue.
Manage the O&M field labor budget and work with General Manager to ensure accurate cost tracking and forecasting.
Review and approve field expenses, vendor quotes, cost estimates, and staffing requirements for projects and portfolios.
Drive technician utilization toward company targets, ensuring productive allocation of field hours across preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, and diagnostic services.
Present operational KPIs and performance metrics to the General Manager on a regular cadence, including utilization, response times, system availability, and contribution margin.
Lead the O&M technician hiring pipeline to maintain adequate staffing levels aligned with portfolio growth, targeting a field-to-office ratio consistent with industry benchmarks.
Partner with HR on recruiting, onboarding, and retention strategies for field personnel.
Oversee technician career development in alignment with ESS’s Tech Profile framework (Level 1–4), ensuring a pipeline of qualified senior technicians and Team Lead candidates.
Drive internal promotion and professional development to support the company’s “Lift as We Climb” cultural value and reduce reliance on external hiring for senior technical roles.
Establish and enforce cross-regional operational standards for work order execution, documentation, CMMS compliance, and field quality.
Ensure accurate and timely transfer of work order data to the accounting team for billing activities.
Identify and implement process improvements to enhance field efficiency, reduce rework, and improve first-time fix rates.
Maintain working knowledge of industry trends, emerging technologies, equipment vendors, and evolving O&M best practices.
Support ESS’s participation in internal Talent LMS integration and adoption for training and safety compliance.
Perform other related duties as assigned.