Utility-Scale Solar Subject Matter Expert (SME)

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT – UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR

Engineering & Field Operations Consultant

Location: Initially Remote-Houston, TX

The Opportunity

• A global digital consulting organization has been invited to bid on a landmark AI platform program for one of the largest renewable energy companies. To deliver a winning, credible proposal and subsequently build the platforms, the organization requires a solar industry Subject Matter Expert (SME) who brings deep, hands-on process knowledge of how commercial solar farms are designed, built, and operated.
• This person will be the technical backbone of the response and, upon contract award, the lead domain consultant shaping solution design throughout delivery. This is a rare opportunity for a seasoned solar professional to step into a high-impact advisory role at the intersection of renewable energy and enterprise AI.
• You will work alongside engineering, data, and AI teams to translate real-world solar workflows into intelligent, scalable software products. Your process expertise will directly shape what gets built and how it gets sold, with the potential for a permanent leadership role if the engagement is won.

Role Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary process-knowledge authority for the client bid response.
• Define engineering and field operations workflows for commercial solar projects and build detailed functional requirements, user journey maps, and process flow diagrams that the solution team can design against.
• Review and validate proposed AI feature sets against real-world solar EPC and O&M practices; identify gaps, risks, or incorrect assumptions.
• Participate in and co-lead client-facing workshops, RFP clarification calls, and technical deep-dives with client leadership.
• Advise on data availability, data quality, and systems-of-record (SAP PM, SCADA, CMMS, ePOD, IFC) that must underpin the platform architectures.
• Estimate realistic benefit ranges and value-engineering opportunity pools to support the business case in the proposal.

Post-Award Delivery Phase

• Lead domain authority across the product lifecycle of the client solution.
• Drive process decomposition workshops with client engineering leads (PV, civil, electrical).
• Define the structured data model for GIS inputs, design parameters, IFB specs, equipment libraries, and cost-estimation logic required by the platforms.
• Map end-to-end maintenance and major corrective repair workflows including technician task sequencing, work-order close-out logic, and constraint-based scheduling heuristics.
• Collaborate with AI/ML engineers to validate agentic reasoning chains, prompt designs, and output quality against real solar engineering standards and compliance requirements.
• Own SME review and sign-off on AI-generated outputs before client demonstrations and release milestones.
• Develop training materials and onboarding content for end users across PV engineers, civil engineers, electrical engineers, operations engineers, site leads, and field technicians.
• Act as a thought leader for the broader energy practice, contributing to proposals, whitepapers, and conference appearances in the utility-scale solar domain.

Required Qualifications

• Industry Experience
• 12+ years of hands-on experience in utility-scale/commercial solar across EPC, IPP, asset ownership, or O&M covering at least two of the following areas: development, engineering design, construction, and ongoing operations.
• Demonstrated end-to-end EPC project experience, from site feasibility and PV system design through procurement, construction management, commissioning, and handover.
• Proven experience with large-scale solar farm O&M including preventive maintenance scheduling, corrective repair execution, alarm management, SCADA monitoring, and asset performance optimization.

Technical Domain Knowledge

• PV system design tools: PVSyst, Helioscope, Aurora, PVWatts, or equivalent ability to define tool requirements for an AI-assisted design configurator.
• Electrical systems design: single-line diagrams, string sizing, inverter and transformer specifications, MV/HV interconnection, NERC CIP compliance.
• Civil & structural: tracker foundation design, grading, drainage, access roads, geotechnical inputs sufficient to validate AI QA/QC outputs.
• Value engineering: specification optimization, CapEx/yield/risk trade-off frameworks, equipment standardization.
• Construction QA/QC: IFC package management, as-built documentation, defect tracking, commissioning checklists, and turnover packages.
• O&M operations: CMMS/EAM platforms (SAP PM, Maximo, or equivalent), ePOD/digital field tools, work-order lifecycle management, spare-parts and materials inventory.
• SCADA and monitoring: alarm prioritization logic, remote reset procedures, performance dashboards, KPI frameworks (PR, availability, yield).
• Scheduling and workforce planning: constraint-based scheduling across technician availability, crane logistics, weather windows, contractor lead times, and risk-weighted NPV prioritization.
• Consulting and Communication Skills
• Ability to articulate complex engineering workflows to non-domain audiences including software engineers, product managers, data scientists, and executive stakeholders.
• Experience producing structured process documentation including swim lane diagrams, RACI matrices, user stories, and functional specifications.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced consulting or pre-sales environment, able to produce high-quality artefacts on short deadlines during a competitive bid cycle.
• Prior experience as a technical advisor, independent consultant, or advisory board member is a strong advantage.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AI, digital twin, or advanced analytics tools applied to solar design or O&M.
• Exposure to agentic AI or LLM-powered workflow tools in an engineering context.
• Prior engagement with large utility providers or vertically integrated developers.
• Knowledge of IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) data formats used for construction handover and as-built validation.
• PE license in electrical, civil, or mechanical engineering.
• Experience with U.S. utility-scale solar markets.

Mohd Abid Rafie

Next Level Business Services, Inc.

E-mail: abid.rafie@recruiter.nlbtech.com