What are the responsibilities and job description for the Portfolio Manager I - Renewables (Solar & BESS) position at SunStrong Management, LLC?
Position Overview
The Portfolio Manager I supports the oversight and performance of a portfolio of Commercial & Industrial (C&I) and Utility-Scale renewable energy assets, including solar PV and battery energy storage systems (BESS). This role is designed as an entry point into the renewable energy industry, providing foundational exposure to asset performance, operational troubleshooting, financial tracking, and O&M coordination.The ideal candidate is analytical, curious, and eager to build strong troubleshooting theory while developing advanced Excel-based analytical skills.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Portfolio & Asset Performance Support
- Assist in monitoring system performance through SCADA and monitoring platforms.
- Perform first-pass troubleshooting using alarms, trend data, and inverter- or combiner-level insights.
- Identify potential performance issues such as soiling, shading, outages, equipment failures, and communications problems.
- Support root-cause analysis and track corrective actions.
Data Analytics & Reporting
- Build and maintain Excel-based dashboards and analytical tools.
- Use advanced Excel functions including XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, pivot tables, logical statements, and conditional formatting.
- Assist in monthly and quarterly reporting packages for internal and external stakeholders.
- Analyze production losses and long-term asset trends.
O&M Coordination & Work Order Management
- Collaborate with field technicians and service providers to track maintenance activities.
- Support Preventative Maintenance (PM) and Corrective Maintenance (CM) documentation.
- Monitor work order updates, ensuring accurate and timely closeout.
- Assist with warranty claim tracking.
Contractual & Financial Support
- Develop foundational understanding of O&M agreements, availability/PI guarantees, and SLAs.
- Assist with invoice validation and reconciliation against production and contractual expectations.
- Support review of PPAs, warranties, MSAs, and interconnection agreements.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Support Senior Portfolio Managers in identifying operational risks and improvement opportunities.
- Coordinate with engineering, asset management, owners, utilities, and contractors.
- Assist in onboarding of new assets including data validation and document organization.
Qualifications & Experience
Required
- Bachelor’s degree OR equivalent experience in engineering, business, finance, analytics, sustainability, environmental science, energy technology, data science, or related fields.
- Candidates with relevant experience, technical certifications, or strong analytical backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
- Strong analytical and troubleshooting mindset.
- High proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
- Strong communication skills and attention to detail.
Preferred
- Familiarity with solar PV system components and basic electrical concepts.
- Exposure to renewable energy, technical fieldwork, or project coordination.
- Experience with monitoring platforms such as PowerTrack or AlsoEnergy.
- Experience using CMMS tools such as Maximo, Fiix, or BluePoint.
- Basic knowledge of Power BI or Tableau.
Key Competencies
- Curiosity and eagerness to learn.
- Strong problem-solving and diagnostic thinking.
- Ability to work confidently with large datasets.
- Ownership mentality and reliable follow-through.
- Adaptable and collaborative working style.
Location: Flexible (hybrid, in-office- Houston, remote)