Solar Operations Technician – Rutherford Solar

Southern Company • Forest City, NC

2d

About The Position

Want an innovative challenge? Solar technology is rapidly developing in the
traditional Southern Company footprint and here’s an opportunity to be a part of
it. We are seeking strong technical individuals for Solar Operations Technician
position for Southern Power’s Rutherford Farm solar facility in Rutherford
County, North Carolina. This position will also support our Granville Solar
Facility as needed in Granville, County, NC.

Rutherford Solar Facility – 74 megawatts

The project is located on 489 acres in Rutherford County. Rutherford Farm
consists of 289,104 fixed-tilt, monocrystalline solar panels manufactured by
Trina Solar.

Granville Solar Facility – 2.5 megawatts

The Granville Solar Facility is a 2.5-megawatt solar facility located on 40
acres of private land in Granville County, North Carolina. The 2.5-megawatt
solar facility consists of poly crystalline photovoltaic solar modules
manufactured by MEMC.

The responsibilities include operating and maintaining utility scale solar
photovoltaic electric systems as well as monitoring, troubleshooting, and
repairing the plant's electrical and mechanical equipment and various other
duties. In addition, the successful candidates will maintain plant maintenance
records in the computer-based work order system, Maximo®, and participate in the
plant system owner program. The candidate will need to have the willingness to
serve on any Operations Review Board (ORB) action teams when required. Shift
work required, including nights.

This position will be filled at a level commensurate with experience.

Requirements

• HS Graduate or Equivalent
• 2-year College/Technical Degree or equivalent relevant work experience required
• Electrical background is highly preferred
• Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude and a demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and repair electrical and mechanical equipment are required
• Strong technical background in electrical and electronic devices and equipment - Instrumentation experience is a plus; PV and/or experience with inverters is desired
• Must be a self-starter with the ability to work with little to no direction as well as possess an ability to follow directions when required.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to apply principle of logical thinking and deal with situations that will be encountered.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills are required.
• Must be able to learn how to independently operate a solar plant and communicate effectively with plant stakeholders.
• Ability to perform physically demanding activities (i.e. climbing stairs and ladders, lifting heavy equipment) while working safely in all types of weather.
• The successful candidate will be expected to support multiple solar sites at times. This support will require overnight travel for multiple days at times.
• Travel may be up to 25% of the time. Overnight travel for multiple days will be required for training, site support, company meetings, etc. Some travel will be across multiple state requiring travel by flight.

Nice To Haves

• Solar Utility Scale Inverter maintenance experience preferred (i.e. Advanced Energy or SMA)

Responsibilities

• operating and maintaining utility scale solar photovoltaic electric systems
• monitoring, troubleshooting, and repairing the plant's electrical and mechanical equipment
• maintain plant maintenance records in the computer-based work order system, Maximo®
• participate in the plant system owner program
• serve on any Operations Review Board (ORB) action teams when required

Benefits

• Southern Company invests in the well-being of its employees and their families through a comprehensive total rewards strategy that includes competitive base salary, annual incentive awards for eligible employees and health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being.
• This position may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, with the amount of any bonus/awards subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan(s).
• A summary of the benefits offered for this position can be found here https://seo.nlx.org/southernco/pdf/SOCO-Benefits.pdf
• Additional and specific details about total compensation and benefits will also be provided during the hiring process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree