Wind Energy Technologies Technical Support

NREL’s 305-acre Flatirons Campus is the nation’s premier wind energy, water power, and grid integration research facility. Nestled south of Boulder, Colorado, and north of NREL’s main South Table Mountain campus, Flatirons sits adjacent to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and countless acres of open space and parks with stunning views of the Flatirons rock formations.

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

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Note: Research suggests that potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply. We seek dedicated people who believe they have the skills and ambition to succeed at NREL to apply for this role.

Job Description

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) National Wind Technology Center located at the Flatirons Campus is seeking a project manager to support developing technical and strategic materials and communicating and managing a growing portfolio of wind energy innovative research, development, and demonstration projects and capabilities with internal and external partners and audiences.

The new team member will be a key asset within the Technology, Engineering, and Deployment group, contributing to the successful execution of projects and fostering effective communication and relationships. We are seeking a professional with a strong background in wind energy, project management, and technical communications. Competitive candidates will also understand renewable energy technologies, energy policy, regulation, decarbonization, sustainability, and climate mitigation.

The emphasis of this role is on project integration and communication management by administering, planning, coordinating, and tracking amplification assets. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record of leading complex projects in a matrixed organization, facilitating stakeholder relationships across diverse cultures and backgrounds, and effectively navigating and collaborating with challenging personalities. This requires strong interpersonal skills, empathy, and conflict resolution strategies to maintain positive working relationships and achieve common goals.

Please include a cover letter describing education, experiences, and training that meet the requirements of the position.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities: Support Research

• Account Manager: Work closely with NREL and DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office project managers, program managers, and communications teams to ensure successful project delivery and foster a shared understanding of goals, challenges, and successes.
• Projects Specialist: Research, write, and support wind portfolio-wide strategic plans, write technical reports, and emphasize the importance of clear communication, collaboration, and the ability to distill complex technical information into user-friendly documents.
• Collaboration Support: Implement a strategic collaboration framework to enhance communication and cooperation among different departments and teams. Develop and track key performance indicators related to collaboration and team effectiveness.

Basic Qualifications

Relevant PhD or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 3 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Advanced understanding and application of project management principles, concepts, practices and standards. Advanced knowledge of technical field and related disciplines. Contributes to the development of new principles and concepts. Excellent interpersonal, conflict resolution, teaming and communication skills.

• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Experience and technical knowledge of wind energy.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex technical information and convey it to diverse audiences.
• Attention to detail and a commitment to producing high-quality, error-free content.
• Familiarity with industry-standard communication tools and project management platforms such as MS Project, Power BI, Asana, or Basecamp.
• Knowledge of emerging communication trends and technologies, including writing for digital media, usability testing and distilling complex topics into plain language.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to adapt to a dynamic and fast-paced work environment.
• Ability to adhere to a hybrid work environment with a minimum of 2 days per week on site at the Flatirons Campus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with change management principles and practices, concepts, and standards.
• Demonstrated experience managing or contributing to programs/projects.
• Demonstrated experience working directly with clients to understand their needs, translate needs into projects, and successfully execute on those projects.

NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.

NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.