Renewable firms hiring talent across levels

Bengaluru: As India looks to achieve net zero emissions by 2070, renewable energy companies are accelerating their search for talent that can help the transition to sustainable energy sources and decarbonisation.

Adani Green Energy, Tata Power Renewable Energy, Vikram Solar, and Gensol Group are among firms ramping up hiring for roles spanning projects, data science, weather analysis, solar cell and module manufacturing, operations, supply chain management and maintenance, talent search firms and industry executives said.

Adani Green Energy is looking for expertise in projects, operations and maintenance to support its expanding portfolio, a company spokesperson told ET.

The Ahmedabad-headquartered company, which has set its sights on delivering 50 GW renewables by 2030, is also looking for data scientists, weather experts, electrical civil engineers, specialists in business intelligence, digital technologies and transformation, supply chain and procurement specialists, as well as talent in core business operations and enabling functions.

The firm has committed large-scale investments in developing solar, wind, solar-wind hybrid renewable power and hydro-pumped storage projects.

Tata Power Renewable Energy, which employs approximately 2,500 individuals across multiple levels, is looking to hire talent with expertise in solar cell and module manufacturing, solar and wind project management, operations and maintenance, engineering and technology, and business development across various segments such as utility-scale projects, group captive, rooftop solar, and EV charging.

“Several factors have contributed towards our growth in hiring, including the expansion of our renewable energy projects such as the MoU signed with the government of Gujarat to develop 10,000 MW of renewable energy projects,” said Himal Tewari, chief HR officer and chief – sustainability and CSR at Tata Power.

These are expected to produce many new direct and indirect job opportunities, he said.

Gensol Group is looking to hire talent for technology roles in batteries, data analytics, project and land development, environment, and governance and regulatory and project management.

“Our focus is to build design expertise across civil, electrical and mechanical capabilities,” said Kamaljeet Kaur, chief people officer, Gensol Group.

Solar module manufacturer Vikram Solar is looking to hire for its manufacturing and supply chain teams.

The renewable energy market in India was valued at $22 billion last year and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 8.71% during 2024-2032, according to a report by market research firm IMARC Group.

Companies are collaborating with government and local bodies and partnering with engineering colleges to recruit employees, besides focusing on upskilling to build up internal talent.

Expertise in demand:
Organisations are also on the lookout for senior talent to drive expansion, search firms told ET.

Annual compensation on offer ranges from Rs 2-3 crore for CFO, project management and R&D roles, to Rs 4-6 crore for CEO profiles, they said.

Murali Mohan, partner – power, electrical, electronics and infrastructure at ABC Consultants, said the search firm is seeing a 25-30% rise in mandates from renewable energy companies, with roles like CEO, COO, head of solar and wind projects, head of grid integration in demand.

Korn Ferry is seeing a rise in mandates for roles in research and development, project management, and operations, its senior client partner Ashwin Saboo said.

Industrial manufacturing and conventional power companies are normally tapped for senior-level hires, but there is a scarcity of talent in green hydrogen, fuel cells and new energy corridors, Saboo said.

Companies that have recently made senior hires in the renewables space include JSW Energy (Ashok Ramachandran as COO), Suzlon (Gurpratap Borapai as CEO of the company’s manufacturing unit), Tata Power (Deepesh Nanda as MD and CEO of the renewable energy business), and Gensol Engineering (Shilpa Urhekar as CEO).