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Management · Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree

Wind Energy Operations Managers

Manage wind field operations, including personnel, maintenance activities, financial activities, and planning.

Also called: Clean Energy Site Manager, Energy Environmental Manager, Energy Operations Manager, Energy Quality Control Manager (Energy QC Manager), Energy Services Manager, Offshore Energy Environmental Manager

Is this career right for me?

Median pay

$141,900

Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other”

Pay range (10th–90th)

$74,300 – $238,270

People employed

622,190

Whole BLS group

Holland code

ECR

Enterprising · Conventional · Realistic

Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers

Is this career right for you?

These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.

  1. 1.Are you OK working outdoors in all kinds of weather?
  2. 2.Are you OK with physical risk, such as hazardous equipment or conditions, with proper training?
  3. 3.Are you OK working more than 40 hours a week?
  4. 4.Are you OK with hours that change?
  5. 5.Do you want a lot of freedom to make your own decisions?
  6. 6.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?

The hard parts

  • Mistakes can have serious consequences
  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Tight deadlines are common

Wind Energy Operations Managers pay by state

Highest-paying states

Massachusetts$182,950
District of Columbia$175,720
California$174,560
Colorado$171,140
Delaware$168,060

Lowest-paying states

Indiana$79,900
Arkansas$87,520
Tennessee$99,430

Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, for the broader group “Managers, All Other”.

Wind Energy Operations Managers salary in every state →

What wind energy operations managers do

  1. 01Supervise employees or subcontractors to ensure quality of work or adherence to safety regulations or policies.
  2. 02Train or coordinate the training of employees in operations, safety, environmental issues, or technical issues.
  3. 03Track and maintain records for wind operations, such as site performance, downtime events, parts usage, or substation events.
  4. 04Oversee the maintenance of wind field equipment or structures, such as towers, transformers, electrical collector systems, roadways, or other site assets.
  5. 05Prepare wind field operational budgets.
  6. 06Develop relationships and communicate with customers, site managers, developers, land owners, authorities, utility representatives, or residents.

Skills that matter most

  • Active Listening
  • Monitoring
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing

Knowledge

  • Administration and Management
  • Mechanical
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Personnel and Human Resources

Education and first steps

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)15%
Post-Secondary Certificate7%
Some College Courses4%
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree40%
Bachelor's Degree35%

Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.

How people get started

  • Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree (O*NET Job Zone 3).
  • Related work experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years.
  • On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.

Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.

Interest fit (Holland code)

Realistic4.16
Investigative3.04
Artistic1.00
Social2.34
Enterprising6.47
Conventional5.24

O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.

Career changes

Change from wind energy operations managers

See all jobs for former wind energy operations managers →

Change into wind energy operations managers

Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).

Jobs similar to wind energy operations managers →

Majors that lead here

  • Environmental/Natural Resource Economics
  • Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
  • Information Technology Project Management
  • Library and Information Science
  • Archives/Archival Administration
  • Systems Science and Theory
  • Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis
  • Economics and Computer Science
  • Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
  • Geoarcheaology
  • History and Language/Literature
  • History and Political Science

From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.

Free help near you

You can get free career counseling, job search help and, if you qualify, help paying for training through American Job Centers, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Find an American Job CenterFind training programs

Links go to CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Keep exploring

Sources. O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0): description, tasks, skills, knowledge, work styles, education, interests and work context. Pay and employment: BLS OEWS May 2025 (national and state). Majors: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Data Sources & Licenses