Senior Director, Engineering

Description

As Senior Director, Engineering, you will lead Scout's Engineering organization within the Technical Services department, and be responsible for the execution, management, and continuous improvement of engineering activities supporting the development, construction, commissioning, and operation of Scout's utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects.

The Senior Director oversees both the Civil & Design Engineering team and the Power Systems Engineering team, and is accountable for engineering standards, technical quality, design governance, engineering resource planning, organizational capability, and technical risk management across the project lifecycle. This role ensures both engineering teams deliver consistent, high-quality technical support that improves project execution, enhances operational reliability, and supports Scout's long-term growth objectives.

The Senior Director partners closely with Development, Preconstruction, Procurement, Construction, Asset Management & Operations, and Executive Leadership to align engineering activities with project priorities, business objectives, and organizational needs. This role serves as a key leader within Technical Services and is responsible for building and developing a high-performing engineering organization capable of supporting Scout's growing portfolio of renewable energy assets. This role will report to the Vice President of Technical Services.

What You'll Do

Engineering Leadership & Organizational Development

• Build and lead Scout's Engineering organization, including Civil & Design Engineering and Power Systems Engineering.
• Provide direct leadership to Engineering managers and Associate Directors.
• Establish departmental goals, performance metrics, staffing plans, and strategic priorities.
• Develop workforce planning strategies that support Scout's growth across wind, solar, and energy storage technologies.
• Recruit, retain, and develop high-performing engineering leaders and technical professionals.
• Build a culture focused on safety, accountability, collaboration, technical excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Lead performance management, succession planning, and organizational capability development initiatives.
• Establish career development pathways and mentoring programs for engineering staff.
• Manage departmental budgets, consultant expenditures, software tools, and engineering resources.
• Ensure engineering resources are appropriately allocated across project development, construction, commissioning, and operational support activities.
• Lead a multidisciplinary engineering organization consisting of engineers, Managers, Associate Directors, and other technical subject matter experts.

Engineering Operations & Governance

• Establish and maintain engineering policies, procedures, specifications, standards, and design criteria.
• Develop and manage engineering workflows, review processes, and quality assurance programs.
• Lead engineering governance activities, including technical reviews, design approvals, and stage-gate processes.
• Ensure technical consistency and alignment across development, construction, commissioning, and operational activities.
• Develop and track key performance indicators related to engineering efficiency, quality, responsiveness, and organizational effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to improve engineering execution through process improvement, standardization, automation, and lessons learned.
• Maintain systems for engineering documentation, standards management, and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure engineering practices remain consistent with industry standards, company objectives, and evolving business needs.

Civil & Design Engineering Leadership

Through the Associate Director of Civil & Design Engineering, oversee engineering activities supporting project development and preconstruction.

Areas of Responsibility

• Civil site design
• Roads and access infrastructure
• Equipment pads, crane paths and laydown yards
• Foundations
• O&M facilities
• Hydrology and stormwater management
• Geotechnical engineering
• Medium-voltage and low-voltage collection systems
• Preliminary engineering and site optimization studies
• Internal 10%, 30%, and development-stage design packages

Responsibilities

• Establish engineering design standards, development workflows, and technical review requirements.
• Ensure consistency in engineering approaches across Scout's development portfolio.
• Support project optimization efforts through value engineering and constructability reviews.
• Oversee technical deliverables supporting permitting, procurement, financing, construction, and operational requirements.
• Support technology evaluations and constructability assessments.
• Ensure engineering activities appropriately identify, evaluate, and mitigate technical risks during project development.
• Support project teams in evaluating design alternatives, site constraints, and development opportunities.
• Maintain engineering processes that improve project quality, execution certainty, and cost effectiveness.

Power Systems Engineering Leadership

Through the Associate Director of Power Systems Engineering, oversee Scout's technical governance for electrical systems and operational electrical performance across both the development portfolio and operating fleet.

Areas of Responsibility

• Major electrical equipment standards
• Protection and controls
• SCADA architecture
• Plant Power Controllers
• Substations
• Collection systems
• Commissioning readiness
• Electrical quality assurance
• Operational electrical reliability
• Fleet technical support

Responsibilities

• Establish electrical engineering standards, design criteria, and technical best practices.
• Support equipment selection, technology evaluations, and engineering standardization efforts.
• Promote consistency across electrical system designs, equipment specifications, and operational practices.
• Provide oversight of major electrical risks, technical decisions, and engineering challenges impacting project execution or operational performance.
• Support commissioning readiness efforts and technical issue resolution during project turnover.
• Partner with Asset Management & Operations to improve fleet reliability and electrical system performance.
• Support root-cause investigations and corrective action plans for significant equipment or system failures.
• Drive continuous improvement efforts by incorporating operational lessons learned into future project designs and standards.

Project Support & Technical Risk Management

• Provide engineering leadership supporting the successful development, construction, commissioning, and operation of Scout's renewable energy projects.
• Support technical due diligence activities associated with project financing, acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic transactions.
• Guide engineering assessments related to site selection, technology selection, constructability, optimization, and technical risk.
• Partner with Development and Preconstruction teams to improve project competitiveness and execution certainty.
• Support evaluation of emerging technologies applicable to Scout's wind, solar, and energy storage portfolio.
• Identify and mitigate engineering risks across all phases of the project lifecycle.
• Support major incident investigations, root-cause analyses, and corrective action implementation.
• Ensure technical risks are effectively communicated to project stakeholders and leadership teams.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as a key engineering partner to Development, Preconstruction, Construction, Asset Management & Operations, and Executive Leadership.
• Provide engineering recommendations and technical guidance to support business decisions and project execution.
• Partner with Construction to support project execution, constructability reviews, and technical issue resolution.
• Collaborate with Asset Management & Operations to improve asset reliability, maintainability, and long-term performance.
• Support Supply Chain initiatives involving equipment qualification, technical specifications, vendor evaluations, and procurement activities.
• Support technical discussions with lenders, investors, Independent Engineers, consultants, OEMs, EPC contractors, and other external stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with engineering consultants, equipment suppliers, contractors, and industry partners.
• Promote effective communication and collaboration among engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, preferably Electrical Engineering or Civil Engineering.
• 20+ years of progressively responsible engineering experience within renewable energy IPPs, electric utilities, power generation, engineering consulting, EPC contracting, or related industries.
• 7+ years of engineering leadership experience, including management of managers, engineering teams, and senior technical professionals.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
• Strong understanding of utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage project development, engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations.
• Experience managing engineering activities across multiple technical disciplines, including civil, structural, geotechnical, and electrical engineering.
• Demonstrated experience establishing engineering standards, governance processes, quality programs, and organizational best practices.
• Proven success developing engineering professionals, managers, and technical leaders.
• Experience managing engineering resources, consultant relationships, departmental planning activities, and budgets.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, organizational leadership, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to effectively balance technical excellence with business objectives, project schedules, and organizational priorities.
• Experience with Independent Power Producer (IPP), utility, owner's engineer, engineering consulting, EPC, or owner-operator business models.
• Experience supporting utility-scale wind, solar, and battery energy storage portfolios.
• Experience supporting project financing, Independent Engineer reviews, and technical due diligence efforts.
• Experience developing and implementing engineering standards and governance frameworks.
• Experience leading engineering organizations consisting of managers, technical specialists, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• MBA or advanced engineering degree preferred.

Scout’s Values

• Mission-Orientation . High achievers who want to make a difference in this world and contribute to Scout’s stated mission.
• Teamwork . Respectful and appreciative colleagues with strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to fostering positive relationships across organizational boundaries to deliver on shared team goals.

• Safety. Uncompromising advocates for the health and safety of fellow employees, contractors, customers, and community members.
• Integrity . Ethical professionals who do the right thing even when it is difficult.
• Initiative . Resourceful self-motivators who thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment because of their exceptional leadership, work ethic, and organizational skills.
• Intelligence. Problem-solving learners who can make informed decisions quickly and create innovative and pragmatic solutions to challenging problems.

Timeline and Location

Located in or willingness to relocate to a commutable distance to our Boulder, CO office to work on a hybrid (3/2) schedule is preferred. Remote work (with monthly travel to the office) will be considered for the right candidate.

This position requires up to 10% travel to project sites in the U.S.

This role is expected to close by January 30, 2027.

Invitation to Women and U.S. Underrepresented Groups

We encourage applications from all demographics and especially those that are traditionally underrepresented in the energy industry. Consistent with our core values, Scout celebrates the diversity of thought and experience that comes from a range of backgrounds including, but not limited to, gender, race, and ethnicity.

Invitation to Veterans

Scout welcomes veterans of the United States Armed Forces to apply for this position. Scout includes veterans of all branches and a diverse set of occupational specialties. We value the independent thinking, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork that our veterans have developed through their service. We welcome applications from any service and any military occupational specialty.

Benefits

Target base salary: $220,000 - $250,000 (Negotiable for the right candidate.)

Attractive bonus potential.

Scout offers a full range of benefits, including medical/dental/vision insurance with attractive premiums, 401(k) match, STD, LTD, an Employee Assistance Program, and a range of optional supplemental insurance coverage.