Job Location - Botswana
Job Summary:
The Project Company is constructing a 500+ MW utility-scale
Solar PV plant with an integrated 500+ MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
in Botswana, to be connected to the national grid. We are seeking an
experienced Senior Site Manager with a strong electrical background to act as
the Project Company's principal representative on site, holding overall
responsibility for site execution on this large utility-scale Solar PV and BESS
project. The successful candidate will be the main person on site, coordinating
the EPC Contractor, the Owner's Engineer (OE) and the Lenders' Technical
Advisor (LTA), reconciling the approved design with actual conditions and works
executed on site, taking technical decisions within delegated authority,
verifying progress against the approved construction programme, and issuing
daily and weekly site reports to project leadership. The role is permanent and
site-based, requiring relocation to Botswana for the duration of construction,
testing, commissioning and handover.
Key Responsibilities:
•Act as the Project
Company's principal representative on site, holding overall responsibility for
the successful execution of utility-scale Solar PV and BESS construction
activities, ensuring the project is carried out safely, on schedule, within
budget and in complete accordance with contractual, technical and quality
requirements.
•Lead and manage all site
operations, providing clear direction to site engineers, discipline leads,
supervisors and contractors while maintaining effective coordination across
civil, electrical, mechanical and commissioning activities.
•Act as the primary
technical interface on site between the EPC Contractor, the Owner's Engineer
(OE) and the Lenders' Technical Advisor (LTA), coordinating technical
approvals, inspections, design conformance reviews and contractual sign-offs, and resolving
technical, construction and interface issues affecting project delivery.
•Reconcile the approved
design (IFC drawings, technical specifications) with actual site conditions and
works as executed, identifying discrepancies at an early stage, initiating
red-line markups and as-built records, and coordinating resolution with the
design team, the OE and the EPC Contractor.
•Take technical decisions on
site within delegated authority to keep construction progressing, escalating to
the Project Director / Senior Project Manager only matters that fall outside
that authority or carry material cost, schedule or contractual impact.
•Monitor EPC Contractor
compliance with the EPC Contract, approved IFC drawings, technical
specifications, method statements and project procedures, resolving technical
issues before they impact construction progress.
•Manage the interface withcompany and relevant regulatory bodies on grid
connection, outage planning, protection settings and energization sequencing.
•Monitor the installation
and integration of significant project systems such as PV arrays, tracker
systems, inverter stations, MV/HV equipment, substations, BESS facilities and
associated Balance of Plant (BoP) infrastructure, ensuring all approved
engineering requirements and construction standards are fulfilled.
•Oversee construction,
testing and energization of the project substation and switchyard, including
HV/MV power transformers, switchgear, protection and control panels, earthing
systems and the transmission line tie-in to the BPC network.
•Lead the assessment and
implementation of engineering changes, Requests for Information (RFIs) and
field modifications, ensuring approved technical solutions are incorporated
without compromising safety, quality or project milestones.
•Manage cross-functional
construction interfaces between civil, structural, electrical, mechanical,
protection, transmission and commissioning teams,
•Ensuring construction
activities are properly sequenced and completed without delaying adjacent
works.
•Maintain full control of
construction quality by ensuring inspections, testing activities, material
approvals and contractor deliverables comply with project specifications,
approved quality plans and contractual requirements.
•Establish and maintain a
solid safety culture throughout the project, ensuring EPC Contractor
conformance to company safety standards, electrical safety regulations, lifting
operations, permit-to-work processes and HSE requirements.
•Monitor and verify the EPC
Contractor's progress against the approved baseline construction programme
(S-curve, look-ahead schedules and critical path), independently assess
progress claims against physical works on the ground, identify slippage at an
early stage and recommend recovery measures to the Project Director.
•Monitor EPC Contractor
performance, productivity and resource utilization, ensuring manpower,
equipment and subcontractor activities remain adequate to achieve planned
construction targets and contractual commitments.
•Monitor construction costs
against the approved project budget, tracking cost-to-complete, variance
analysis and forecast-at-completion, and escalating budget exposure or cost
overrun risk to the Project Director in a timely manner.
•Review and verify EPC
Contractor interim payment applications (IPCs) against physical progress,
approved valuations and milestone achievement, ensuring payment certification
is accurate, supported by verifiable site records and processed within
contractual timeframes.
•Oversee site logistics
planning, including import/customs clearance, inland transport and delivery of
major equipment (power transformers, inverter skids, BESS containers, tracker
components and cabling), laydown area management, and coordination of abnormal
and heavy-lift loads to site.
•Issue daily site reports
covering progress, HSE performance, weather, manpower and equipment on site,
and key issues, and prepare consolidated weekly progress reports for the
Project Director / Senior Project Manager, the OE, the LTA and other
stakeholders as required.
•Lead site coordination and
progress meetings, reviewing construction status, engineering interfaces,
procurement updates, commissioning readiness and project risks, while ensuring
timely implementation of agreed actions.
•Direct the testing and
commissioning programme across all systems, including Factory Acceptance
Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), cold and hot commissioning,
protection and relay testing, system integration testing, and the Reliability
Run leading to Provisional Acceptance Certificate (PAC).
•Ensure construction
readiness for testing, commissioning and energization by verifying system
completion, inspection records, punch list closure, engineering approvals and
handover documentation before releasing systems to the commissioning team.
•Manage project close-out
operations, ensuring punch list items, outstanding work, non-conformities,
as-built documentation and turnover packages are completed for a successful,
organized handover.
Requirements
Requirements:
•Bachelor's degree in
Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
•At least 8 years of
construction and site-management experience, including senior responsibility on
utility-scale Solar PV projects of 300 MW or larger.
•Practical experience with
BESS construction, electrical integration, system interfaces and preparation
for commissioning.
•Ability to act as the main
person on site and lead large, multidisciplinary teams across several work
fronts, taking timely technical decisions under pressure.
•Strong experience
coordinating EPC Contractors, Owner's Engineer (OE) and Lenders' Technical
Advisor (LTA) teams, specialist subcontractors, suppliers and client
representatives.
•Excellent understanding of
utility-scale PV electrical works, MV/HV systems, substations, transformers,
cable systems, earthing and plant control interfaces.
•Direct experience with
substation construction, HV equipment installation, protection and control
testing, and energization/tie-in to the transmission network.
•Proven experience directing
testing and commissioning programmes on utility-scale power projects, including
FAT/SAT, cold and hot commissioning, and Reliability Run/PAC processes.
•Experience reconciling
approved design and IFC drawings against as-built site conditions, and managing
red-line markups, RFIs and field engineering changes.
•Experience monitoring
construction progress against an approved baseline programme, independently
verifying contractor progress claims, and reporting schedule status, risks and
recovery measures to senior management.
•Working knowledge of the
applicable grid code and company interconnection
requirements.
•Experience preparing daily
and weekly site progress reports for project leadership, lenders'
representatives and other stakeholders.
•Experience monitoring
project budgets and cost-to-complete, and verifying EPC Contractor interim
payment applications (IPCs) against physical progress.
•Experience managing site
logistics for large power infrastructure projects, including import/customs
clearance and delivery of abnormal and heavy-lift loads, particularly relevant
to landlocked project locations.
•Clear understanding of site
HSE controls, inspection processes, non-conformance management and construction
completion requirements; international HSE certification (NEBOSH/IOSH or
equivalent).
•Excellent communication
skills; fluency in English.
•Willingness to relocate to
Botswana and maintain a permanent site presence for the duration of the
project.