Director, Construction - Solar & BESS (m/w/d)

Job Description

Clēnera is a tier-one developer and independent power producer located in Boise, Idaho, and is the U.S. subsidiary of Enlight Renewable Energy (Nasdaq: ENLT ). We develop, finance, construct, own, and operate utility-scale solar and energy storage facilities throughout the United States. In its 2025 analysis of solar independent power producers, S&P Global ranked Clēnera as a top ten U.S. owner of planned installations in the next five years. Clēnera has over 1.9 GW of solar and 5.1 GWh of storage in operations or construction, and a development pipeline totaling 17.8 GW of solar and 51.1 GWh of storage across 23 states. Our company culture is at the core of everything we do, so you'll regularly find Caring, Committed, and Courageous individuals who value respectful, cross-functional collaboration with partners internally and externally. With our tremendous portfolio growth, we are increasing our headcount to meet the demands of the business. Are you ready to change the world with us?

About the Role

The Director of Construction - Solar & BESS is responsible for leading the successful delivery of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects. You will oversee project execution from late term development through final completion and hand off to Portfolio Operations, ensuring contract compliance, budget adherence, schedule performance, scope accuracy, and stakeholder alignment. The position plays a critical role in driving a portfolio of project governance, identifying and mitigating risks, resolving escalated issues, and ensuring consistent execution practices across the national portfolio.

What You'll Do

• Report directly to the VP of Construction on portfolio health and associated risks. Provide weekly reports sufficient to be shared with executive leadership.
• Lead and manage a team of owner's project managers, providing strategic direction, mentorship, and performance oversight across multiple concurrent projects.
• Oversee the successful execution of EPC and subcontractor contracts, ensuring compliance with commercial terms, scope, schedule, and quality expectations.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for solar project issues, facilitating resolution through collaboration with internal departments and external partners.
• Develop and implement solar project execution strategies that align with corporate objectives and drive consistency, efficiency, and risk mitigation.
• Monitor project performance metrics, budgets, and schedules, and provide executive-level reporting on regional portfolio health.
• Coordinate with development, engineering, supply chain, pre-construction and legal teams to ensure seamless project handoffs and execution readiness.
• Support change order management and claims resolution in collaboration with legal and commercial teams.
• Foster strong relationships with key stakeholders, including utilities, local authorities, and community representatives.
• Ensure adherence to corporate governance, safety, and environmental standards across all regional projects.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by identifying process gaps and implementing best practices in project delivery.
• Responsible for aspects of hiring, training, mentoring and developing employees, holding weekly project review meetings and team meetings.
• Creating standardization processes, work plans, and tools for successful project delivery.
• Responsible for managing the department's budget and project level change orders.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and represent the department as the main point of contact.
• Maintain organizational excellence in terms of project timelines and deliverables.
• Demonstrates the Clēnera Core Values of Caring, Committed, and Courageous.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, business, public administration, or related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of experience managing the construction of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects.
• Technology: Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Procore, P6, and an ability to learn company-specific software programs, tools, processes, and machines.
• Skills/Attributes:
  • Proven experience assessing, understanding the potential impacts to the project, reporting project risks, and providing strategic recommendations to executive level leadership.
  • Deep understanding of contract estimates, change order negotiation, schedule and budget for utility-scale solar and storage projects, and has extensive experience leading the strategy around scheduling and budgeting inputs during execution.
  • Strategically makes contractual decisions associated with the EPC Agreement, and has a deep understanding of the inner workings between project agreements.
  • Strong existing relationships with EPCs, subcontractors, Unions and other regional contractors.
  • Deep understanding of cost, schedule, and scope of the project and has the ability to see, understand, and communicate to project teams how company-level strategy impacts project-level decisions.
  • Knowledge of construction deliverables, including the ability to interpret requirements and support project teams in executing deliverables and compliance.
  • Experienced in providing effective leadership, guiding teams towards shared goals with clear direction, support, and motivation.
  • Proven ability to build, navigate, and manage complex interpersonal relationships and conflicts, fostering collaborative relationships internally and externally.
  • Deep understanding of contractual obligations across the project lifecycle to foresee potential conflicts.
  • Self-motivated to work through complex problems and competing priorities, including a high level of detail and organization.
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Travel: 25%

Benefits

• Clēnera pays 100% of employee and dependent premiums for a suite of medical, dental, and vision coverages.
• HSA and FSA Plans Available
• Employee Assistance Program
• Retirement Plan with Employer Match
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary, and AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation and Public Holidays)
• Incentive Pay and RSU Plans

At Clēnera, LLC, we're an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by state or federal law.