Product Engineering Lead (Release) at Scatec ASA

Main purpose of position

Currently we are looking for a Product Engineering Lead to be based in Cape Town, South Africa and be part of our global team. The Product Engineer will be leading the product engineering function and technology management. The primary mandate of the Product Engineering Lead (PdEL) is to manage and continuously improve Release’s technical offering for use in Release’s projects in accordance with the organization's strategic goals. The PdEL is responsible for managing and maintaining Release’s standard system technical offering as well as the continuous improvement and further development thereof to fit with Release’s overall strategy.

Main responsibilities:

• Leading the product engineering function: The product engineering lead, as the name suggests, leads Release’s product engineering function. The overall responsibility of the role is to align the organization's technological capabilities and offering with its business objectives and strategy.
• Technology development: Release’s technology offering includes the spheres of energy generation (PV), energy storage (BESS) and energy management (EMS). The PdEL role is responsible to develop Release’s technical offering and produce the tools, documentation, specifications, standard designs, procedures and general knowledge base that enables the effective implementation of the technical offering within projects.
• Technology evaluation: The PdEL role assists in qualifying technologies and products Release aims to utilize in its technical offering. This includes identifying and mitigating technical, supplier, implementation, financial and other risks associated with these technologies.
• Building competence and experience: The PdEL role helps to build the Release organizations overall technical competence and capabilities. Enabling other Release functions, through training, to implement the technologies effectively in projects.
• Technical Action Plan deliverables: The PdEL shall assist the Chief engineer to drive the actions and deliverables as set out in the technical action plan and report on their progress to the technical committee of Release. The PdEL will attend and participate in technical alignment meetings with Release’s technical committee.
• Participate in special technical reviews: The PdEL shall participate and contribute to the review of deliverables produced by the Project Engineering Leads (PjEL) on the integration of product technologies in projects with special requirements. These reviews will be limited to those aspects where the proper use of a technology demands that a technology expert co-assesses the integration details thereof.
• Providing special technical support: Provide special technical support to PjELs within their projects and ad-hoc technical support to the technical development function when strategic technology integration or analysis is required.
• Reporting to management and Release committees: To report on product technical deliverables, challenges, risks and opportunities to the chief engineer, Release management and/or the technical/investment committees of Release.

Important role interfaces:

• Engineering (ENG): Technical development: Providing the technical development team with the tools and knowledge they require to appropriately and effectively offer the technologies within the projects they co-lead with the business development/sales function.
• Implementation engineering: Providing the project engineering leads (PjELs) with the tools and knowledge they require to effectively utilize the product/technologies within the projects they lead. Note however that the PjELs are ultimately responsible for their project’s deliverables and that the PdEL will not participate in general project work.
• Business development & sales (BD&S): Direct interaction with the BD&S function will be limited as all technical deliverables will be coordinated by the technical development team.
• Procurement and Logistics (P&L): Interaction with the P&L function will entail collaborating together with technology suppliers, technology pricing, specifications, RFQ documentation.
• Project Management (PM): Direct interaction with the PM function will be limited as all technical deliverables will be coordinated by the PjEL within projects.
• Project control (PC): Direct interaction with the PC function will be limited to providing estimates of installation speed and resource needs related to the standard use of technologies within projects.
• Quality Assurance/Control (QC): Interaction with the QC function will entail collaboration to identify potential technology-related quality risks and assist the QC team to formulate quality control requirements of technologies.
• Document Control (DC): Interaction with the document control function will entail the effective organisation of all documents, tools, specifications and other technology or product related documents
• Technical Asset Management (AM): Interaction with the AM technical team (and CMC team via the Technical AM function) to transfer skills and knowledge on the operations and maintenance requirements of technologies.

Qualifications and competencies 

• Engineering Degree, preferably Electrical
• 7+ years electrical engineering experience
• 5+ years EPC/construction projects experience
• 5+ years renewable energy sector experience; mainly solar PV and BESS
• Advanced understanding of electrical engineering and renewable energy technologies (PV + BESS)
• Advanced understanding of the procurement and construction processes related to these technologies
• Excellent MS Office Suite software knowledge and good working knowledge of Adobe Acrobat (or similar PDF app)
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft SharePoint
• Advanced familiarity with software design tools (AutoCAD, PVSyst, programming software (Python), Homer, etc.)
• Valid driver's license

For the particular role we also expect

• Task oriented, prioritization skills, highly structured, detail oriented, and analytical.
• Independent and proactive way of working.
• Able to communicate clearly in a professional manner to various internal and external parties.
• Able to produce clear written communication (emails, meeting minutes, tasks) and submit to team and management in a structured and professional manner.
• Able to work in a fast-paced and deadline driven project environment.
• Continuous learning, skill development and skills transfer abilities.

Personal characteristics

It is part of every Release employee’s terms of reference to contribute to Scatec group’s vision: Improving our Future and adhere to our company values which are:

• Predictable: demonstrate clear communication and listening skills, shares information in an open and honest way.
• Driving results: demonstrate determination, pro-activeness, can prioritise and work independently.
• Changemaker: demonstrate entrepreneurship, can challenge, fast learner, take initiates and adjust.
• Working together: demonstrate teamwork, shares responsibilities, can compromise, has a can-do attitude.