Joe Amara Executive Search is conducting this search confidentially on behalf of a leading independent power producer with operating wind, solar, battery storage, and natural gas assets. The company is seeking a highly experienced Chief Operating Officer to oversee EPC, asset management, and operational execution across a large multi-gigawatt power portfolio.
Our client is creating additional value by overlaying data center infrastructure onto existing power assets while incorporating data center development considerations into its broader generation portfolio. This role will sit at the center of that strategy, ensuring the company can execute complex energy infrastructure projects while optimizing the performance, reliability, and commercial value of its operating fleet.
The ideal candidate will bring deep experience across power generation operations, EPC execution, asset management, or data center infrastructure, with the ability to operate at both the strategic and executional level.
Responsibilities
- Lead operational oversight across the company’s operating fleet of wind, solar, storage, and natural gas assets.
- Manage asset management, performance optimization, reliability, availability, and lifecycle planning across the portfolio.
- Oversee EPC strategy and execution for new-build, expansion, repowering, co-location, and infrastructure integration projects.
- Partner with development, finance, commercial, engineering, and construction teams to advance a large multi-gigawatt portfolio of power projects.
- Evaluate opportunities to integrate data center load with existing operating assets and future development projects.
- Build scalable processes for project execution, operating performance, vendor management, reporting, and risk management.
- Lead cross-functional coordination between asset management, EPC, development, interconnection, procurement, operations, and commercial teams.
- Support strategic planning around power supply, site readiness, infrastructure constraints, grid access, and data center co-location opportunities.
- Identify operational, commercial, construction, permitting, interconnection, and asset-level risks across the portfolio.
- Drive disciplined execution across complex, capital-intensive infrastructure projects.
- Establish KPIs, reporting frameworks, and accountability structures for both operating assets and development-stage projects.
- Manage key external relationships with EPC contractors, OEMs, service providers, utilities, grid operators, landowners, and other project stakeholders.
- Support due diligence on acquisition, development, and partnership opportunities involving power generation and data center infrastructure.
- Help shape the company’s long-term operating model as it expands across generation, storage, and digital infrastructure.
Qualifications
- 20-25 years of experience in power generation, renewable energy, thermal generation, asset management, EPC, infrastructure development, or data center operations.
- Strong understanding of utility-scale power generation assets, including wind, solar, battery storage, and natural gas.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex EPC, construction, asset management, or operating responsibilities across a large-scale infrastructure portfolio.
- Ability to bridge operating asset performance with new project development and commercial value creation.
- Experience working with multi-gigawatt development portfolios or large distributed operating fleets.
- Strong grasp of project execution risk, contractor oversight, asset performance, reliability, commercial optimization, and operational reporting.
- Familiarity with grid infrastructure, interconnection, power markets, site development, or large-load integration.
- Executive presence and the ability to lead across technical, commercial, financial, and operational stakeholders.
- Highly analytical, process-oriented, and capable of creating structure in a fast-moving growth environment.
- Comfortable operating remotely while managing teams, projects, contractors, and stakeholders across multiple regions.
- Experience integrating or supporting data center infrastructure, behind-the-meter load, hyperscale power solutions, or large-load energy strategy.
- Prior leadership experience in an IPP with both operating assets and a substantial development pipeline.
- Experience with hybrid projects, co-located generation and storage, repowering, or load-serving infrastructure.
- Exposure to natural gas generation, renewable energy, storage, and power market dynamics.
- Experience scaling operating processes within a high-growth infrastructure platform.
About Joe Amara Executive Search
Joe Amara Executive Search is a boutique executive search firm specializing in transmission, power generation and digital infrastructure, with deep networks across IPPs, the capital markets and energy advisory services globally.
Backed by a 100% completion rate and recognition from The Wall Street Journal, we are trusted to build the next generation of power and digital infrastructure leadership teams.
We lead confidential retained searches for C-suite, senior commercial, and niche technical roles across the globe. For more information please visit; joeamara.com
