Head of Technical

JERA Nex is a company created by JERA to scale renewable energy for a sustainable future. JERA Nex combines the resilience of JERA, one of the world’s largest electricity producers, with the agility and focus of a dedicated renewables business that can act at the pace required to drive the global energy transition. JERA Nex invests in, currently owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy assets, with a portfolio over 3GW that includes offshore wind, onshore wind and solar, as well as battery storage. This includes Parkwind, its wholly owned subsidiary. Headquartered in London, and with centres of excellence in Belgium, Japan, Taiwan and the US, our team of more than 300 renewable and energy industry experts combines global knowhow and experience with the local expertise and knowledge necessary to deliver successful projects. In order to support JERA’s ambition in Renewables, the JERA renewables team manage a number of investment opportunities, tenders, M&A, greenfield developments and highly complex and capex intensive projects and joint ventures that sometimes include P2X.

Job Description

The Head of Technical will be part of the onshore renewables business leadership team and responsible for ensure Jera Nex develops, builds and operators best in class assets in terms of quality, specification, efficiency and optimal performance, with safety at the core of all of this.

The role will be based in London and will require travel within the core regions for Jera Nex which at present include the US, Middle East and APAC, including Japan.

Historically, Jera has been more of a passive investor into onshore renewable energy projects as is the case with our current operating portfolio of ~2 GW (net). Jera Nex was established as a more hands on organization that will have the capability to develop, build and operate renewable energy projects and do so in the capacity of a lead developer. Our current development pipeline is at around ~4GW (net, on a probability adjusted basis) and provides the opportunity for Jera Nex to take more of a lead role as a hands on developer.

As a direct report to the VP Global Onshore Renewables, the Head of Technical will be responsible for providing technical expertise and leadership in the development, implementation, and maintenance of onshore renewable projects across the Jera Nex portfolio. The candidate will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the successful development, planning, execution and operation of projects, from initial due diligence, project design through to commissioning and ongoing operational support.

What You Will Do

• Perform the technical diligence, assessment and feasibility studies for projects, including site evaluation, resource assessment, and technical due diligence (with the use of third parties as required, or partner organisations).

• Design PV solar systems configuration and develop engineering specifications based on project requirements and local regulations.

• Provide technical guidance and support during project planning, construction, and commissioning phases, including overseeing the guidance given to EPC contractors during project design.

• Conduct performance analysis and optimization of assets to maximize cost effective energy production and efficiency.

• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including project developers, JV partners (if applicable), contractors, advisors, and regulatory bodies, to ensure compliance with technical standards and project goals.

• Stay updated with industry trends, technological advancements, and regulatory changes related to BESS, onshore wind and solar PV.

• Manage technical documentation for development and government tenders for projects.

• Strategic analysis of each project via due diligence, project planning and risk matrix.

• Participate in negotiations of PPA & all other project documents as projects are progressed through development towards FID.

• Participate in negotiations of commercial contractual terms with potential partners, investors, lenders, EPC and O&M providers.

• Coordinate technical aspects of the projects with financial and technical advisors.

• Participate in the bidding strategy and drafting business model assumptions.

• Review technical configuration of the plant and participate in optimization strategies.

• Select and manage external advisors, consultants, and engineers.

• Review proposals of OE, LTA, TA, LLA and negotiate their TSAs.

• Identify, manage & mitigate risks during development and into construction and operations.

• Draft and co-ordinate internal reports and investment papers representing the project deal for all internal approvals up to board level and support internal and external presentations. Strong presentation and communication skills will be essential for this.

• Be a subject matter expert on our core onshore renewable energy technologies, and ensure strong technical oversight on our existing operating portfolio (including platforms, where this is feasible).

• Help to develop the team further ensuring that it is fit for purpose, regionally focused where necessary and can provide the required key technical functions on projects or platform investments.

Job Requirements

Who you are

• 15+ years of experience, mandatorily in renewables (focus solar PV, storage, onshore wind) and ideally also more general renewables industry and energy sector in the US, APAC and Middle East (or a combination of this),

• Proven track-record in the technical development, delivery and operations of renewable energy projects, including participation in bidding and M&A processes,

• Highly experienced in procurement and supply chains as they relate to onshore renewable technologies, including their differences by region,

• Extensive network of relationships in industry and amongst key stakeholders in the regions, including OEMs, contractors and technical consultants/advisors,

• Track record of strategic planning, risk management and delivery of growth initiatives,

• Credibility with stakeholders, investors, supply chain and partners established through the successful acquisitions, joint ventures, and/or development of renewables projects at various stages in the project life-cycle.

• Self-starter, and people leader; we need someone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in, and work to further establish this important business function and its wider organization.

• Highly skilled in communication, relationship management & negotiation.

• Proactive and strong ability to anticipate issues and technical matters, and undertake prompt decision making.

• A problem solver, solution oriented, for whom planning, organizing and excellent project management skills are all second nature.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret technical data and make recommendations for optimization.

Who We Are And What We Offer

• Start-up and entrepreneurial environment in a company that is part of a larger, well-funded and long-term ambition to contribute to global decarbonization,

• International team, with a growing HQ in London, that benefits from our different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences,

• We are high-performing and ambitious individuals who also enjoy our private lives. We hope you can identify with that.

• We believe in the benefit of flexible working hours and location and appreciate that we see one another in person regularly where logistically possible, we also make use of technology in an efficient way.

• We are not afraid to admit that we don’t know things but also proactively look to solve problems and work collaboratively, and

• We work hard but also want to have fun at the same time, we’re on an exciting journey.

Established in 2015, JERA is an equal joint venture of TEPCO Fuel & Power, Incorporated and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. JERA is a Japanese company with significant and global portfolio of international energy assets. It has industry leading expertise scaling the entire fuel and power supply chain, from upstream fuel investments to fuel procurement, trading and transportation, to power generation development, construction and operation. JERA’s mission is to contribute to an internationally competitive supply of power and energy and to invigorate the standard of living, industry and economy around the world. JERA Nex is a 100% owned subsidiary of JERA.