Senior Associate, O&M Cost Strategy and Contracting

Senior Associate, O&M Cost Strategy and Contracting

The Senior O&M Cost Strategy and Contracting analyst is responsible for developing, negotiating, and implementing Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Agreements across the company's renewable energy portfolio. This role ensures that all O&M contracts align with corporate objectives for safety, performance, cost efficiency, and compliance. Additionally, the analyst will be involved in the development of robust cost models, data analytics frameworks, and performance benchmarks to support operational and financial decision-making.

The ideal candidate brings O&M contracting experience, knowledge of renewable energy asset operations (solar, wind, and battery energy storage systems), proven analytical acumen, and strong communication and cross-functional coordination skills to deliver best-in-class operational outcomes for utility-scale assets.

*This hybrid job posting is open to Scottsdale, San Diego, Houston, Denver, and San Francisco offices.

What You'll Be Doing

Contract Development and Negotiations

• Lead the creation, review, and negotiation of O&M Agreements for wind, solar, and battery energy storage projects.
• Collaborate with Legal, Finance, and Operations teams to ensure all agreements reflect risk tolerance, lender requirements, and insurance standards.
• Partner with internal O&M teams, procurement, engineering, asset management, and finance to ensure smooth contract implementation and adherence.
• Benchmark and analyze O&M costs across projects to identify efficiency opportunities and competitive pricing.
• Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and commercial terms, including availability guarantees, liquidated damages, and bonus/penalty structures, in conjunction with other functional teams.
• Translate technical maintenance requirements into clear contractual obligations.
• Ensure alignment between O&M agreements, EPC warranties, and asset performance expectations.
• Identify and mitigate contractual and operational risks across the O&M portfolio.
• Ensure all O&M agreements comply with environmental, safety, and regulatory standards.
• Support asset management as needed with change orders, renewals, and extensions as projects evolve.
• Support M&A and due diligence activities by providing O&M commercial insights and contract summaries.
• Recommend updates to contract templates and commercial strategies based on operational learnings and market evolution.
• Contribute to the development of long-term O&M strategy and technology-specific best practices.

O&M Cost Estimating and Analytics

• Develop and maintain bottom-up cost estimating models for wind, solar, and storage assets across all project phases (greenfield, operating, repower, and M&A).
• Use statistical and forecasting tools to model maintenance spend and equipment risk profiles.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (O&M, engineering, procurement, FP&A) to validate O&M cost assumptions.
• Support internal teams (business development, procurement, O&M, capital market, etc.) with data requests, cost breakdowns, and scenario analysis.
• Assist in preparing cost assumptions for annual budgeting and long-range planning processes.
• Analyze historical O&M costs to identify trends, cost drivers, and opportunities for efficiency.
• Develop and enhance Power BI dashboards to connect multiple data streams and visualize key model inputs and outputs.
• Use AI tools to automate routine data processing tasks and extract key commercial data from contracts.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Finance, or other applicable field.
• 5+ years of experience in renewable energy, power generation, or infrastructure.
• Experience with renewables O&M agreements and contracting.
• Understanding of renewable energy plant operations (solar, wind, or BESS).
• Demonstrated experience in an operations support role in the development of creative solutions to operating challenges.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across technical, legal, and financial disciplines.
• Strong analytical and project management capabilities; attention to detail and risk awareness.

What Would Be Nice

• Master's degree in Engineering, Business, Finance, or other applicable field.
• Familiarity with Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Agreements (EPCs), and other project contracts.
• Familiarity with renewable project finance and typical counterparty and Independent Engineer requirements
• Familiarity with lifecycle cost analysis and predictive maintenance modeling.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint skills. Proficiency in data analytics tools (Power BI, Tableau, SQL, or Python).

Clearway will not sponsor non-immigrant visas for this position (H-1B, TN, E-3, etc.).

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