End of Warranty Manager Renewable Energy

Company: RWE Renewables
Location: Austin
Posted on: July 1, 2020

Job Description:

Areas of responsibility Background on Role RWE Renewables Americas over the next five (5) years will have the following projects exit warranty: 2019 On-going open issues with Vestas on Radford s Run (blade Wildcat/Grandview (blades) with GE; 2020 200 MWs - Stella Wind Farm (200 MWs); 2021 518 MWs - Peyton Creek Wind Farm (150 MWs), Panther Creek I & Repower (268 MWs); and West of the Pecos Solar Farm (100 MWs); 2022 1,206 MWs- Cranell Wind Farm (220 MWs), Boiling Springs (150 M Raymond East Wind Farm (240 MWs) and Raymond West Wind Farm (200 MWs), Sciota Ridge Wind Farm (126 MWs) and Casadaga Wind Farm (270 MWs); and 2023 Potentially Black Jack Creek (240 MWs), El Algadon Alt MWs), Barron Winds (138 MWs); and Hickory Parks Solar Farm (200 MWs). There is and will be a need to coordinate end of warranty inspections, issue end of warranty claims, issue serial defect claims, and negotiate end of warranty settlements for onshore wind, solar, and energy storage projects in the Americas. This process can take up to a year (if not years in some contentious cases) and must be done in accordance with the Equipment Supply and Balance of Plant Agreements warranty provisions to ensure RWE Americas receives the maximum value out of the warranty provisions in the TSA. Currently this effort is mainly being spearheaded by the Regional Vice Presidents of Operations. In order to effectively coordinate all the functions involved in this process, ensure timely submittals, understand contractual obligations, and negotiate a final settlement (potentially across multiple sites) RWE Renewables Procurement is proposing to create an End of Warranty (EOW) Manager position whose sole responsibility will be to manage the End of Warranty process. Requirements of Position for WTGs, Equipment/Parts, and BoP Work WTGs This position shall be required to accomplish the following with respect to the end of warranty for WTGs: 1. Plan and implement end of warranty inspections a. Coordinate plan(s) with Operations and Engineering; b. Issue tender, award, and contract EOW work; c. Schedule EOW work with Operations; and d. Receive EOW inspections and coordinate internal comments on EOW inspections. 2. Prepare EOW claim(s) a. Coordinate claims with Operations, Engineering, and Legal; b. Prepare strategy, negotiating positions, and escalation steps prior to issuing EOW claim. 3. Issue EOW claim(s) a. Issue necessary paper work and EOW claims to OEM per the contractual requirement. 4. Periodic EOW claim reviews a. Schedule regular meetings with OEMs for progress on claims; b. Coordinate responses to OEMs if there is a disagreement; and c. Update Senior Management on claims status. 5. Negotiate EOW Final Settlement a. Negotiate EOW settlement with OEM; b. Get sign-off from Operations, Engineering and Senior Management on EOW settlement; and c. Track and close out implementation of EOW settlement agreement. 6. If a Serial Defect Claim arises during the warranty period, the EOW Manager shall be responsible for the following: a. Coordinate serial defect claim with Operations, Engineering, and Legal; b. Issue serial defect claim to OEM; c. Schedule regular update meetings with OEM to resolve serial defect claim; d. Coordinate response to OEMs with Operations, Engineering, and Legal; e. Negotiate final position with OEM; and f. Acquire sign-off with Senior Management, Operations, and Engineering for final settlement; g. Track implementation of final serial claims settlement and close out implementation of serial defect final agreement. h. Escalate for legal proceedings if necessary. Equipment and Parts Replacement or repair of WTG parts (under TSA or parts agreement), solar panels , energy storage equipment or BoP equipment (all technologies) during the respective warranty periods shall be resolved at a site level through the normal warranty process. If there is a dispute with OEM regarding the warranty claim on a part(s) or BoP equipment, Operations shall engage the EOW Manager to resolve the dispute. The EOW manager shall coordinate the response to the OEM with Operations, Engineering, and Legal. The EOW manager shall be responsible to bring the issue to resolution. BoP Work - Construction Project Management Responsibility Hand-off to EOW Claims Manager Construction Project Management shall be responsible to resolve open issues with the BoP Contractor until Final Completion Certificate is signed by RWE Renewables Americas. At that point any warranty claims that occur from the BoP SOW shall be responsibility of the EOW Manager to resolve with input from Operations, Legal, and Construction Project Management. If during construction, there are warranty claim items that arise with the WTG OEM, the Construction Project Manager will coordinate with the EOW Manager who will assist with resolving warranty claims in preparations for turn-over to the EOW Manager when the Final Completion Certificate is signed. However, during construction the Construction Project Manager is the primary point of contact between the OEM and RWE. Location of EOW Manager This role shall sit in Procurement under the Procurement Operational Lead for the Americas. This role shall coordinate with Operations, Engineering, Construction, and Legal to bring end of warranty issues to resolution Your profile 1. Understanding of contractual obligations and processes to ensure warranty obligations are met by OEM in the renewable energy industry. 2. Ability to negotiate end of warranty claims from the owner's perspective. 3. Ability to manage the internal processes necessary to file warranty claims with the OEM, track progress of the claims, finalize settlement of claims, and ensure implementation of warranty settlements. 4 Technical background in the renewable energy space is preferred along with experience in negotiating with OEMs for wind turbine generators, solar panels, and battery storage equipment. Show moreShow less

Keywords: RWE Renewables, Austin , End of Warranty Manager Renewable Energy, Executive , Austin, Texas