Our client is an international IPP based in JHB. This is a permanent role.

Lead the project company operations, people and processes to ensure contractual, regulatory and reporting obligations and ensure they are met. Oversee construction by the EPC contractor and operations by the O&M contractor for the profitable, sustainable and safe construction and operation of the plant.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Relevant Engineering degree & business management degree
• 10-15 years of experience managing power plant industries, including 5 years at a senior management level
• Related experience covering construction of a power plant and operational activities
• Substantial experience in organizational management, board relations, government relations, labour relations, HR, HSSE, Finance and marketing.
• As a proactive senior leader, must possess the desire, insight, and vision to develop and implement Power Plant businesses using definable and transparent processes for the running a project company
• Use effective interpersonal skills to develop and agree on project company business plans with the project company’s board of directors. Execute agreed-upon plans with operational teams and stakeholders.
• Be personally accountable for variances from the business plan, excepting force majeure events.
• Have comprehensive knowledge of Power Plant, including intimate understanding of the system’s regulation requirements and operating conditions, the state and federal regulatory environment, revenue and capital requirements and financial ability of the member companies.
• Understand Power Plant, to the extent necessary to initiate, direct, review and analyse various types of studies necessary for infrastructure development, system regulation, maintenance and operation, financial management.
• Have the ability to translate, develop and establish goals compatible with general courses of direction set by the project company board of directors and lead successful execution of those plans. Establish specific short and long-range targets that are achievable, realistic and sustainably profitable.
• Have strong skills in the areas of management, written and oral communications, government relations, financial analysis, business law and strategic planning. Be a highly effective communicator and public speaker. Have demonstrated capability of building and leading effective collaborative teams, earning and maintaining the support, loyalty and confidence of a broad range of constituents.

Key Accountabilities:

• Ensure compliance to contracts including EPC, CTA, PPA, PWPA, O&M and others
• Maintain a healthy relationship with stakeholders including Offtaker and partners.
• Maintain a productive relationship with O&M contractor
• Source ways and means to optimize operations, pre-empting and identifying challenges and opportunities to increase profit margin.
• Implement approved infrastructure and business plans; using project management methods, sound financial management, and develops metrics that detail success and sustainability of operations.
• Communicate with broad stakeholder constituencies including the Project Company Board, member project companies, government bodies, industry and the public.
• Be in charge of all day-to-day matters of the company and shall take such actions within the powers granted as may be required to cause the company to carry on its business, including compliance by the company with its obligations under the PPA and other project agreements
• Provide leadership to the staff
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety requirements and good utility practice
• Ensure compliance with the environmental impact mitigation plan
• Ensure adequate and timely reporting to the Board of Directors of relevant and pertinent matters
• Appoint any employee of the company, remove any employee for just cause, and determines any employee’s remuneration
• Represent the company for governmental or other regulatory purposes and delegates such right of representation to employees of the company under a power of attorney or other form of written authorization
• Contribute to the development of annual goals and objectives; ensures that company procedures and overall management procedures are designed in accordance with established Board Policy and keeping the Board informed of existing or impending Board Policy issues
• Retain professional consultants and advisors as may be reasonably required for the company in the carrying out of its business
• Any other responsibilities reasonably related to the nature of the position
• Keeps the Board fully informed on the end results of the operations and carries out approved policies, plans and programs. Seeks advice, formulates and delivers proposals and obtains necessary approvals.
• With the Chairman of the Project Company Board, prepares the agenda for the Board Meetings. In the case of emergent crises, briefs Project Company Board on immediate actions taken to stabilize crisis conditions following agreed crisis management procedures.
• Subject to the Accounting Procedures of the company, operate all bank accounts of the company either on individual or joint signatory status together with such other signatories approved through resolutions of the Board
• Drawdown on any borrowing of money approved by the Board, including the drawdown of any funds in the amounts and in the manner provided for in the Financing Documents, and apply the proceeds in accordance with the purpose for which they were drawn
• Monitor and control the company budget as per the financial model
• Monitor the performance of the finance department
• Monitor the maintenance of the insurance programme
• Monitor the provision of the regular report to the company’s Financial partners (Lenders) in compliance with the covenants under the relevant credit facility agreements
• Monitor the fulfilment of statutory obligations Monitors the compliance of all requirements of the Lenders
• Establish and maintain relationships with the company’s financial partners including the Lenders, their retained advisors and the insurance broker and insurers
• Manage and is responsible for the fiscal affairs of the Corporation, including composition of the capital structure, financing arrangements and margin requirements.

Construction

• Monitor the performance of the EPC contract
• Monitor the performance of the Owners Engineer
• Continually monitor the construction program to assess any programmed slippage and take timely action
• Continually monitor quality assurance producers being implemented by the EPC contractor and the Owners Engineers
• Ensure adequate communication with the EPC contract
• Assess any likely claims and cost over-run, prepare mitigation proposals and ensure presentation to the Board in a timely manner

Ensure timely decision making where required

Operations & Maintenance:

• Monitor the performance of the O&M contract and ensure compliance with its terms
• Ensure the maintenance of spare parts inventory for key items

Studies and recommends procedures and practices to improve operational efficiency; evaluates alternatives for performing required work including by contracting out services; attends project review meetings to evaluate the progress of ongoing construction or maintenance activities