Performance Analyst

Description

Title: Performance Analyst

Department: T&D and Commissioning
Location: Ankeny, IA
Supervisor: Director of Performance Commissioning
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Status: Full Time - Permanent

Work Status: Hybrid

PERFORMANCE ANALYST

Hanwha Qcells USA Corp (Qcells USA), headquartered in Irvine, CA, specializes in providing utility-scale modules, solar photovoltaic (PV), and battery energy storage systems (BESS) project development, along with Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) services for solar and BESS projects nationwide. Qcells USA delivers comprehensive turnkey solutions encompassing the entire utility-scale project lifecycle. By choosing Qcells USA for turnkey solutions, customers can reduce uncertainty and risk, leading to enhanced investment returns and contributing to a more sustainable future.

Qcells USA’s complete turnkey solutions seamlessly integrate the expertise of our Development, Module, and EPC teams, while ensuring close coordination with other vital internal groups such as Project Finance, Systems Integration, and Legal. This collaborative approach ensures that Qcells USA projects deliver exceptional value and performance. With several multi-billion-dollar investments, Qcells is pioneering the establishment of the only complete module supply chain in the U.S., including the expansion of our Georgia module manufacturing facility, which stands as the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

As an integral part of the global Qcells brand, Qcells USA benefits from a legacy of excellence in photovoltaic manufacturing. Qcells is renowned worldwide for its high-performance, superior-quality solar cells and modules. With dual headquarters in Seoul, South Korea (Global Executive HQ) and Thalheim, Germany (Technology & Innovation HQ), Qcells operates under the umbrella of Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 500 company and one of the top 8 business conglomerates in South Korea.

SUMMARY

The Performance Engineer will drive the successful execution of solar and BESS projects by ensuring actual system performance exceeds contractual KPIs. This role is responsible for evaluating a diverse portfolio of projects with a focus on data-driven solutions to verify operational excellence. This is a highly technical role that will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders across engineering, construction, and leadership teams, directly influencing Qcells’ ability to deliver reliable, high-quality power infrastructure to its clients.

This position reports to the Director of Performance Commissioning, or another management personnel that the CEO of the Company may designate. This position reports to the Ankeny, IA office but will maintain a remote schedule of working out of their home office and traveling to jobsites. Working hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 5:00pm or 9:00am to 6:00pm local time. This position is expected to travel up to 5% of the time.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTION & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Operational Implementation and Excellence:
  • Support and manage the project expected performance goals, from pre-construction planning through final commissioning and closeout.
  • Design data visuals and reports for audiences ranging from technical experts to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Provide input to contract exhibits related to expected system performance.
  • Develop automated data pipelines and implement data quality programs for evaluating and communicating actual system performance.
  • Support initiatives to standardize best practices for solar and BESS system expected output modeling that reduces uncertainty and mitigates risk.
  • Use data to evaluate and track project performance KPIs against industry standards and best practices, to inform continuous improvement initiatives.
• Technical Expertise and Problem Solving:
  • Develop and implement data analyses to identify risk and mitigate uncertainty associated with expected project peformance.
  • Use programming langugages to automate data analyses, reporting and workflows.
• Team Culture:
  • Promote a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement across all projects.
• Stakeholder Collaboration:
  • Cultivate strong relationships with external and internal stakeholders to support project performance investigations and data analysis requests, as needed.
  • Analyze complex data sets to identify trends and patterns, and develop recommendations for improvement that balance technical and commercial priorities
  • Present the technical findings and opinions to internal and external stakeholders in meetings and written communication.

• Perform other duties and special projects, as assigned by Management.
• Regular attendance, in accordance with company's attendance policy and supervisory assignment, is an essential job duty requirement for this position.

REQUIRED SKILLS & COMPETENCES

• Exceptional organizational and decision-making abilities.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R or SQL and experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to weigh multiple and often conflicting criteria to establish a technical recommendation.
• Ability to work & learn independently.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in quantitative fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or related discipline.
• 3 years of experience with data analysis and managing, analyzing and visualizing large datasets.
• Proven track record of communicating data derived insights to internal and external stakeholders.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degrees in Engineering, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics or related fields.
• Technical knowledge of the principles of solar and BESS design.
• Experience in any of the following:
• SCADA/DAS systems and communication protocols,
• Commissioning and Site Acceptance Testing of utility-scale projects (Availability, Capacity, Performance Ratio, etc.),
• Energy Modeling software (PVsyst, PlantPredict, SolarFarmer, SAM, etc.)
• Management of solar or BESS assets,
• Power Engineering with 3 phase systems,
• Experience with regression-based analyses.
• Experience with the Python (pvlib, Pandas, NumPy, SciPy, etc.)
• Experience with managing data pipelines, data storage and databases (SQL, NoSQL)
• Exposure to Machine Learning, automation or software development.
• Solar utility scale projects experience is a must.
• Experience working with MAT stations and able to incorporate data into performance analysis.
• Understanding of utilities, ERCOT, and compliance from a regulatory standpoint.
• Ability to operate in a fast-tracked project environment.
• Familiarity with AWS and Azure platforms.

Hanwha Qcells is proud to be an at-will Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination against race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status and any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

It is important to note that the job descriptions provided by Qcells USA Corp are not intended to be comprehensive lists of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the positions. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice, reflecting our dynamic and evolving work environment.

We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Hanwha Qcells will provide reasonable accommodations to all qualified individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodations at hr-usa@qcells.com.

Nothing in this statement shall imply implicitly or explicitly a guarantee of employment outside our at-will employment opportunity.

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