Ameresco has an opportunity for a Regional Operations & Maintenance Manager to join the California BESS team. This individual will provide day-to-day operations, preventive and corrective maintenance, OEM/vendor performance, team leadership, reporting, and the translation of asset performance into business results. Success is measured by BESS availability, round-trip efficiency, safety performance, O&M cost control.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and develop a regional team of project managers, technicians, and contractors through workforce planning, coaching, training, and performance management.
- Provide 24/7 operational leadership for a portfolio of utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), ensuring safe, reliable, and commercially successful operations.
- Serve as the senior on-call authority for operational, safety, and emergency response events across the region.
- Deliver contractual performance targets, including system availability, capacity, efficiency, and overall asset reliability.
- Develop and execute preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance programs to maximize asset performance and lifecycle value.
- Analyze SCADA, EMS, BMS, and operational data; lead troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and implementation of permanent corrective actions.
- Manage battery health strategies, including degradation tracking, warranty claims, augmentation planning, and end-of-life asset management.
- Support commissioning, energization, and operational readiness of new sites while overseeing outage planning, spare parts, and logistics.
- Develop, maintain, and test emergency response plans for thermal events, fires, outages, and cyber/OT incidents in coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
- Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA, electrical, environmental, permitting, interconnection, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
- Serve as the primary operational liaison for customers, OEMs, contractors, and senior leadership, providing strategic insights and performance reporting.
- Manage regional O&M budgets, vendor performance, service agreements, and continuous improvement initiatives to optimize cost, safety, and operational excellence.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, energy, or industrial engineering, or equivalent combination of technical education and substantial power-plant / electrical O&M experience.
- 6–8+ years of operations and maintenance of power systems (BESS, PV,), including at least 2–5 years in a supervisory or multi-site leadership role.
Additional Qualifications:
- Experience with utility-scale BESS (100MW+), hybrid solar-plus-storage, and stand-alone energy storage assets.
- Experience with battery energy storage, PV systems, and rotating power generation assets.
- Demonstrated success managing multi-site O&M operations, including planning, execution, vendor oversight, budgets, contracts, warranties, and performance guarantees.
- Experience standing up O&M programs for a growing fleet, including process development, spare parts strategy, training, and operational readiness.
- Technical expertise in battery systems (lithium-ion phosphate), power conversion systems, MV/LV electrical distribution, SCADA/BMS/EMS platforms, industrial communications, and remote diagnostics.
- Experience developing and implementing predictive and preventive maintenance programs, including root-cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Experience utilizing CMMS platforms such as Maximo, SAP PM, or similar maintenance management systems.
- Strong knowledge of electrical safety practices, including arc flash, lockout/tagout (LOTO), switching, and high-voltage work procedures.
- Strong understanding of energy markets, capacity markets, ancillary services, and the impact of operational decisions on revenue performance.
- Proven ability to negotiate and manage vendor relationships, holding OEMs and contractors accountable for contractual performance standards.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams and contractors, leverage operational data to drive business decisions, and communicate effectively with executives, engineers, field personnel, and customers.
The anticipated base salary range for this role is $122,000 - $176,000 (presented in good faith). In addition to base pay, employees receive a comprehensive benefits package, such as health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off, and may be eligible for performance incentives, bonuses, commissions, or equity, depending on the role.
Actual pay will depend on factors such as internal equity, skills, experience, education, certifications, and location. This range supports our commitment to pay transparency and compliance with applicable laws. Compensation may vary by work location, including remote arrangements.
We disclose salary ranges and benefits in all required external and internal postings and will provide further details upon request at any stage of the hiring process. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
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