New Job Roles at SMA Solar Technology South Africa

Your Contribution to the Big Picture

• Gives advice to customers over the phone regarding product specification, product portfolio, Service Partners, and standard service products (i.e., chargeable Services, warranty extensions, etc.)
• Provides independent commissioning, maintenance, and repair of solar and battery inverters as well as medium voltage stations (TCS, MVPS, MVS) for large scale PV power plants.
• Supports customers and/or installers remotely and on-site, so that issues relating to single and three phase inverters for large/medium scale PV power plants can be resolved.
• Upload data to the FMS and analyses to determine cause of failure (Utility) 
• Commissioning, troubleshooting, repairs and data analysis for residential, industrial & commercial PV plants. 
• Handles spare parts for changing out the individual inverter components and organizes the related logistics.
• Records all issues in Sales Force/Service documentation using multiple electronic reporting platforms and provides regular reporting to the Service Director and to the HQ Service division.
• Final clarification and documentation of customer enquiries regarding missing, incomplete and/or open deliveries, returns, complaints and unannounced returns according to the general instructions with extended scope. 
• Manages HSE requirements for customer site visits/repairs/commissioning (risk assessments and method statements)
• Reports health & safety issues detected during a site visit.
• Informal training of our customers on-site technical personnel and new SMA Service employees
• Assist with design and testing for modifications/retro fits on customer sites.
• Carries out any reasonable request for any person in the management team.
• Participates in an inventory check in line with the company’s stock take protocol. 
• Manages stock between main HUB and vehicle stock.

Your skills are needed

• Requires a BTech in Electrical Engineering, a Masters Degree is preferred
• At least three years of experience in professional customer service and in the installation, repair or maintenance of electrical plant or other installations in the field of power electronics
• Ideally a very good understanding of DC and measurement equipment
• Familiar with the occupational health and safety regulations and implementation and adherence to safety standards
• Proficient using MS Office
• SAP experience would be advantageous.
• An understanding of IP network technology would be highly advantageous.
• Experienced or knowledgeable about MV will be advantageous.
• A valid Class B driver’s license 
• Dealing with sub-contractors
• A willingness to be hands-on and get the job done in a professional manner. 
• A willingness to learn and gain experience and knowledge in the Solar industry.
• Willingness to travel in and around Sub Saharan Africa or Globally and attending training in Germany as required.
• Knowledge or experience with the South African Grid Code and plant control methodologies will be highly advantageous.
• Very good English and Afrikaans skills; German language skills would be advantageous.
• Excellent communication skills as well as the ability to interact with customers in a positive and professional manner as well as be able to work effectively and independently.

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Your Contribution to the Big Picture

• Serving as a technical product specialist for the SMA utility product portfolio and assist customers with technical questions.
• Analyse system specifications and requirements, review and /or propose suitable utility system designs and technical feedback with the aim of contributing to the development of the utility sales pipeline.
• Review customer and utility interconnection requests and help select the right products and services
• Contribute to the creation of Sales materials, to be used by sales staff during meetings with existing and new potential clients
• Conduct competitor analysis and provides technical argumentation to successfully compete against the analysed products and/or solutions. Contribute to the development of marketing material by creating value propositions SMA utility solutions.
• Attend industry conferences and trade shows if necessary
• Take technical lead of all headquarter related technical topics and provide feedback and guidance to the MEA application engineers.
• Set up and manage Application Engineering calls with the MEA application engineers.
• Take technical lead of the localized SMA Engineering services and ensure all solutions proposed meet regional requirements and function as per SMA requirements.
• Together with the regional head of sales, Sales, and Managing Directors provide technical guidance to ensure mid to long term sales developmental goals align with utility product portfolio capabilities. 
• Creation of offer and tender documentation
• Assisting the senior sales team with preparing quotations and technical design and project proposals for all SMA products and assisting the sales team with technical questions
• Participate in regular customer calls, operations and sales meetings or site visits as needed/required
• Act as technical lead for the regional application engineers to ensure they are fully capable to handle all string and low voltage connected grid tied and storage customer requests.
• SMA representative in utility and municipal working groups for grid codes
• Assist in detailed model development for customer specific Hybrid / Storage projects using PVSyst/matlab/Homer
• Assist LSS team on regional projects
• Assist Repowering team on regional projects
• Assist Engineering Services teams on regional projects

Your skills are needed

• 7+ years experience as an applications engineer
• BTech or Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering
• Extensive knowledge in various Solar PV software (PVSyst, Homer….)
• Familiarity with CAD software
• Strong customer service skills
• Sales and marketing experience a plus
• Ability to handle client and customer issues tactfully and professionally.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented
• Adept and effective communicator
• Creative, analytical, and driven
• Thrives in a fast-paced work environment.
• Enjoys complex problem-solving and collaboration.