Scalable Operations Lead

R0001567 Scalable Operations Lead (Open) We’re Nadara. We work harmoniously with the power of nature and the communities around us to power lifetimes to come. We call our approach ‘living energy’.

We don’t just produce renewable energy, we live it – recognising our relationship with the people touched by our business and supporting social, educational, cultural, and environmental initiatives that contribute to the development of the communities we work alongside.

Discover more about our business here: https://nadara.com/about/

Nadara is an innovative place to work. We work in a stimulating and challenging environment, where every day we explore the unknown with curiosity, make decisions with quality and take action and deliver with courage. For us diversity is a real value, and we encourage in connecting different perspectives with respect.

Discover more about our culture and approach here: https://nadara.com/living-the-company/

Job Description Summary:

The Scalable Operations Division ensures Operations’ alignment with Nadara’s strategy through:

1) Coordinating communication between Ops and other departments, focusing on growth projects (organic and inorganic)

2) Monitoring progress & strategic alignment of all Ops initiatives (O&M and Digital)

3) Continuously improving the Ops Target Operation Model (TOM) to meet Nadara’s strategic objectives and reduce Cost-to-Serve; ensuring the TOM’s correct adoption and enforcing systems discipline across all assets and centralized functions. This includes analyzing the current TOM and its current adoption, identifying opportunities for improvement, developing and executing Scalable Ops initiatives, and managing Ops Metrics and KPIs.

As Scalable Operations Lead - Ops Transformation, you will co-own the Scalable Operations Division's full mandate (1, 2 & 3) alongside the “Scalable Operations Lead - Asset Integration”, with a differentiated depth in Target Operating Model (TOM) design and initiative governance (points 2 and 3). Assignments rotate based on the live portfolio of growth projects and initiatives, ensuring no pillar ever lacks a senior owner. You will produce COO-ready outputs independently, lead working sessions with Heads of Departments, and manage complex, multi-stakeholder coordination across Scalable Operations' three pillars (M&A & Growth, Ops Initiatives, TOM Design & Initiatives). You will also own the automation and AI dimension of the TOM: deciding where technology can credibly remove effort, what has to be true for it to work, and how the benefit is proven. Report to the Head of Scalable Operations. Job Description:

Key Responsibilities and Authorities

• Contribute across Scalable Operations' full scope (M&A, Organic Growth, Ops Initiatives), rotating assignments based on live portfolio priority alongside the Scalable Operations Lead - Asset Integration;
• Lead the design, development, and continuous improvement of Operations-wide TOM (Target Operating Model) processes, ensuring adoption across all Ops departments;
• Lead the Ops Initiatives process - from improvement idea submission through prioritization, planning, implementation monitoring, and SteerCo governance
• Manage SO Initiatives – from business case creation to initiative execution and governance (level of required involvement per initiative varies depending on whether or not SO is the main initiative stakeholder)
• Own the Operations automation and AI agenda within the TOM: maintain a single view of where technology can remove effort across Operations, and convert it into a sequenced, business-cased portfolio;
• Assess candidate AI and automation use cases for value and feasibility, judging which are deliverable now, which are blocked by data or process foundations, and which should be rejected;
• For all SO initiatives, including automation and AI, quantify impact and track impact during implementation, separating claimed savings from realized savings, and report them into the cost-to-serve KPI framework;
• Design and implement KPI frameworks to measure TOM adoption and operational performance, and own the process for maintaining those frameworks as the TOM evolves;
• Design and facilitate working sessions with Heads of Departments and Ops Teams on process improvement, and TOM implementation;
• Provide Organic Growth and M&A departments with inputs for growth projects; assist “Scalable Operations Lead - Asset Integration” in the development of standard base cases
• Manage Operations’ Lessons Learned Library (shared responsibility across Scalable Operations Division)
• Independently manage complex, multi-stakeholder coordination across Scalable Operations' full mandate, producing COO-ready strategic and analytical outputs;
• Provide senior support to the Associates and Analyst within Scalable Ops Division, and provide quality control on their outputs for Initiatives and TOM workstreams;
• Develop and maintain the framework for Ops Initiatives prioritization, portfolio governance.
• Develop and maintain the framework for TOM adoption monitoring and enforcement.
• Act as Operations' informed counterpart to NAIT and IT&Digital on AI initiatives: challenge proposed solutions on data readiness, integration, adoption, and total cost of ownership, and define acceptance criteria before commitment;

Health & Safety, Quality and Environment (HSQE)

This document must be read in combination with the HSQE Management System Manual, available on Nadara Intranet, which outlines the mandatory HSQE responsibilities and authorities related to this role.

Technical Competences

Operating model, process and performance

• Deep expertise in process design and improvement methodology (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, operational excellence frameworks) - required;
• Experience designing and implementing KPI frameworks in an operations or industrial context - required;
• Strong initiative management experience - required;
• Ability to produce COO-ready analytical and strategic outputs independently - required;
• Strong digital literacy: able to specify automation and system requirements with enough precision to brief IT&Digital teams, define acceptance criteria, and critically assess whether delivered solutions meet operational needs - required;
• Comfortable evaluating data architecture and tool design decisions at a conceptual level, and pushing back on IT when proposed solutions are over-engineered, misaligned, or insufficient - required;
• Advanced Excel and data literacy; familiarity with Power BI or equivalent - required;
• Familiarity with M&A transaction processes (due diligence, integration) - advantage;
• Experience in the renewables or energy industry - strongly preferred.
• Experience in O&M - strongly preferred.

Artificial intelligence, automation and their enablers

• Working understanding, at conceptual level, of the main classes of AI and automation capability and what each realistically delivers in an operations context: predictive and machine-learning models (failure prediction, production and consumption forecasting), computer vision (inspection and imagery review), language models and agents (document handling, structured extraction, drafting, workflow orchestration), optimization and scheduling, and conventional deterministic automation such as workflow tools and RPA - required;
• Understanding of the enablers that determine AI or automation solution feasibility: data availability and quality, master data and asset hierarchy consistency, system integration and APIs, identity and access management, process standardization, solution and model ownership, and user adoption and change management - required;
• Able to build a defensible business case for automation and AI initiatives, covering baseline effort, expected benefit, implementation and run cost, adoption assumptions, and how benefit realization will be measured - required;
• Able to critically assess vendor and consulting AI propositions, separating demonstrated capability from marketing, and to structure proofs of value with explicit success criteria and exit conditions - required;
• Familiarity with the risk and control dimension of AI in an industrial setting: error and hallucination handling, human-in-the-loop design, auditability, data confidentiality, and deployer-level obligations under the EU AI Act - preferred;
• Personal fluency with current AI tools as a working user, sufficient to judge what is credible, to set expectations for the team, and to hold a technical conversation with NAIT and external vendors - preferred.

Behaviours and Soft Skills

• Structured problem-solver: able to frame ambiguous operational challenges, synthesize complex inputs, and produce clear, decision-ready C-level outputs independently;
• Comfortable facilitating working sessions with senior stakeholders (Heads of Departments, COO level);
• Able to manage complex, multi-stakeholder coordination independently, without ongoing direction;
• Self-directed; able to hold multiple concurrent workstreams without losing quality or deadlines;
• Collaborative: committed to covering for team peers when portfolio needs shift.
• Comfortable making decisions with incomplete/partial information
• Technology-literate but outcome-driven: interested in automation and AI for the scaling and cost-to-serve outcomes they enable, and willing to stop initiatives that do not produce measurable benefit.

Education and Qualifications

• Mandatory: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Operations Management, or equivalent; Master's degree or MBA preferred;
• Preferred: 7+ years of experience in operations management, operational excellence, programme management, or strategy consulting, ideally in the energy or industrial sector.
• Preferred: exposure to operational digital, automation, or AI transformation programmes, on either the client or the delivery side, with visibility of what was actually adopted after go-live.

Travel Requirements

Travel will be required for stakeholder workshops, site visits, or coordination across Nadara's operational geographies. Frequency is expected to be moderate (several times per year; may be approximately 4 days per month on average).

Pay and benefits

At Nadara, we’re committed to creating an environment where our people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow.

Our rewards package reflects that commitment, including flexible ways of working, continuous learning and development opportunities, and initiatives focused on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

We recognise effort and dedication, and we make sure it’s matched with fair pay and meaningful benefits - join us and be part of an international renewable energy company that invests in both your personal and professional growth.

Salary range: 40K-50K + variable bonus and benefits

The compensation range indicated in the job posting represents an estimated average range for the position. The final remuneration will be determined based on the selected candidate’s experience, skills and qualifications, in accordance with EU pay transparency.

Equality and equity

Nadara is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, deeply committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). We believe that a truly sustainable future is built by diverse minds and voices, and we want everyone to feel they belong and can thrive.

Our hiring decisions are based solely on merit, skills, and potential, and pay is determined fairly - considering each individual’s experience, qualifications and contribution.

Together, we’re building an inclusive culture where everyone has the chance to make an impact, because when people thrive - so does our planet.

What we expect from you

We’re looking for people who share our passion for making a difference: curious minds that are eager to learn, grow and take ownership.

If you bring initiative, commitment and a collaborative mindset, we’ll give you the space and support to flourish.

Location:

Madrid Time Type:

Full time Worker Subtype:

Regular