Job Title: Sector Manager – Microgrids and Data Centres
Reports to: Sales Director – UK and Ireland
Function: Sales
Location: Knowsley with UK and Overseas Travel as required
Job Purpose: To drive the strategic growth, project execution, and client engagement within the sector, ensuring Clarke Energy delivers cutting-edge, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of microgrid technology, energy efficiency, and power management across a range of applications, as well as critical infrastructure requirements for data centres.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Sector Leadership:
- Lead the Microgrid and Data Centre sector strategy, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives.
- Set clear goals, KPIs, and a roadmap for market penetration and business growth.
- Provide thought leadership in the energy sector, influencing internal and external stakeholders.
Business Development:
- Identify, evaluate, and pursue new business opportunities within the Microgrid and Data Centre segments.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key clients, industry leaders, and stakeholders including data centre operators, commercial and industrial clients, utilities, and government bodies.
- Drive tender submissions, develop competitive proposals, and negotiate contracts with customers.
Project Management:
- Oversee the end-to-end delivery of complex microgrid and power solutions for data centres, from feasibility studies to execution and commissioning.
- Ensure project timelines, budgets, and quality standards are met, coordinating with engineering, procurement, and construction teams.
Technical Expertise:
- Leverage technical expertise in microgrids, power distribution, and backup power solutions to deliver optimised energy systems for data centres and mission-critical environments.
- Provide guidance on integrating renewable energy sources, battery storage, and grid management systems into microgrid solutions.
- Understand and navigate the specific power and redundancy requirements of data centres, including reliability, uptime, and scalability considerations.
Market Analysis & Strategy:
- Conduct market research to identify trends, regulatory changes, and new technology developments in microgrids and the data centre industry.
- Develop sector-specific strategies to enhance Clarke Energy’s position as a leader in delivering reliable and sustainable power solutions.
- Advise on the development of new products and services to meet market demands.
Team Leadership & Development:
- Lead, manage, and mentor a team of project managers, engineers, and business development professionals.
- Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence within the sector.
- Support team development through coaching and training initiatives.
Client & Stakeholder Engagement:
- Serve as the primary point of contact for high-level clients, ensuring consistent communication and understanding of their needs.
- Work closely with the marketing and sales teams to enhance brand presence and sector-specific outreach efforts.
- Deliver presentations, attend industry events, and engage in thought leadership activities to promote Clarke Energy’s expertise in microgrids and data centres.
Financial Management:
- Manage sector P&L, ensuring financial targets are met or exceeded.
- Develop budgets, forecasts, and financial models to support business planning and decision-making.
- Identify cost-saving opportunities and improve operational efficiency.
Compliance & Risk Management:
- Ensure all projects meet regulatory standards, industry codes, and safety requirements.
- Manage project risk through thorough assessment, mitigation planning, and proactive management
Knowledge and Skills:
Essential:
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Energy Management, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).
- Previous experience in the energy sector, with specific focus on microgrids, distributed generation, and/or data centre power systems.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex energy projects in mission-critical industries (e.g., data centres, hospitals, industrial facilities).
- Proven business development skills with a strong network in the energy or data centre industry.
- Expertise in power generation technologies (e.g., CHP, renewables, battery storage, gensets), grid integration, and microgrid management systems.
- Strong knowledge of data centre power requirements, including redundancy (N+1, 2N), reliability standards (Tier certification), and energy efficiency.
- Excellent leadership, negotiation, and communication skills.
- Financial acumen with experience in managing P&L, project budgets, and financial planning.
Desirable:
- Experience working with critical infrastructure and understanding of uptime requirements for data centres.
- Familiarity with energy efficiency measures, renewable energy integration, and decarbonization strategies.
- Strong knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements related to energy and data centre operations.
- Ability to manage and build relationships with stakeholders across technical and commercial disciplines.
Personal Attributes and Professional Knowledge and Skills:
This role requires the job holder to demonstrate that they are:
- consistently trustworthy and professional.
- reliable and dependable.
- responsive to customers’ needs
- supportive and able to work well with colleagues.
- effective in managing their time and workload.
- prepared to work under own initiative and do what is required to get job done.
- committed to quality and improvement.
- willing to take responsibility for work and actions.
- keen to seek out and act on ideas for self- improvement.
In addition, it is particularly important to the success of this role that the job holder can demonstrate the following:
- Excellent analytical skills.
- Ability to plan and prioritise effectively.
- Good attention to detail
- Willingness to be flexible and adaptable- responds well to changing priorities and targets.
- Good relationship building and communication skills.
- Balanced decision making.
- Effectiveness under pressure.
- Resilience and tenacity – stay focused and positive despite difficulties.