SOC 11-9199.09Bright outlook

    Wind Energy Operations Managers

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

    Median pay
    $141,900
    Growth
    +4.9%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    100,900
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections · figures for the broader BLS group "Managers, all other"

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $74,300
    Median
    $141,900
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $238,270
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    622,190 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Wind Energy Operations Managers oversee wind field operations, including staff, maintenance, and budgets. Belonging to a broad management category with a median annual pay of $141,900, these professionals ensure wind farms run safely and efficiently.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What wind energy operations managers do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

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

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    Professionals in this field direct the daily activities of wind energy sites. Their main tasks involve making decisions, solving problems, and coordinating the work of others. They schedule maintenance, inspect mechanical equipment, and use computers to monitor operations. To keep projects running smoothly, they focus on building teams, coaching staff, and evaluating site compliance with safety standards.

    This role suits individuals with enterprising interests who enjoy leadership and business goals. Success in this job requires strong skills in active listening, critical thinking, personnel management, and clear speaking. Managers must also possess a diverse range of knowledge, including administration, mechanical systems, engineering, public safety, and human resources.

    How to get there

    To enter this career, the typical education required is a bachelor's degree, though some individuals find opportunities with vocational training, an associate degree, or related work experience. Common college majors that lead to this field include business administration, management and operations, computer and information technology administration, political science, sociology, psychology, history, and criminal justice.

    For professional development, individuals can pursue credentials such as the Energy Risk Professional certification offered by the Global Association of Risk Professionals. Related career paths include wind energy development, wind turbine service, and other renewable energy management roles.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for this occupation is $141,900, though this figure represents the broader federal category for all other managers. Within this broad group, the lowest 10 percent of earners make less than $74,300, while the highest 10 percent earn more than $238,270.

    Employment for this management group is projected to grow by 4.9 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. There are approximately 622,190 people employed in this category, with about 100,900 job openings expected each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    53 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    34 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    22 / 100
    Enterprising (E) · strongest
    91 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    71 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ECR. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    93
    Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
    92
    Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
    89
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    89
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    87
    Scheduling Work and Activities
    87
    Working with Computers
    86
    Coaching and Developing Others
    86
    Developing and Building Teams
    86
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    86
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Speaking
    • Management of Personnel Resources
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Writing
    • Coordination
    • Persuasion

    Knowledge

    • Administration and Management
    • Mechanical
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Administrative
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Mathematics
    • Production and Processing

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Information Ordering
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning

    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 · Offshore Wind Operations Manager · Renewable Energy Development Manager · Service Site Manager · Site Manager

    Career pathway

    From your interests to wind energy operations managers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Wind Energy Operations Managers$141,900 median pay
    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Williams College logo
      Williams College

      Williamstown, MA · Economics · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $105,744
      4 yrs after
      $166,678
      Median debt
      $9,750
    2. 2Duke University logo
      Duke University

      Durham, NC · Economics · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $124,433
      4 yrs after
      $161,149
      Median debt
      $13,000
    3. 3Carnegie Mellon University logo
      Carnegie Mellon University

      Pittsburgh, PA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $97,419
      4 yrs after
      $160,783
      Median debt
      $19,000
    4. 4Princeton University logo
      Princeton University

      Princeton, NJ · Economics · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $108,471
      4 yrs after
      $160,763
      Median debt
      Not reported
    5. 5University of Chicago logo
      University of Chicago

      Chicago, IL · Economics · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $98,564
      4 yrs after
      $159,578
      Median debt
      $12,500
    6. 6Harvard University logo
      Harvard University

      Cambridge, MA · Economics · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $120,683
      4 yrs after
      $155,592
      Median debt
      $14,000
    7. 7Dartmouth College logo
      Dartmouth College

      Hanover, NH · Economics · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $115,308
      4 yrs after
      $152,929
      Median debt
      $14,833
    8. 8Claremont McKenna College CMC logo
      Claremont McKenna College CMC

      Claremont, CA · Economics · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $99,125
      4 yrs after
      $146,524
      Median debt
      $11,750

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What wind energy operations managers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work. Showing 12 of 126.

    • American Government and Politics (United States)
    • American History (United States)
    • Anthropology, General
    • Anthropology, Other
    • Applied Behavior Analysis
    • Applied Demography
    • Applied Economics
    • Applied Psychology
    • Applied/Public Sociology
    • Archeology
    • Archives/Archival Administration
    • Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Questions about wind energy operations managers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this role are also called clean energy site managers, energy operations managers, offshore wind operations managers, and renewable energy development managers.

    What college majors are common for wind energy operations managers?

    Common majors include business administration, management and operations, computer and information technology administration, criminal justice, psychology, and political science.

    Is there a specific certification available for this field?

    Yes, professionals can earn the Energy Risk Professional certification, which is issued by the Global Association of Risk Professionals.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.