Operations Engineer

Application Closing Date: July 3, 2026

The Operations Engineer shall provide technical leadership to multidisciplinary teams comprising electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, SCADA, and contractor personnel to ensure maximum plant availability, energy yield, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence. The job holder will report to the Senior Engineer – Solar Operations.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the day-to-day operation of solar PV and associated generation assets to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient performance.
• Monitor plant performance through SCADA, EMS, and monitoring systems and initiate corrective actions where necessary.
• Manage switching operations, commissioning activities, plant energisation, shutdowns, and restoration activities in compliance with approved procedures.
• Analyse plant performance indicators including availability, performance ratio (PR), capacity utilisation factor (CUF), inverter efficiency, and energy losses.
• Lead root cause analysis of equipment failures, performance losses, and operational incidents.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve plant performance, reliability, and operational efficiency.
• Coordinate plant operations with system operators and other stakeholders.
• Lead the planning, scheduling, and execution of preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance activities.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary maintenance teams comprising electrical, mechanical, SCADA, and contractor personnel.
• Ensure timely resolution of plant defects and equipment failures.
• Review maintenance reports and ensure accurate documentation of all activities.
• Manage maintenance contracts and service providers to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and performance targets.
• Oversee spare parts management and maintenance budgeting.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to operations technicians, contractors, and support staff.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams during outages, major maintenance activities, and emergency response situations.
• Develop and review operating procedures, maintenance procedures, and technical standards.
• Support commissioning and integration of new equipment, plant upgrades, and expansion projects.
• Mentor and develop junior staff through coaching, training, and performance management.
• Maintain accurate maintenance records, defect reports, equipment history, improvement recommendations, and spare parts usage logs.
• Assist in updating the asset management system and inventory control.
• Support the O&M Engineer in preparing reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead detailed operational performance analysis and identify opportunities for optimisation.
• Monitor inverter performance, string performance, transformer loading, and network interactions.
• Develop operational dashboards and performance reports.
• Evaluate operational trends and recommend improvement initiatives to increase plant availability and energy production.
• Support forecasting, budgeting, and operational planning activities.
• Liaise with CEC System Operations, contractors, OEMs, regulators, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate reporting requirements for internal and external stakeholders.
• Participate in technical meetings, audits, inspections, and regulatory engagements.

To be considered for this role, you will be required to have:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering /Electrical & Electronic Engineering or related field.
• Member of the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ).
• Valid practising license from the Engineering Registration Board (ERB).
• Additional training in renewable energy systems, power systems, asset management, or project management will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in power generation, renewable energy, utility operations, or industrial electrical systems.
• Experience in the operation and maintenance of solar PV plants, substations, power plants, or related infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Experience with SCADA systems, protection systems, power system operations, and performance analysis.
• Experience in managing contractors and service providers.
• Strong understanding of solar PV systems and electrical power systems.
• Knowledge of HV, MV, and LV systems.
• Ability to interpret electrical drawings, schematics, and protection diagrams.
• Knowledge of power system operations and grid integration requirements.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Proficiency in SCADA systems, data analytics, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Knowledge of asset management and maintenance planning systems.