Planner

EPC Planner For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Projects

CoVolt Power is a leading utility-scale EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) company specializing in the design and delivery of solar, battery energy storage (BESS), and high-voltage infrastructure. Since its founding in 2005, the company has built a reputation for de-risking project delivery and providing creative, integrated solutions that span the power and digital infrastructure sectors.

Consistently ranked as a top-tier EPC, CoVolt Power leverages a mission-driven approach to safety and quality, delivering thousands of megawatts in renewable assets that support a more resilient and sustainable energy future for developers, utilities, independent power producers (IPPs), and data center operators across North America.

The Role

We are currently searching for a very experienced, ambitious EPC Planner for Utility-Scale Solar Energy Projects. We are looking for leaders with a proven track record.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for the overall plan of the project.
• Understand current productivities, resources, and equipment to have a daily, weekly, 3 week and 90-day lookahead needs of materials, people, equipment, documents, permits and other resources.
• Constantly monitor quantities and productivities for forecasting purposes.
• Actively participate in the cost/revenue forecast of the project based on the updated plan.
• Anticipate barriers such as weather or equipment delays to reroute or increase resources to keep the project on track.
• Actively monitor all activities to understand the critical path and anticipate potential obstacles.
• Systemic Approach: Keep a long-term look ahead of all activities by having a systemic approach towards the overall completion of the project:
• Civil and mechanical sequence to prevent erosion.
• Mechanical and electrical sequence to minimize simultaneous operations in the same area.
• Mechanical sequence to ensure piles are ahead of trackers and trackers are ahead of panels so there are no stoppages in work.
• Electrical sequence aligned with Mechanical Completion dates.
• Commissioning Plan, Substantial Completion Contractual requirements, and Electrical sequence aligned.
• Testing requirements, SWI approvals, and Testing methodologies times included in overall schedule.
• Personnel Planning:
• Work closely with the recruitment team to understand their lead times and have craft properly recruited, drug tested and safety trained when needed.
• Understand the productivity of the existing team and work with Project Managers and Field Operations Managers to adjust if needed to meet the required plan.
• Plan the personnel reductions at the tail end of the scopes in alignment with the plan and equipment plan.
• Materials Planning:
• Work closely with the Procurement Team to understand logistics and planned arrival dates of deliveries to ensure these are aligned with the personnel, equipment, and production needs.
• Subcontractor planning:
• Work closely with the Procurement Team to ensure subcontractor mobilization dates are aligned with plan and site needs.
• Ensure subcontractor progress is being met to minimize potential Change Orders.
• Construction sequence:
• Constantly evaluate the Construction sequence on the different areas and blocks to maximize the utilization of people and equipment based on preceding activities completed.
• Equipment Utilization:
• Based on the plan anticipate equipment needs.
• Work with the Fleet Superintendent to identify required dates based on local or regional lead times from equipment vendors.
• Monitor the ratio of Equipment Operators/type of equipment to anticipate people need.
• Energization:
• Clearly understands the Client's Financing priorities and needs to align as best as possible the energization plan to meet their requirements.
• Work backwards to align the Mechanical Completion and Construction sequence to be aligned with the energization plan.
• Forecasting:
• Work with the Project Management and Project Controls Team to validate the forecasts based on the past average productions and future plan. Educate the PMs, schedulers, and APMs on how to challenge and validate forecasts, by using historical data and anticipating barriers.
• Alternate Plans:
• Based on the overall plan, have options to pivot when obstacles arrive "Pilot's alternate route".
• Documentation and Permitting:
• Understand the need for documents that can prevent the project from progressing:
• Local permits.
• DOT permits and RUAs (Road Use Agreements).
• Mechanical Completion contractual checklist of requirements.
• Standard Work Instruction (SWI) approvals.
• Job Book progress and plan in coordination with the Quality and Commissioning Teams.
• Work with and train the schedulers.
• Deputize for Project Director when absent.
• Provide project analytics and KPIs for month-end project financial reporting (earned value, SPI, milestone progress, etc.).
• Enforce project team compliance to maintain schedule integrity.
• Communicate risk and opportunities based on analysis of the schedule.

Required Skills, Qualifications & Experience

• Strong work ethic and desire to learn and grow professionally.
• 10 years' experience in EPC construction; utility-scale solar experience a plus.
• Experience working with owner representatives and subcontractors involved with the project.
• Excellent organization, communication, and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment with co-workers, service providers, and customers.
• Ability to think strategically and synthesize information from multiple sources.
• Proficient in resources and cost-loaded scheduling.
• Advanced proficiency in the use of Primavera P6 scheduling systems.
• Advanced proficiency in basic Microsoft 365 products (Power BI a plus).

Education:

• A degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or a related quantitative major a plus.
• 10+ years of experience in a role as an EPC Planner or Project Manager
• PMP or AACEI Scheduling certifications a plus.

Additional Information

• Position is site based with rotations.

Important Interview Policy: To ensure a focused conversation and protect the privacy of both our candidates and team members, the use of AI note-takers, recording devices, or real-time transcription software is strictly prohibited during this interview. If an unauthorized bot joins the meeting, our team will ask for it to be removed before beginning the interview. Thank you for your cooperation!

CoVolt Power is an Equal Opportunity Employer and uses E-Verify.