Summary
Khidmah is hiring a Solar O&M Supervisor for field operations across solar facilities in Dubai. The role supervises technicians and subcontractors carrying out preventive and corrective maintenance, cleaning, testing, safety procedures, reporting, and site handovers. Applicants need at least six years of hands-on solar PV experience, including three years in a supervisory or leadership capacity, and a diploma or equivalent technical qualification in electrical or electronics engineering. A valid UAE manual light vehicle driving licence and working proficiency in English are required.
The posting
As published on khidmah.com. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
Job Purpose
The Solar O&M Supervisor is responsible for on-the-ground management, field supervision, and technical execution of Operations and Maintenance (O&M) activities across multiple solar facilities. This role serves as the crucial link between the office and field technicians, ensuring that Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM), Corrective Maintenance (CM), cleaning cycles, and emergency callouts are completed safely, efficiently, and strictly within contractual Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Roles, Responsibilities & Duties
Field Operations & Maintenance Execution
- Direct, coordinate, and supervise internal technician teams and third-party subcontractors across scheduled site maintenance activities.
- Supervise the execution of Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) schedules, ensuring components are serviced per manufacturer guidelines.
- Lead rapid response actions for Corrective Maintenance (CM) tickets to isolate faults, perform preliminary diagnostic checks, and minimize site generation downtime.
- Oversee and optimize module cleaning routines (robotic, semi-automated, or manual wash cycles), enforcing proper water quality benchmarks and techniques that prevent panel micro-cracks or warranty invalidation.
- Manage site-level inventory, ensuring testing tools, safety apparatus, consumables, and critical fast-moving spare parts are accounted for, maintained, and calibrated.
Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) Compliance
- Serve as the on-site safety custodian, running daily Toolbox Talks (TBT) and conducting pre-task Risk Assessments and Job Safety Analyses (JSA).
- Ensure strict adherence to Permit to Work (PTW) frameworks, client facility access protocols, and utility-mandated regulations.
- Strictly enforce Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) protocols and arc-flash precautions before permitting any electrical intervention on AC/DC subsystems.
- Rigorously inspect and mandate proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) compliance, especially for working at heights, roof lifelines, scaffolding, and elevated work platforms (MEWPs).
Technical Testing & Quality Assurance
- Guide technicians through standard diagnostic procedures,.
- Assist engineers with performance verification and thermographic inspections to detect hotspots, bypass diode faults, and loose terminations.
- Review completed subcontractor deliverables against technical task sheets and quality standards prior to issuing formal site signoffs.
Site Reporting & Stakeholder Coordination
- Act as the daily front-line operational liaison with Facility Management (FM) teams, building landlords, security teams, and client representatives.
- Compile clear, structured daily field logs detailing completed tasks, equipment anomalies, site weather conditions, subcontractor headcounts, and outstanding snags.
- Escalate electrical failures, inverter error codes, or recurring component faults to the O&M Engineer with comprehensive field notes and photographic evidence.
Manpower Utilisation, Root Cause Analysis, Handover & Reporting
- Ensure manpower is deployed and utilised correctly in line with approved PPM, CM, and cleaning schedules, minimising idle time and avoiding over- or under-staffing at any site.
- Identify the root cause of technical issues and equipment failures through on-site investigation and testing and implement or recommend corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
- Assist the O&M Engineer during the site handover process, including site walkdowns, verification of installed equipment, snag identification, and collection of handover documentation.
- Prepare and submit site service reports and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reports to the O&M Engineer on time, with findings, corrective actions taken, and supporting photographs.
Qualification
Education & Technical Qualifications
- Education: Diploma in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or certified equivalent technical vocational qualification.
- Licensing: Valid UAE manual light vehicle driving license is mandatory (regular travel across sites is required).
Experience & Skills
Experience
- Total Experience: Minimum 6 years of hands-on technical experience in solar PV system installation, commissioning, or O&M.
- Supervisory Track Record: Minimum of 3 years in a leadership or lead technician/supervisory capacity managing field personnel and subcontractors
Technical Skills & Competencies
- Proven competency in commercial and industrial (C&I) solar PV architecture, including string inverters, central inverters, DC string combiners, and LV distribution boards.
- Proficiency in interpreting Single-Line Diagrams (SLDs), layout schematics, and manufacturer service documentation.
- Hands-on familiarity with electrical test instruments
- Working knowledge of local UAE utility safety guidelines (e.g., DEWA/Shams Dubai, ADDC, SEWA).
- Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) for reporting.
- Awareness of relevant standards, including IEC 62446 (PV system testing and documentation) and BS 7671 / local wiring regulations; exposure to MV switchgear and transformers is an advantage.
Soft Skills & Working Conditions
- Languages: Working proficiency in English (spoken and written) is required; knowledge of Hindi or Urdu is an advantage for labor force supervision.
- Physical Capability: Ability and willingness to work outdoors under warm climatic conditions, climb vertical access ladders, and work safely at heights on rooftops.
- Leadership & Communication: Ability to lead, motivate, and hold multicultural field teams accountable, with clear verbal and written communication towards clients and management.
- Problem-Solving: Structured, calm approach to fault-finding and decision-making under time pressure and during emergency callouts.
- Availability: Willingness to participate in an on-call/standby rota, including occasional night, weekend, and public holiday callouts to meet SLA obligations.
- Heat Stress Management: Ability to plan field work in line with the UAE Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation (MoHRE) summer midday work break and site heat stress procedures.
Team Leadership & Development
- Plan daily and weekly manpower allocation, vehicle movements, and work schedules across multiple sites.
- Identify skill gaps and deliver on-the-job training and technical coaching to technicians and helpers.
- Evaluate technician and subcontractor performance, and enforce discipline, attendance, and conduct standards.