Job Location: Aukera office in Rome  (Hybrid)

Background to Aukera

Aukera is a Renewable Energy Company (IPP) with offices in Bucharest, London, Edinburgh, Rome and Berlin.

We pride ourselves on our values and working environment. Our staff are friendly and caring, very professional and dedicated, and committed to having a real impact on the planet.

We look for people who are high performers, whatever their field, and who are self-motivated. As a growing company, we need people who are prepared to take ownership and drive improvements, who have respect for each other, and collaborate effectively. We value diversity and are proud to have an international team spread across Europe covering 14 nationalities, with around 30% female employees.

Job Description

This role will reporting to our Head of Engineering in Italy and support all areas of Aukera’s Engineering activity across the region. You will be assigned a number of projects, for which you will act as the technical lead, responsible for all technical inputs to the project, across all phases: early development, pre-construction and construction.

This role will require close collaborative working with the Development, Investment, Procurement and Construction teams using high level communication, stakeholder management and problem-solving skills to ensure the success of projects in a timely and cost-effective manner.

The position requires both technical and commercial skills, the ability to form strong working relationships, and work in a team, often remotely, in order to provide technical engineering support. A good understanding of the roles of contractors, consultants, network operators, equipment suppliers, permitting authorities and other project stakeholders is essential to succeed in this role, as are the Solar engineering skills that will be applied on real-life projects across a growing pipeline in Europe.

Duties and responsibilities

• Focusing on projects in Italy (primarily, but not exclusively), act as technical lead for a series of projects and the respective project team’s single point of contact for all technical matters.
• Support Aukera’s Project Development function from early development to Ready To Build (RTB) and Financial Close (FC).
• Support Aukera’s Project Management function as needed across all technical aspects during construction period, commissioning, PAC and FAC.
• Lead the technical assessment of project acquisition opportunities (M&A), including management of external Technical Advisors during the full Due Diligence phase and beyond.
• Review and analyse project information and define appropriate design and main equipment to be used, based on the site conditions and techno-economic criteria.
• Undertake LCOE optimisation exercises to maximise the commercial performance of projects.
• Identify and analyse constraints and risks to projects, propose suitable mitigants and adjust design as needed.
• Lead the development of Owner’s Requirements and of the EPC Contract’s Technical Appendices.
• Lead the development of Basic Design for inclusion in EPC RfPs.
• Lead the review of EPC Contractor bids, reports, orders, claims, etc for compliance with Owner’s Requirements and EPC Contract appendices and support negotiations with EPC Contractors.
  • Procure, coordinate and manage Technical Advisor services (including OE, LTA and Acquisition DD).
• Review Technical Advisor analysis and reports, provide comments and lead appropriate action based on their final deliverables.
• Lead and coordinate the technical review of EPC Contractor’s detail design.
• Undertake site visits to both greenfield sites and sites under construction.

Experience and Technical Knowledge

• Proven track record with large-scale Solar PV in Europe, in a similar role, working either on the Developer, IPP, or Technical Advisor side.
• Strong knowledge of Solar PV plant constituent components (modules, inverters, structures, trackers, etc), with knowledge of Battery (BESS) technologies being a plus.
• Strong knowledge of layouts and Energy Yield Assessment (EYA) development; and good knowledge of all factors affecting PV plant performance.
• Experienced in design and simulation software including PVsyst, PV design, AutoCAD and/or other Solar or BESS modelling software.
• Experienced with EPC / O&M contracts, including Technical Appendices.
• Experience in BESS and/or Wind technologies is a plus.

Business Skills

• Fluent in Italian, and strong verbal and written English
• Used to working autonomously and communicating complexity effectively
• A natural collaborator, confident in building relationships internally and externally
• Adept at working to challenging deadlines, prioritising effectively and managing own workload
• A flexible and pro-active attitude, adapting quickly to change and seeking feedback

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
• Masters in Renewable Energy or related field is preferable.

Employee Benefits

• Private Healthcare for you and your family
• 22 days Annual leave plus public holidays
• Meal vouchers 12 Euros per day