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Solar Energy Installation Managers

Direct work crews installing residential or commercial solar photovoltaic or thermal systems.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Purchase or rent equipment for solar energy system installation.
    • Evaluate subcontractors or subcontractor bids for quality, cost, and reliability.
    • Perform start-up of systems for testing or customer implementation.
    • Identify means to reduce costs, minimize risks, or increase efficiency of solar installation projects.
    • Estimate materials, equipment, and personnel needed for residential or commercial solar installation projects.
    • Assess potential solar installation sites to determine feasibility and design requirements.
    • Plan and coordinate installations of photovoltaic (PV) solar and solar thermal systems to ensure conformance to codes.
    • Prepare solar installation project proposals, quotes, budgets, or schedules.
    • Plan and coordinate installations of photovoltaic (PV) solar and solar thermal systems to ensure conformance to codes.
    • Visit customer sites to determine solar system needs, requirements, or specifications.
    • Develop and maintain system architecture, including all piping, instrumentation, or process flow diagrams.
    • Monitor work of contractors and subcontractors to ensure projects conform to plans, specifications, schedules, or budgets.
    • Coordinate or schedule building inspections for solar installation projects.
    • Provide technical assistance to installers, technicians, or other solar professionals in areas such as solar electric systems, solar thermal systems, electrical systems, or mechanical systems.
    • Estimate materials, equipment, and personnel needed for residential or commercial solar installation projects.
    • Assess system performance or functionality at the system, subsystem, and component levels.
    • Supervise solar installers, technicians, and subcontractors for solar installation projects to ensure compliance with safety standards.

    Skills

    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.

    Abilities

    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    Knowledge

    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    5 years or more work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    103290/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    49.66/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    24,530
    Yearly Projected Openings
    2410

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Analytical Thinking

    Tools

    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Blow torch
    • Caulking guns
    • Desktop computers
    • Diagonal cut pliers
    • Digital camcorders or video cameras
    • Drill bit set
    • Forklifts
    • Front end loaders
    • Geological compasses
    • Global positioning system GPS receiver
    • Hacksaw
    • Handheld refractometers or polarimeters
    • Hole saws
    • Ladders
    • Levels
    • Locking pliers
    • Masks or accessories
    • Minivans or vans
    • Multimeters
    • Needlenose pliers
    • Notebook computers
    • Ohmmeters
    • Personal computers
    • Pipe or tube cutter
    • Pipe wrenches
    • Pitch measuring instruments
    • Pocket calculator
    • Portable data input terminals
    • Positive displacement pumps
    • Power drills
    • Power saws
    • Protective gloves
    • Pry bars
    • Putty knives
    • Round file
    • Safety glasses
    • Screwdrivers
    • Socket sets
    • Solar radiation surface observing apparatus
    • Soldering iron
    • Stud finders
    • Tape measures
    • Theodolites
    • Threading taps
    • Tinners snips
    • Trenching machines
    • Tube bending machine
    • Utility knives
    • Wire cutters
    • Wire lug crimping tool

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Development environment software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Geographic information system
    • Inventory management software
    • Map creation software
    • Network conferencing software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software