Junior Renewable Energy Engineer

We are WSP - Join us and make your career future ready!

Think bigger scale. Think higher profile. Think ground-breaking. Join WSP, and you’ll be at the heart of a team of international experts all dedicated to growing and sharing their expertise, and working on projects that transform society for all of us.

WSP is one of the most diverse consulting firms in Africa, and the largest environmental consulting firm globally. To further our strategic business execution plan, we are seeking leaders who share our guiding principles – we value our people and our reputation; we are locally dedicated with international scale; we are future-focused and challenge the status quo; we foster collaboration; we have an empowering culture and hold ourselves accountable.

Job Description

KEY ROLE:

WSP South Africa is looking for an aspiring and passionate Junior Renewables Engineer who will function as a technical consultant for utility-scale Solar PV and Wind Energy projects in Southern Africa and be able to support international business as required.

A commitment to registration as a candidate engineer with ECSA to obtain a Pr Eng registration within 3-5 years is required; however, existing professional registration with ECSA is considered advantageous. Up to 50% of travel to clients, sites and manufacturers premises is envisaged. The role will require foreign travel, specifically travel within Africa.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Managing high-quality quality technical advisory works. 
• Project management and interfacing between engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, civil and control & instrumentation);
• Provide technical input from initial assessment through to technical and economic feasibility of the solar PV /Wind projects and integration with other electrical or generating plants as necessary. 
• Review overall project design and suggest technical and design improvements. 
• Preparation and management of technical specifications, bills of materials, tender stage management and evaluations, negotiation and selection of Balance of Plant, Operation & Maintenance or EPC, and other supply contracts.
• Technical reviews/negotiate key construction contracts for, and alongside, clients. 
• Due diligence of solar PV projects and support Sponsor(s) and Lender(s) throughout the Financial Close process including technical liaison with legal and financial advisors. 
• Risk management, including construction, operational, and financial risk as well as internal WSP risk management. 
• Assessing technical risks and proposing mitigation strategies to reduce risk exposure in project CAPEX, OPEX, and revenues.
• Monitoring project construction and acceptance including site visits and commissioning supervision; and
• Assist with and/or conduct any other necessary aspects of a project that fall within the discipline of the role.

Qualifications

• BSc/BEng in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering. Master’s in Renewable Energy/Smart Grids/Power Systems preferable.
• 0-2 years’ experience in Solar PV technology with experience in Wind Technology considered very advantageous. A mix of South African experience (REIPPP) and regional overseas experience is also preferred. 
• Basic knowledge and field expertise regarding solar PV/Wind turbine technologies including emerging technologies in the international renewable energy market. 
• Technical advisory experience towards investors, project developers, and banks (conceptual understanding).
• Knowledge of various solar PV applications (utility-scale, ground-mounted, building-mounted, fixed tilt, single-axis, and multi-axis tracking). 
• Experience covering a range of solar PV plant lifecycle delivery (including feasibility and development engineering, construction monitoring, witnessing testing and commissioning activities, and operational monitoring/inspections) is preferable.
• Knowledge of solar PV plant designs, Energy Yield Assessment, layouts, and connection interfaces is preferable.
• ECSA registration as a Candidate is required and/or will be required in within the first year of employment.

KEY COMPETENCIES AND GENERIC SKILLS:

• Minimum 0-2 years of postgraduate experience, preferably in the wind and solar industry.
• Ability to work within a team of engineers.
• Good communication skills
• Good technical report writing skills.
• Ability to manage time, quality and effort in order to deliver a quality product within time and cost constraints.
• Ability to coordinate and manage projects.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Must be able to function independently.
  

Additional Information

What's in it for you?

What if we can have work-life balance? What if we can be rewarded in ways that support our individual needs? What if we can be accepted for who we are? Here at WSP – we can!

WSP recognizes that work is only one part of our lives and making time for the other things in our life is important – be that our families, our friends or ourselves. So, if working from home, working part-time or having flexible start and finish time will help with this let us know as part of your application.

As well as rewarding you with competitive pay, WSP offers standard benefits including first class medical cover, generous days annual leave, and paid professional subscriptions.

Be you, be happy - we strive to have a friendly and inclusive culture which respects and maximizes the contribution individuals can bring to WSP. We recognize the benefits that people with varying backgrounds and experiences can bring. Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. We will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria.