Planning Coordinator, Control Centre Coordinator

At Canadian Solar, our vision is to make lives better by bringing electricity powered by the sun to millions of people worldwide. As a leading manufacturer of solar panels, inverters, and energy storage solutions, we've been an industry front-runner since our founding in 2001. Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in all parts of our organization as we navigate the complexities of a booming industry.

Throughout Canadian Solar's subsidiaries, e-Storage, Recurrent Energy, MSS and CSI Solar Co., we invest in our employees' growth. Our training programs and promotional opportunities ensure we all can continue to learn. We understand the importance of work-life balance and provide various flexible work options to support our employees' well-being. Join our team to "Make the Difference" by creating a lasting positive impact on the world and the communities where we operate.

The Planning Coordinator supports the day-to-day and forward-looking operational planning activities of the Renewable Energy Control Centre, with a focus on photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) assets. This role is responsible for coordinating planned outages, maintenance activities, switching support, resource scheduling, operational readiness, reporting workflows, and cross-functional communication between the Control Centre, field operations, asset management, engineering, compliance, and third-party stakeholders.

The Planning Coordinator plays a key role in ensuring that planned work is organized, risks are identified in advance, required approvals are obtained, and all parties are aligned before activities are executed. The position helps improve control centre efficiency, reliability, compliance readiness, and operational consistency across a growing fleet of renewable energy assets.

Main Responsibilities

Accountabilities: Operational Planning & Coordination

Outcome:

• Coordinate planned maintenance, outages, derates, testing, inspections, and operational activities for PV and BESS facilities.
• Develop and maintain daily, weekly, and longer-range operational plans for control centre activities.
• Review planned work requests and ensure proper documentation, scope definition, timing, and operational impact assessment.
• Work closely with field technicians, regional managers, engineering, asset management, and third-party service providers to align execution plans.
• Confirm operational readiness before planned activities begin, including communication plans, approvals, staffing, and system availability.
• Track all scheduled work and ensure accurate status updates are provided to relevant stakeholders.

Accountabilities: Outage, Derate, and Work Scheduling Support

Outcome:

• Support planning of outages and derates to minimize operational and commercial impacts.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders regarding timing of work, outage windows, restrictions, and return-to-service expectations.
• Maintain planning records for planned events, work orders, and operational constraints.
• Assist in prioritizing work based on reliability, safety, compliance, and production impacts.
• Help ensure event creation, work order workflows, and operational tracking systems are updated properly.

Accountabilities: Control Centre Support

Outcome:

• Act as a coordination link between real-time operators and non-real-time support teams.
• Provide operators with advance visibility into planned work and expected system impacts.
• Support turnover quality by ensuring upcoming work, risks, and priorities are clearly documented for operating shifts.
• Help develop structured daily and weekly planning meetings to improve coordination across the control centre environment.
• Assist with escalation tracking and follow-up on open operational issues.

Accountabilities: Reporting & Documentation

Outcome:

• Maintain planning logs, schedules, trackers, and records related to maintenance, outages, derates, testing, and operational changes.
• Prepare summaries, dashboards, and reports on planned work, schedule adherence, backlog, and execution performance.
• Ensure planning documentation is complete, organized, and audit-ready where required.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of procedures, checklists, planning templates, and coordination processes.
• Assist with lessons learned reviews following major operational events or planned work execution issues.

Accountabilities: Compliance & Risk Awareness

Outcome:

• Support planning activities in a manner consistent with applicable reliability, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Help ensure planned work is reviewed for compliance, operational risk, cybersecurity, and site access considerations.
• Coordinate with compliance and operations leadership to ensure required documentation and evidence are retained where needed.
• Escalate scheduling conflicts, planning risks, readiness gaps, and high-impact operational concerns in a timely manner.

Accountabilities: Stakeholder Communication

Outcome:

• Maintain planning logs, schedules, trackers, and records related to maintenance, outages, derates, testing, and operational changes.
• Prepare summaries, dashboards, and reports on planned work, schedule adherence, backlog, and execution performance.
• Ensure planning documentation is complete, organized, and audit-ready where required.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of procedures, checklists, planning templates, and coordination processes.
• Assist with lessons learned reviews following major operational events or planned work execution issues.

Functional Competencies

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities at once.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records and schedules.
• Good understanding of operational risk, maintenance coordination, and outage planning principles.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally across technical and non-technical teams.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure and adapt to changing priorities.
• Strong problem-solving skills and proactive mindset.
• Ability to identify conflicts, gaps, and risks before they affect operations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Word, Outlook, and scheduling/reporting tools.
• Working knowledge of renewable energy systems, including PV and BESS operations, is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with NERC, market coordination, switching practices, or operational compliance frameworks is an asset depending on fleet requirements.

Preferred Technical Exposure

• SCADA and control centre operations
• CMMS / work order management platforms
• Operational event tracking systems
• Outage and derate reporting workflows
• Renewable plant performance terminology
• Utility or ISO/RTO coordination processes
• Document control and evidence retention practices

Key Competencies

• Planning and coordination
• Accountability
• Communication
• Professional judgment
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Operational awareness
• Process discipline
• Continuous improvement mindset

Job Requirements

Education

• Diploma or degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Renewable Energy, Electrical Technology, Operations Management, or a related field preferred.
• Equivalent relevant industry experience may be considered in lieu of formal education.

Experience

• 3+ years of experience in operations coordination, maintenance planning, control centre operations, utility operations, renewable energy operations, or a related environment preferred.
• Experience in solar PV, BESS, generation operations, utility coordination, or industrial operations is strongly preferred.
• Experience working in a 24/7 operational environment is an asset.
• Familiarity with CMMS, work order systems, SCADA environments, or operational scheduling tools is preferred.

Other Requirements

7 year international background check required.