Position Overview
An established renewable energy project company is seeking an experienced Chief Executive Officer to provide single-point executive leadership and accountability for a major operating solar PV asset.
This is an owner-side executive role within a lean, single-asset SPV structure. The CEO will be accountable for day-to-day company management, plant performance and stabilisation, commercial and financial outcomes, contractual and regulatory matters, stakeholder relationships and strategic projects. Delivery will primarily be managed through outsourced O&M, management-service providers, the Owner's Engineer and specialist advisers rather than a large internal team.
The successful candidate must combine renewable energy operational credibility with strong commercial, contractual and Board-level leadership.
Key Responsibilities
Executive Leadership & Governance
Lead the company as the Board's accountable executive representative.
Translate Board-approved strategy and risk appetite into annual business plans, operating priorities and measurable service-provider deliverables.
Maintain clear accountability across the Board, O&M contractor, management-service provider, Owner's Engineer and specialist advisers.
Make routine operational and commercial decisions within delegated authority and escalate material or reserved matters appropriately.
Establish disciplined management, reporting, decision-making and provider-accountability processes.
Plant Performance & O&M Management
Own the plant-stabilisation strategy and drive recovery of defects, maintenance backlogs, recurring failures and performance issues.
Establish clear performance baselines covering production, availability, performance ratio, outages, safety and recovery programmes.
Hold the O&M contractor accountable for planned and corrective maintenance, fault response, spares, root-cause analysis, work quality and technical records.
Lead O&M contractor mobilisation, transition and ongoing performance management.
Manage defects, warranties, variations, claims, extensions of time, service credits, liquidated damages and other contractual remedies.
Use the Owner's Engineer and technical specialists to independently verify performance, completion and technical evidence.
Ensure operational continuity, emergency preparedness and effective incident escalation.
Commercial & Financial Management
Own the annual budget, forecasts, cash plan, operating plan and overall financial performance of the SPV.
Review management accounts, forecasts and variances and translate these into corrective actions.
Oversee revenue billing, metering reconciliation, deemed-energy claims, curtailment recovery and other material commercial matters.
Evaluate expenditure and projects against financial return, risk reduction, contractual recovery and long-term asset value.
Ensure procurement and contracting deliver value for money with clear outputs and enforceable remedies.
Support Board decisions on distributions, reserves, capital expenditure and material commitments.
Manage relationships with auditors, tax advisers, insurers, lenders and investors where applicable.
Contracts, Claims & Disputes
Maintain executive oversight of the PPA, Implementation Agreement, generation licence, Grid Code, O&M contract, management-services arrangements and other material project agreements.
Identify contractual and legal risks early and ensure appropriate specialist advice is obtained.
Coordinate contractual notices, claims, counterclaims, variations, warranties, settlement options and dispute processes.
Preserve the company's contractual rights and ensure supporting technical, financial and factual evidence is maintained.
Develop commercially balanced recommendations considering legal position, operational continuity, recoverability, timing, cost and reputational implications.
Regulatory & Stakeholder Management
Act as the company's principal executive interface with relevant utilities, regulators and public-sector stakeholders.
Oversee Grid Code, dispatch, curtailment, metering, billing and other PPA and regulatory matters.
Ensure regulatory submissions, notifications, forecasts and reports are accurate and delivered on time.
Maintain constructive relationships with communities and other key stakeholders while protecting the company's contractual and regulatory position.
Maintain executive accountability for socioeconomic development, economic development and ESG compliance and outcomes.
Board Reporting & Strategic Projects
Provide concise, integrated Board reporting covering operations, finance, contracts, legal and regulatory matters, safety, ESG, strategic projects and enterprise risks.
Convert complex technical and commercial information into clear executive recommendations and decision papers.
Maintain authoritative risk, issue, decision and action tracking.
Act as executive sponsor for approved rehabilitation, expansion, compliance, technology, reliability and commercial projects.
Ensure projects are appropriately governed and delivered against approved scope, programme, budget, quality and risk requirements.
Qualifications & Experience
Relevant degree in engineering, finance, commerce, law, business, project management or infrastructure management.
Minimum of 10–15 years' relevant experience, including substantial senior accountability within power, renewable energy, utilities or comparable infrastructure.
Proven owner-side accountability for an operating renewable energy or infrastructure SPV, portfolio or major asset.
Demonstrated experience managing O&M contracts and enforcing contractor performance.
Strong working knowledge of PPAs, project agreements, project-finance economics, operating budgets and regulated infrastructure.
Experience engaging utilities, energy regulators and other relevant public-sector stakeholders.
Demonstrable experience managing disputes, claims, defects, variations, legal advisers and technical consultants.
Experience achieving results through outsourced providers rather than relying on a large internal team.
Executive-level Board reporting and decision-paper experience.
Plant rehabilitation, stressed-asset stabilisation, major defect recovery or O&M contractor transition experience is strongly preferred.
Advantageous
Postgraduate qualification in business, finance, commerce or project management.
Professional engineering registration.
Relevant governance, contract-management, dispute-management, health and safety or energy-sector credentials.
Skills & Competencies
Strong strategic judgement across operational, financial, contractual, regulatory and reputational matters.
Commercially astute with the ability to connect technical plant performance to revenue, cash flow, risk and shareholder value.
Strong contractual fluency, including notices, claims, remedies, variations, warranties and performance regimes.
Sufficient technical credibility to interrogate Solar PV performance, maintenance strategies, technical reports, root-cause analyses and test evidence.
Strong execution discipline and ability to hold contractors and service providers accountable.
Calm and decisive leadership during incidents, disputes and periods of operational pressure.
Concise, decision-oriented Board communication.
Strong credibility with utilities, regulators, contractors, advisers, communities and shareholders.
High levels of independence, integrity and owner-side accountability.
Ability to lead effectively within a lean organisational structure.
Important Note
Applicants must have substantial senior-level experience within renewable energy, power, utilities or comparable infrastructure and must demonstrate direct owner-side accountability for an operating asset, SPV or portfolio. Strong O&M contract management, commercial and financial ownership, PPA and project-contract experience, Board-level reporting and the ability to manage outsourced providers are essential. Candidates whose experience is primarily limited to technical, construction or advisory responsibilities without accountability for an operating asset are unlikely to meet the requirements of this role.
