Job Location - Botswana

Job Summary:

The Project Company is constructing a 500+ MW utility-scale Solar PV plant with an integrated 500+ MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Botswana, to be connected to the national grid. We are seeking an experienced Senior Site Manager with a strong electrical background to act as the Project Company's principal representative on site, holding overall responsibility for site execution on this large utility-scale Solar PV and BESS project. The successful candidate will be the main person on site, coordinating the EPC Contractor, the Owner's Engineer (OE) and the Lenders' Technical Advisor (LTA), reconciling the approved design with actual conditions and works executed on site, taking technical decisions within delegated authority, verifying progress against the approved construction programme, and issuing daily and weekly site reports to project leadership. The role is permanent and site-based, requiring relocation to Botswana for the duration of construction, testing, commissioning and handover.

Key Responsibilities:

•                    Act as the Project Company's principal representative on site, holding overall responsibility for the successful execution of utility-scale Solar PV and BESS construction activities, ensuring the project is carried out safely, on schedule, within budget and in complete accordance with contractual, technical and quality requirements.

•                    Lead and manage all site operations, providing clear direction to site engineers, discipline leads, supervisors and contractors while maintaining effective coordination across civil, electrical, mechanical and commissioning activities.

•                    Act as the primary technical interface on site between the EPC Contractor, the Owner's Engineer (OE) and the Lenders' Technical Advisor (LTA), coordinating technical approvals, inspections, design conformance reviews  and contractual sign-offs, and resolving technical, construction and interface issues affecting project delivery.

•                    Reconcile the approved design (IFC drawings, technical specifications) with actual site conditions and works as executed, identifying discrepancies at an early stage, initiating red-line markups and as-built records, and coordinating resolution with the design team, the OE and the EPC Contractor.

•                    Take technical decisions on site within delegated authority to keep construction progressing, escalating to the Project Director / Senior Project Manager only matters that fall outside that authority or carry material cost, schedule or contractual impact.

•                    Monitor EPC Contractor compliance with the EPC Contract, approved IFC drawings, technical specifications, method statements and project procedures, resolving technical issues before they impact construction progress.

•                    Manage the interface withcompany and relevant regulatory bodies on grid connection, outage planning, protection settings and energization sequencing.

•                    Monitor the installation and integration of significant project systems such as PV arrays, tracker systems, inverter stations, MV/HV equipment, substations, BESS facilities and associated Balance of Plant (BoP) infrastructure, ensuring all approved engineering requirements and construction standards are fulfilled.

•                    Oversee construction, testing and energization of the project substation and switchyard, including HV/MV power transformers, switchgear, protection and control panels, earthing systems and the transmission line tie-in to the BPC network.

•                    Lead the assessment and implementation of engineering changes, Requests for Information (RFIs) and field modifications, ensuring approved technical solutions are incorporated without compromising safety, quality or project milestones.

•                    Manage cross-functional construction interfaces between civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, protection, transmission and commissioning teams,

•                    Ensuring construction activities are properly sequenced and completed without delaying adjacent works.

•                    Maintain full control of construction quality by ensuring inspections, testing activities, material approvals and contractor deliverables comply with project specifications, approved quality plans and contractual requirements.

•                    Establish and maintain a solid safety culture throughout the project, ensuring EPC Contractor conformance to company safety standards, electrical safety regulations, lifting operations, permit-to-work processes and HSE requirements.

•                    Monitor and verify the EPC Contractor's progress against the approved baseline construction programme (S-curve, look-ahead schedules and critical path), independently assess progress claims against physical works on the ground, identify slippage at an early stage and recommend recovery measures to the Project Director.

•                    Monitor EPC Contractor performance, productivity and resource utilization, ensuring manpower, equipment and subcontractor activities remain adequate to achieve planned construction targets and contractual commitments.

•                    Monitor construction costs against the approved project budget, tracking cost-to-complete, variance analysis and forecast-at-completion, and escalating budget exposure or cost overrun risk to the Project Director in a timely manner.

•                    Review and verify EPC Contractor interim payment applications (IPCs) against physical progress, approved valuations and milestone achievement, ensuring payment certification is accurate, supported by verifiable site records and processed within contractual timeframes.

•                    Oversee site logistics planning, including import/customs clearance, inland transport and delivery of major equipment (power transformers, inverter skids, BESS containers, tracker components and cabling), laydown area management, and coordination of abnormal and heavy-lift loads to site.

•                    Issue daily site reports covering progress, HSE performance, weather, manpower and equipment on site, and key issues, and prepare consolidated weekly progress reports for the Project Director / Senior Project Manager, the OE, the LTA and other stakeholders as required.

•                    Lead site coordination and progress meetings, reviewing construction status, engineering interfaces, procurement updates, commissioning readiness and project risks, while ensuring timely implementation of agreed actions.

•                    Direct the testing and commissioning programme across all systems, including Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), cold and hot commissioning, protection and relay testing, system integration testing, and the Reliability Run leading to Provisional Acceptance Certificate (PAC).

•                    Ensure construction readiness for testing, commissioning and energization by verifying system completion, inspection records, punch list closure, engineering approvals and handover documentation before releasing systems to the commissioning team.

•                    Manage project close-out operations, ensuring punch list items, outstanding work, non-conformities, as-built documentation and turnover packages are completed for a successful, organized handover.

Requirements

Requirements:

•   Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.

•   At least 8 years of construction and site-management experience, including senior responsibility on utility-scale Solar PV projects of 300 MW or larger.

•  Practical experience with BESS construction, electrical integration, system interfaces and preparation for commissioning.

•  Ability to act as the main person on site and lead large, multidisciplinary teams across several work fronts, taking timely technical decisions under pressure.

•  Strong experience coordinating EPC Contractors, Owner's Engineer (OE) and Lenders' Technical Advisor (LTA) teams, specialist subcontractors, suppliers and client representatives.

•  Excellent understanding of utility-scale PV electrical works, MV/HV systems, substations, transformers, cable systems, earthing and plant control interfaces.

•  Direct experience with substation construction, HV equipment installation, protection and control testing, and energization/tie-in to the transmission network.

•  Proven experience directing testing and commissioning programmes on utility-scale power projects, including FAT/SAT, cold and hot commissioning, and Reliability Run/PAC processes.

•  Experience reconciling approved design and IFC drawings against as-built site conditions, and managing red-line markups, RFIs and field engineering changes.

•  Experience monitoring construction progress against an approved baseline programme, independently verifying contractor progress claims, and reporting schedule status, risks and recovery measures to senior management.

•  Working knowledge of the applicable grid code and company interconnection requirements.

• Experience preparing daily and weekly site progress reports for project leadership, lenders' representatives and other stakeholders.

• Experience monitoring project budgets and cost-to-complete, and verifying EPC Contractor interim payment applications (IPCs) against physical progress.

•  Experience managing site logistics for large power infrastructure projects, including import/customs clearance and delivery of abnormal and heavy-lift loads, particularly relevant to landlocked project locations.

•  Clear understanding of site HSE controls, inspection processes, non-conformance management and construction completion requirements; international HSE certification (NEBOSH/IOSH or equivalent).

•  Excellent communication skills; fluency in English.

•  Willingness to relocate to Botswana and maintain a permanent site presence for the duration of the project.