Job Description Summary
Job Description
Role Summary/Purpose
The Regional Commissioning Leader is responsible for leading the regional commissioning organization consisting of Commissioning Coordinators, Commissioning Specialists and Commissioning Technicians supporting commissioning works of Hydroelectric Power projects. The role requires deep technical knowledge of Hydro Power Station commissioning, IEEE115, including Generator, Turbine, Governing, Excitation and associated auxiliaries. The Regional Commissioning Leader is accountable for EHS, employee management and development, workload and resource allocation, technical governance, commissioning scope, planning and execution, cost and schedule control, and successful project delivery. The Leader also supports tendering and future workload planning, while establishing high standards for technical competence, teamwork, professionalism, customer engagement and overall commissioning performance.
Essential Responsibilities
People Management and Day-to-Day Operations:
• Lead and manage the regional commissioning team consisting of Commissioning Coordinators, Commissioning Specialists and Commissioning Technicians;
• Manage day-to-day operations, priorities and allocation of commissioning personnel across Hydroelectric Power Station projects;
• Establish and maintain short-, medium- and long-term employee workload plans based on project schedules, commissioning milestones, technical competency and business priorities;
• Assign personnel considering technical competency, experience, project requirements, employee development needs and overall business priorities;
• Maintain visibility of employee availability, site assignments, workload, utilization, travel and upcoming project requirements;
• Manage employee performance, establish objectives, provide regular feedback and support individual career and technical development;
• Establish and maintain proficiency development plans with defined competency levels and development targets;
• Identify competency gaps and establish training, mentoring and field-experience plans to develop required Hydro commissioning capabilities;
• Support recruitment, onboarding, succession planning and development of technical depth within the commissioning organization;
• Ensure employee compliance with mandatory EHS training, technical qualifications, timesheets, expense reports and other business requirements;
• Foster a high-performance team culture based on EHS, technical excellence, accountability, collaboration and professionalism.
Technical Leadership, EHS and Commissioning Delivery:
• Lead and promote a strong EHS culture across all Hydroelectric Power Station commissioning activities, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations, company standards and customer/site requirements;
• Provide technical leadership and governance for commissioning, start-up, testing and troubleshooting of Hydroelectric Power Stations, Pumped Storage Plants and Synchronous Condenser facilities;
• Maintain overall understanding and oversight of the complete Hydro commissioning sequence from construction completion and system turnover through pre-commissioning, watering-up, auxiliaries start-up, first spinning, Excitation, Full Speed No Load (FSNL), synchronization, loading, Full Speed Full Load (FSFL), performance testing and handover;
• Provide technical leadership across Generator, Turbine, Governing, Excitation, Protection, Controls and associated Hydro Power Station auxiliary systems;
• Own the regional commissioning scope, resource requirements and delivery strategy across assigned projects;
• Review commissioning plans, resource-loaded schedules, major milestones and technical requirements to ensure appropriate preparation and execution;
• Ensure the appropriate combination of Commissioning Coordinators, Commissioning Specialists and Commissioning Technicians is assigned based on project complexity, technical competency and EHS risk;
• Ensure critical activities including first spinning, synchronization, balancing, special field tests, performance tests and acceptance tests are appropriately prepared, resourced and technically supported;
• Provide technical governance for Generator commissioning, diagnostic testing, special field tests, performance and acceptance testing, including applicable requirements of IEEE 115;
• Provide technical escalation and support for complex Generator, Turbine, Governing, Excitation, Protection, Control and auxiliary system issues;
• Review and provide technical governance for critical commissioning procedures, test methodologies, test arrangements, technical reports and results;
• Monitor commissioning execution across projects and proactively address EHS, technical, quality, resource, schedule and customer risks;
• Ensure commissioning lessons learned, technical issues and field experience are captured and shared across the regional commissioning organization;
• Act as the regional escalation point and represent the commissioning organization for significant EHS, technical, resource, customer and delivery matters.
• Hands-on delivery for startup commissioning, generator special field testing, performance testing and generator diagnostic testing, could be expected at some special projects.
Cost Control and Business Performance:
• Own and manage regional commissioning workload, resource utilization, budget and cost performance;
• Maintain visibility of commissioning cost-to-complete (CTC), planned versus actual hours, resource forecasts and project cost performance;
• Work with Project Managers, Project Directors, planners and Finance to ensure commissioning scope, workload and resources are correctly reflected in project forecasts;
• Identify scope changes, additional commissioning requirements and deviations from plan, and ensure their schedule and cost impacts are appropriately assessed and communicated;
• Optimize deployment of commissioning resources while maintaining required EHS, technical competency, quality and project commitments;
• Analyze project performance, actual costs and lessons learned to improve commissioning productivity and cost competitiveness.
Tendering and Future Workload:
• Translate Hydro Power Station commissioning knowledge, execution experience, actual costs and lessons learned into future project estimates and tendering strategies;
• Review customer specifications and participate in definition of the commissioning Base of Scope;
• Establish or review commissioning strategy, sequence, duration, manpower, competency and specialist requirements for tendering;
• Support estimation of commissioning labor, travel, instrumentation, specialized test equipment, subcontractors and other commissioning-related costs;
• Identify commissioning EHS, technical, resource, schedule and commercial risks and opportunities during the tendering phase;
• Review the future project pipeline and establish anticipated regional commissioning workload, competency and capacity requirements.
Qualifications / Requirements
• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering with relevant experience in Hydroelectric Power Plants;
• Minimum 15 years’ experience in Hydroelectric Power Plants, including significant experience in commissioning, start-up, testing and site project delivery;
• Demonstrated experience in leading and managing multidisciplinary commissioning teams, including Commissioning Coordinators, Commissioning Specialists and Commissioning Technicians;
• Strong EHS leadership with awareness and understanding of Environmental, Health and Safety regulations and requirements applicable to Hydroelectric Power Station construction, commissioning, electrical testing and unit start-up activities;
• Deep technical understanding of Hydroelectric Power Station electro-mechanical systems, including Generator, Turbine, Governing, Excitation, Protection, Controls and associated auxiliaries;
• Strong understanding of the complete Hydroelectric Power Station commissioning sequence from construction completion and system turnover through pre-commissioning, watering-up, first spinning, excitation, synchronization, loading, performance testing and final handover;
• Strong knowledge of Generator commissioning, testing and performance requirements, including understanding and application of IEEE 115;
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership, evaluate complex commissioning issues, analyze technical risks and coordinate appropriate Engineering and specialist support;
• Demonstrated ability to manage employee workload, resource allocation, competency development, performance and priorities across multiple Hydroelectric Power Station projects;
• Strong understanding of commissioning scope management, resource planning, schedule control, cost control, cost-to-complete (CTC) and project delivery;
• Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to develop people and work effectively with multidisciplinary and multicultural Hydro project teams;
• Strong customer orientation with demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with Hydro Power Station customers, site teams, contractors and other project stakeholders;
• Ability to navigate cross-functions and establish strong working relationships with Project Management, Engineering, Construction, Finance, Commercial, Fleet Support, EHS, HR and other teams supporting Hydro projects;
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, technical challenges and resource constraints within demanding Hydroelectric Power Station construction and commissioning environments;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.) and good computer skills necessary for resource planning, cost control, technical documentation, data analysis and reporting;
• Be available to travel and support Hydroelectric Power Station project sites in Canada and the US as required;
• Must be proficient in English;
• Strong resilience, judgement, decision-making capability and accountability in demanding site and project environments.
Desired Characteristics
• Good knowledge and understanding OSHA & NFPA70e.
• French as a second language considered an asset;
• Hands-on experience in Generator special field testing, performance testing and Generator diagnostic testing;
• Experience with Hydro Generator vibration analysis and balancing;
• Strong practical experience with Hydro Governor and Excitation system commissioning and integration;
• Electrical or mechanical installation experience on Hydroelectric Power Station equipment;
• Experience with GIS, switchyards, HV equipment, Power Transformers and broader electrical Balance of Plant systems considered an asset;
• Experience with commissioning or operation of other power generation technologies considered an asset;
• Experience in commissioning tendering, scope development, estimating, budgeting and commercial support considered an asset.
Additional Information
Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes
