Project Manager, BESS

Role Overview

Trina Storage is seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead the end-to-end delivery of utility-scale battery energy storage system projects across Australia. The role is accountable for safely delivering assigned projects in accordance with contractual obligations, approved budget, programme, quality requirements and customer expectations—from contract handover and design coordination through manufacturing, logistics, construction support, commissioning, performance testing and final handover.

The Project Manager will act as the principal delivery interface between customers, owners, EPC contractors, consultants, network service providers, subcontractors and Trina’s global product, engineering, supply chain, commissioning, service, commercial and legal teams. The successful candidate will combine disciplined project and contract management with sufficient technical understanding to manage complex BESS interfaces, make sound delivery decisions and drive timely resolution of issues.

Key Responsibilities1. Project Leadership and Governance

• Own the delivery of one or more utility-scale BESS projects from internal contract handover to completion, including clear definition of scope, governance, delivery strategy, responsibilities and acceptance criteria.
• Prepare and maintain the project execution plan, organisation structure, stakeholder plan, responsibility matrix, reporting cadence and decision-making pathways.
• Lead internal and external project meetings, establish clear actions and accountabilities, and escalate material issues with evidence-based recommendations.
• Coordinate cross-functional resources across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, quality, logistics, site delivery, commissioning, service, finance, commercial and legal functions.

2. Contract, Commercial and Change Management

• Develop a detailed understanding of the supply agreement, technical schedules, performance guarantees, milestone schedule, payment terms, warranties, long-term service interfaces and division of responsibilities.
• Maintain contractual correspondence, notices, deliverable registers and records required to preserve Trina’s commercial and contractual position.
• Identify scope changes, customer-driven impacts, access or readiness constraints, delay events and additional work; coordinate timely notices, variation proposals, extension-of-time submissions and reservation-of-rights correspondence.
• Track milestone achievement, payment claims, securities, liquidated-damages exposure, project cash flow, commitments, forecasts and cost-to-complete in coordination with finance and commercial teams.
• Ensure work outside the agreed scope is appropriately assessed and authorised before commitment, while maintaining constructive customer relationships.

3. Programme, Cost and Risk Control

• Develop and manage an integrated project schedule covering design, approvals, manufacturing, FAT, shipping, site delivery, installation interfaces, commissioning, grid compliance testing, performance testing and handover.
• Monitor critical path, dependencies, float and resource constraints; implement recovery plans where progress deviates from the approved baseline.
• Maintain project risk, opportunity, issue, assumption and decision registers with clear owners, mitigations and due dates.
• Provide accurate weekly and monthly reporting on schedule, cost, safety, quality, technical progress, commercial status, key risks and decisions required.

4. Technical and Design Interface Management

• Coordinate technical deliverables and interfaces for battery systems, PCS/inverters, transformers, switchgear, auxiliary systems, protection, PPC, EMS, SCADA, communications and plant control systems.
• Ensure design responsibilities and interface boundaries are clearly defined and aligned across Trina, the customer, EPC contractor, consultants and third-party vendors.
• Drive the review and closure of drawings, specifications, RFIs, technical clarifications, interface documents, design changes and document comments.
• Coordinate grid-connection and generator-registration interfaces, including required inputs and support for GPS/R1/R2 studies, AEMO/NSP hold points and compliance testing, without duplicating the responsibilities of specialist grid-connection engineers.
• Challenge technical proposals where they create avoidable delivery, operability, compliance, warranty, safety or lifecycle risk, and ensure decisions are formally recorded.

5. Manufacturing, Quality, Logistics and Site Readiness

• Coordinate procurement and manufacturing status, FAT activities, quality documentation, release approvals, shipping, customs interfaces, delivery sequencing and site receipt requirements.
• Align equipment delivery with site access, laydown capacity, lifting arrangements, installation readiness and preservation requirements to minimise delay, storage cost and damage risk.
• Ensure NCRs, defects, punch-list items and quality actions are recorded, assigned, investigated and closed in accordance with project requirements.
• Verify that customer and EPC prerequisites—such as civil works, MV reticulation, auxiliary power, communications, permits and safe access—are available to support planned activities.

6. Commissioning, Testing and Handover

• Lead integrated planning for cold, warm and hot commissioning, including energisation, site integration testing, SAT, grid compliance testing, performance and reliability testing.
• Coordinate commissioning personnel, OEMs, EPC teams, control-system vendors, test equipment, permits, temporary power and customer witnesses.
• Manage commissioning prerequisites, test procedures, test evidence, issue resolution and schedule interfaces to prevent compressed or unachievable testing windows.
• Drive completion of as-built documentation, test reports, training, spare-parts handover, defects closure, practical completion/COD deliverables and transition to the service or LTSA team.

7. Customer and Stakeholder Management

• Serve as Trina’s primary project delivery contact and maintain clear, professional and solutions-focused communication with customers and key stakeholders.
• Manage competing stakeholder priorities while protecting safety, quality, contractual compliance, warranty requirements and Trina’s commercial position.
• Coordinate effectively across Australian and global teams, including communication across time zones and escalation to senior management where required.
• Represent Trina at customer meetings, project workshops, site meetings, factory activities and governance reviews.

8. Safety and Compliance

• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure Trina activities comply with applicable WHS requirements, site rules, approved procedures and permit systems.
• Ensure project delivery aligns with contractual requirements, applicable Australian standards, the National Electricity Rules and relevant customer, AEMO and network service provider requirements.
• Support incident, non-conformance and lessons-learned reviews, and implement agreed corrective actions across future projects.

Qualifications and ExperienceEssential

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Renewable Energy, Project Management or a related discipline; equivalent relevant industry experience may also be considered.
• Typically 5–8+ years of project delivery experience in utility-scale renewable energy, power generation, transmission, substations or energy storage, including experience managing complex EPC or equipment-supply interfaces.
• Demonstrated ownership of project scope, programme, budget, risk, reporting, customer interfaces and contract deliverables.
• Working knowledge of utility-scale BESS architecture and key interfaces, including batteries, PCS/inverters, MV systems, PPC/EMS/SCADA, communications and commissioning.
• Experience with contract administration, variations, delay management, formal notices, payment milestones and commercial risk.
• Strong written and spoken English, with the ability to lead meetings and prepare clear contractual, technical and executive-level communications.
• Strong stakeholder management, negotiation, prioritisation, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to project sites and supplier facilities within Australia and overseas when required.

Highly Regarded

• Direct experience delivering utility-scale BESS projects in Australia through construction, energisation, commissioning, grid compliance and handover.
• Knowledge of the Australian electricity market and generator-registration process, including AEMO, NSP/TNSP requirements and R1/R2 hold-point testing.
• Experience with performance guarantees, capacity/performance testing, reliability testing, warranty transition and LTSA/service interfaces.
• PMP, PRINCE2, AIPM, Chartered Engineer or comparable project-management/engineering certification.
• Experience using Microsoft Project or Primavera P6, Procore, SharePoint, Bluebeam/Adobe Acrobat and structured document-control systems.
• Mandarin language capability or demonstrated experience coordinating effectively with China-based engineering, manufacturing and product teams.

Key Success Measures

• Projects delivered safely and in accordance with approved scope, schedule, budget and contractual obligations.
• Early identification and effective control of technical, commercial, schedule and interface risks.
• Timely closure of design, manufacturing, logistics, site, commissioning and handover actions.
• Accurate forecasting, reporting and preservation of contractual entitlements.
• Strong customer relationships and effective collaboration across local and global teams.
• Documented lessons learned and measurable improvement in delivery performance across the project portfolio.