Project Manager (Wind Energy)
Impact: Clean energy generation and the energy transition through wind project delivery
Manage the development, permitting, procurement, and construction of onshore and offshore wind energy projects, coordinating multidisciplinary teams across engineering, legal, environmental, and construction functions to deliver projects on schedule and within budget. Oversee turbine procurement, balance-of-plant construction, and grid interconnection processes.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- 70% Team / 30% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- 20-40% for site visits and stakeholder meetings
- Schedule flexibility
- Moderate
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 45-55 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $120,000
- Entry-level
- $80,000 - $105,000
- Senior
- $170,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 30% (much faster than average)
- Demand
- Growing Fast
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High to 60-75% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $20,000 - $50,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Wind Project Development & Permitting
- Turbine Procurement & EPC Contracting
- Grid Interconnection (FERC / ISO)
- Wind Resource Assessment (WindPRO / WAsP)
- Offshore Wind Construction Management
- Financial Modelling (Project Finance)
Soft skills
- Project Management
- Stakeholder Communication
- Problem Solving
- Leadership
- Risk Management
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5 years
- Years to senior
- 7-10 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Project Engineer
- Project Manager
- Senior Project Manager
- Director of Wind Development
- VP of Development
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 15% to project coordination and stakeholder management are resistant to automation
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing Fast
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.8/10
- Meaning
- 4/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.2/10
- Prestige
- 7/10
- Social perception
- High