Operations & Maintenance Manager

Company

Orenda is on a mission to make the grid more efficient with renewable energy projects and proprietary asset management technology. We develop, build, own and operate battery energy storage projects in dense urban environments to bridge the gap between renewables and electricity consumption.

We are a dynamic, NYC-based company at the forefront of a new industry. We are seeking highly motivated and incredibly talented individuals who wish to contribute to our important mission.

About the Team

Orenda’s Asset Management department is responsible for the safe, compliant, and profitable long-term operation of the company’s entire fleet of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) assets. Our primary objective is to maximize asset availability, revenue capture, and operational lifespan while managing all contractual, regulatory, and stakeholder obligations.

Four functions report to the Director of Asset Management: Operations & Maintenance (site operations), Asset Integrity (engineering), Central Operations (24/7 command center & markets), and Commercial & Regulatory (contracts, compliance and reporting). We own the operating system that makes fleet operations repeatable at scale: engineered maintenance programs, a 24/7 monitoring capability, disciplined handovers from construction, and decision grade reporting.

We partner cross functionally with Development, Pre-Construction, Construction, Asset Technology, and Finance to ensure assets arrive operable and operate profitably.

About the Role

The Site Operations Manager owns the physical fleet. From Commercial Operation Date (COD), you are accountable for the safety, integrity, and operational readiness of every Orenda BESS site in New York City; a fleet that grows from its first asset to dozens of sites across the five boroughs. You lead all on site maintenance, repair, and quality assurance: your own crews as the primary response force, and third party contractors and OEMs for specialized work, all executed under your quality authority.

Reporting to the Director of Asset Management, you build this function from zero: the field team and its 24/7/365 on call rotation, the FDNY program, site emergency plans, inspections and the vendor QA regime, witnessing critical maintenance steps, spot checking workmanship, and holding definitive technical approval over every third party maintenance invoice before it is paid. This is the role that turns the Asset Management plan into a running operation.

• This role is ideal for: a hands-on field commander with real electrical depth who has run crews, owned safety without compromise, and knows that in NYC the fire department is a stakeholder, not a formality.

What you’ll do

• Run daily operations: Act as the on-site Owner's Representative and Quality Assurance authority for all Preventative Maintenance, and corrective maintenance work performed by in house, third-party contractors, and OEMs through the CMMS across all operating sites
• Serve as the primary, on-site, hands on response team for all critical faults, building and managing a 24/7/365 on-call rotation program
• Perform advanced on-site diagnostics and physical repairs in house; manage the outsourced subcontractors for any specialized work under SOM quality authority
• Ensure rigorous vendor quality and safety compliance by witnessing critical PM steps and performing random spot-checks of workmanship
• Provide definitive technical approval for all third-party maintenance invoices, confirming work was completed to standard before forwarding to the Commercial Asset Manager for payment
• Own the FDNY program: B-28 Certificate of Fitness coverage, site emergency plans, annual inspections, battalion relationships
• Manage field vendors incl. the HV/MV maintenance subcontractor; witness and QA their work
• Coordinate OEM warranty and LTSA field execution with the Commercial Asset Manager (defect documentation, OEM field visits)
• Support commissioning and operational readiness of new sites; own the operations side of handover acceptance
• Build and lead the field team: hire, train and certify technicians
• Own site safety: LOTO, job hazard analyses, drills, incident response and reporting
• Own spares and inventory discipline; monthly operations input to the reporting pack
• Own site integrity and security: routine site walk-downs, physical security (fencing, lighting, access control), and general upkeep (vegetation, signage, housekeeping) — every site safe, secure, and audit-ready.
• Split vendor QA across the Battery OEM (BESS equipment) and the Balance-of-Plant contractor, holding each to its engineered scope of work.
• Rely on outsourced and OEM crews heavily at the outset; own the plan and build the in-house capability to bring recurring, cost-justified work in-house over time.
• Coordinate with Construction and Development at handover: walk down and approve the physical site — labels installed, conduit tags, as-builts matching field conditions — before accepting operational responsibility.
• Start hands-on, then hire, train, and delegate until the team performs nearly all field execution, scaling yourself out of day-to-day delivery as the fleet grows.
• Meticulously document all in house maintenance in the CMMS; review all third party field service reports; own spares and inventory discipline
• Coordinate all field-level Con Edison interactions: switching, planned outages, and utility inspections; act as Orenda’s on-site interface for ConEd field crews.
• Coordinate with the three peer managers: take alarm dispatch and work orders from the Central Operations Manager and report closure; execute the PM scopes, SOPs, standards and safety program set by the Principal Engineer and escalate unresolved technical issues to them; and route technically-approved third-party maintenance invoices, vendor-quality data, and field intelligence to the Commercial Asset Manager.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, engineering technology, or a related field or equivalent qualification through trade licensure (journeyman/master electrician).
• 7+ years in power/energy operations, including 3+ years leading field teams or plants.
• Hands on O&M of substations or power generation plants: electrical depth is non-negotiable.
• Vendor/subcontractor management track record, including SLAs, holdbacks, and quality enforcement.
• CMMS driven maintenance management: work orders, PM compliance, failure codes.
• OSHA 30 (or OSHA 10 with upgrade before start); clean safety record; valid driver's license.
• Working knowledge of NFPA 70E and NFPA 70B.

Preferred Qualifications (Bonus)

• Direct BESS, inverter, or energy storage O&M experience
• Deep NYC operating fluency: field experience with FDNY and Con Edison (switching, outages, inspections), DOB familiarity, and comfort in NYC's contractor/union environment
• Master electrician license, CMRP (Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional), or OEM battery/inverter certifications
• NFPA 855 working knowledge
• FDNY B-28 (or other FDNY Certificates of Fitness) already in hand
• Early-stage scaling: built a team or function from scratch

Skills and Attributes

• Treats safety as non-negotiable: enforces the rules under schedule pressure and stops work rather than normalize risk.
• Owns and makes timely, well-reasoned decisions on field and safety issues including the first minutes of an emergency and knows when to escalate.
• Organized, process driven, and capable of running multiple sites, crews, and vendor scopes at once without dropping balls; documents rigorously in the CMMS and builds processes that work without supervision.
• Communicates clearly in writing and in person. Produces concise operational updates that give leadership what they need to act, and is equally credible with a technician, a fire battalion chief, and the CEO.
• Works effectively across departments and builds strong working relationships with contractors, OEMs, Con Edison, and FDNY without compromising Orenda's position.
• Takes full ownership of site outcomes and holds vendors and subcontractors accountable without being adversarial.
• Positive, solutions-oriented mindset and genuine work ethic.
• Comfortable reaching for modern software, data, and AI tools to work more efficiently, and quick to learn new ones.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based at Orenda’s headquarters in Brooklyn, NY, with extensive and regular work at active sites across the five NYC boroughs, including on-call rotation participation.

Why join Orenda?

At Orenda, you’ll help build the real-world infrastructure that makes the energy transition possible.

You’ll join a mission-driven culture that values ownership, accountability, continuous learning, high performance, and genuine collaboration. We work hard, move quickly, and enjoy doing it together.

In addition to the chance to do important work with a great team, Orenda offers a competitive compensation package designed to attract and retain top talent:

• Base Salary: The anticipated base salary range for this full-time position in New York City is $150,000-$170,000 per year. The final base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the successful candidate's relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.
• Bonus: In addition to the base salary, this role is eligible for a significant annual performance-based bonus.
• Benefits: Our comprehensive benefits package includes:
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) plan, with 3% employer match
  • LifeTime Fitness corporate membership
  • Monthly commuter stipend
  • Learning and education stipend
  • Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy
  • Regular company events

Orenda Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair and inclusive hiring and employment practices in accordance with federal, New York State, and New York City law. We do not discriminate in any aspect of employment—including hiring, promotion, compensation, or termination—on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

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