Talent Shortages in Construction: Executive Search in EPC
Talent shortages have affected engineering, construction and EPC companies for years, but the challenge should be separated into two different
June 27, 2023
A renewable energy project can look promising on paper and still face difficult questions before it produces a return. We identify the leaders who can connect development, financing, commercial strategy and operations.
When will a project connect to the grid? What will its electricity earn during the hours it generates? How much risk can the business retain, and which commitments will lenders require?
The executives responsible for these decisions need to understand how development, financing, commercial strategy and operations affect one another.
Zavala Civitas supports renewable energy developers, independent power producers, asset owners and operators across solar, wind, storage, hydropower and bioenergy. Each search is defined around the technology, market, stage of the business and decisions the role is expected to own. With offices in Mexico, Spain, Canada and China, our international research reaches leaders across Latin America, Europe, North America and Asia.
The size of a pipeline tells only part of the story. According to the IEA’s Electricity 2026 report, more than 2,500 GW of projects, including renewables, storage and large electricity consumers, remain stalled in grid connection queues worldwide. Grid access has become a strategic constraint: leaders must decide which projects to prioritise, where to commit capital and when to revise plans as connection dates move.
For development appointments, we examine which milestones candidates secured, which decisions they owned and how they managed the capital committed along the way.
Development requires sustained work with authorities, landowners and communities. Agreements reached early must remain workable as design and schedule evolve, and leaders need to honour local commitments without losing momentum across the wider pipeline.
We assess how candidates have managed objections, communicated changes and followed through across the project stages for which they were responsible.
Producing more electricity does not necessarily mean earning more. The IEA reports that around 6% of hours in 2025 recorded negative wholesale prices in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, up from roughly 3–5% in 2024, with Spain seeing the largest increase. The link between production profiles and realised revenues has become a board-level issue.
Commercial leaders must balance power purchase agreements against merchant exposure, forecasting and balancing responsibilities. We assess how candidates have negotiated contracts, evaluated counterparties and worked with finance and operations to manage the risks retained by the business.
The IEA notes that battery costs continue to fall, enhancing their competitiveness, although market barriers and integration challenges remain. A storage configuration must still fit the asset, the connection conditions and the market.
Relevant leaders should be able to test the assumptions behind a storage proposal, including expected revenues, operating restrictions, degradation and supplier responsibilities, and connect technical knowledge with a credible commercial case.
Lower equipment costs do not resolve every obstacle to financing. IRENA’s Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2024 report highlights high financing costs, slow permitting, grid connection bottlenecks, trade tariffs and material supply constraints as factors that can slow deployment and raise costs.
Investment leaders and CFOs must challenge forecasts, compare alternatives and explain how changes in cost, timing or revenue affect the decision to proceed, revise or stop. We explore how candidates have handled due diligence, financing negotiations and those decisions.
Once an asset is commissioned, priorities change. Availability, maintenance, resource conditions, grid curtailment and supplier performance all affect results. Portfolio leaders must separate the issues they can address from external constraints, and report consistently without overlooking differences between technologies, locations and contracts.
We examine how candidates have investigated underperformance, prioritised interventions and held operating partners accountable.
Each search is defined around the technology, the market and the stage of the business.
Utility-scale and distributed solar businesses, where development models, grid access, commercial arrangements and asset management shape the role.
Developers, owners and operators, where permitting, stakeholder relationships, technology, operating conditions and project scale define the requirements.
Standalone storage and projects combining batteries with renewable generation, spanning development, investment, commercial strategy and operations.
Development and operations, with attention to asset performance, water management, environmental responsibilities and long-term investment.
Businesses where feedstock sourcing, process performance and commercial arrangements must work together.
A Development Director taking projects to financial close requires different experience from an Asset Management Director responsible for an operating portfolio. We establish those distinctions before approaching candidates.
| Area | Relevant leadership roles |
|---|---|
| Executive leadership | CEO, Managing Director, Country Manager, Regional Director |
| Development | Development Director, Head of Project Development, Permitting Director |
| Commercial | Commercial Director, PPA Origination Director, Energy Trading Director |
| Investment and finance | CFO, Investment Director, Project Finance Director |
| Technical and operations | Technical Director, Operations Director, Asset Management Director, Head of Operations and Maintenance |
| Storage | Energy Storage Director, Head of Hybrid Projects |
| Corporate functions | Sustainability Director, Legal Director, HR Director |
We begin with the business model, technology and market. The brief clarifies whether the appointment is intended to build a pipeline, secure investment, strengthen commercial capability or improve operating performance, and sets out the executive’s authority, team and expected outcomes.
Our research combines target-company mapping with direct approaches to executives who are not actively looking, including leaders in European developers expanding into Latin America and North America. Permitting and commercial roles often depend on jurisdiction-specific experience, while investment and asset management roles may benefit from experience across technologies or international portfolios.
We personally interview candidates about the decisions they made and the responsibilities they held. For development leaders, we examine the projects they progressed and the obstacles they resolved. For commercial executives, we explore PPA negotiations, counterparty evaluation and the risks they chose to retain. For investment leaders, we assess due diligence and financing decisions. For asset leaders, we examine how they diagnosed performance issues and implemented improvements.
Structured assessments, references and, where appropriate, a role-specific business case provide further evidence. Technical discussions can involve the client’s subject-matter experts.
Weekly progress reports provide visibility into market coverage, candidate feedback and constraints affecting the brief. Location, travel, compensation and the resources available to the incoming executive are discussed early, so that both parties can judge whether the appointment is realistic.
Whether you are moving projects through development, refining your commercial strategy, adding storage to your portfolio or strengthening asset management, contact Zavala Civitas for a confidential discussion about your next renewable energy appointment.
Diagnosis of Situation
An independent power producer needed a Commercial Director for a portfolio of solar and wind assets. The business combined contracted and merchant revenues, and wanted to review its exposure to low-price periods, strengthen its approach to PPA negotiations and assess how storage could affect future commercial decisions.
The appointment required someone who understood electricity markets and could work closely with finance, investment and operations. Candidates from energy trading often understand market risk but not the obligations of an asset owner, while asset-side leaders may lack trading depth. The role required both.
Implementation
The search began by reviewing the portfolio’s production profiles, existing contracts and the commercial authority attached to the position.
Candidate mapping focused on renewable asset owners, utilities and relevant energy trading businesses. Interviews explored PPA structuring, counterparty assessment, forecasting and balancing arrangements.
A business case presented several contracting options for an asset with variable production and exposure to low wholesale prices. Candidates explained how they would compare the options, test assumptions and identify risks requiring further analysis, and how they would evaluate a storage proposal with technical and investment colleagues.
References examined negotiating judgement, accountability and the ability to make complex commercial decisions understandable to other functions.
Result
The appointment established a clear commercial strategy for the portfolio and stronger coordination between contracting, investment and operations.
Initial priorities included reviewing contractual exposure, agreeing risk limits and developing a consistent framework for evaluating new PPAs and storage opportunities. Progress was assessed against agreed commercial objectives and the responsibilities of the role.
Talent shortages have affected engineering, construction and EPC companies for years, but the challenge should be separated into two different