Neev Energy
Website:
neevenergy.com
Job details:
NEEV ENERGY
Head – Operations & Maintenance
Delhi NCR | Full-time | Reporting to CEO
email to:
hr@neevenergy.com /
siyer@neevenergy.com
About Neev Energy
Neev Energy is a smart urban infrastructure company that designs, builds, and operates connected street lighting systems across Indian cities. We manage hundreds of thousands of intelligent light points across multiple states through long-term government contracts — combining EPC execution with IoT-enabled asset management. Our proprietary platform, HyperDash, brings real-time visibility and AI-assisted control to every asset we operate.
As we scale our portfolio and pursue expansion across India and internationally, we are building a dedicated Operations & Maintenance vertical — a distinct, performance-driven business unit accountable for the reliability, efficiency, and financial performance of every project we operate.
The opportunity
This role is the founding leadership position for the O&M vertical at Neev. You will join as Head – Operations & Maintenance with a mandate to transform how we run our operating project portfolio: from a delivery team executing contracts to a performance-driven business owning per-project P&Ls.
You will take over a live portfolio of active O&M projects spread across multiple states, lead field teams operating across geographies, and be held accountable for SLA adherence, cost optimisation, and payment collections across each project. As new projects are won and handed over from the EPC vertical, you will be responsible for standing them up as O&M P&Ls and scaling the vertical accordingly. This is a role for someone who has operated at the intersection of field delivery and commercial accountability in street lighting or closely adjacent urban infrastructure.
Key responsibilities
1. P&L ownership — per project
– Own the full P&L for each active O&M project in the portfolio, with accountability for cost, margin, and collections on a per-project basis.
– Establish baseline cost structures per project — allocating field payroll, contract manpower, IoT operations, and shared services — to generate clear monthly margin visibility.
– Drive collections accountability: own days sales outstanding per project, liaise with the finance team on ageing, and manage direct escalations with government clients where required.
– Report monthly O&M P&L to the CEO with variance commentary and a forward cost outlook for each project.
– As new projects are handed over from the EPC vertical, stand up the O&M P&L within an agreed timeframe and integrate the project into the vertical's operating framework.
2. SLA governance and delivery
– Take ownership of all contractual SLAs across the portfolio — uptime commitments, fault resolution turnaround times, reporting obligations, and penalty avoidance.
– Build and institutionalise an SLA monitoring framework: define internal metrics, set thresholds ahead of contractual limits, and create early-warning systems for at-risk projects.
– Lead and set performance expectations for project managers and field leads across all active sites, aligning team KPIs to project SLA obligations.
– Ensure the HyperDash platform is actively used for operational decisions: fault detection, work order management, and SLA reporting to clients.
3. Field workforce and contract manpower optimisation
– Manage and optimise contract field manpower across the portfolio, ensuring cost-per-light-point and productivity benchmarks are actively tracked and improved.
– Renegotiate, restructure, or rebid contract manpower arrangements where benchmarks are not being met, and build staffing models that flex with project phases and contractual obligations.
– Oversee the IoT Operations team responsible for device uptime, fault diagnosis, and field maintenance across deployed hardware — ensuring their workload and priorities are aligned to project SLA requirements.
– Identify over-provisioning or underperformance in field staffing across any project and take corrective action without compromising SLA delivery.
4. O&M vertical build-out
– Develop the O&M operating playbook: standard processes for onboarding new projects, field inspection protocols, escalation matrices, and client reporting templates.
– Define the talent model for the vertical — identify gaps in the existing field team, propose hires or restructuring as the portfolio grows, and build a career path for field engineers and project managers within O&M.
– Input into pricing for new bids: provide the O&M cost model that underpins commercial assumptions in Neev's project proposals, drawing on actual cost-per-light-point data from the operating portfolio.
– Establish shared service allocation norms — agree with Finance on how IoT Operations, procurement, and other shared functions are charged to each project P&L.
5. Client and stakeholder management
– Serve as the primary operational relationship owner with government clients — urban local bodies, state nodal agencies, and project management consultants — across the O&M portfolio.
– Represent Neev in periodic project review meetings, presenting performance data, addressing operational grievances, and positioning the company for contract renewals and scope extensions.
– Maintain relationships with key government counterparts at the project level, building trust and credibility through consistent SLA performance and proactive communication.
What we're looking for
Experience
– 12 to 18 years of experience in operations and maintenance of urban infrastructure — street lighting, SCADA-enabled distribution systems, smart city assets, or closely related sectors.
– Demonstrated P&L ownership in an O&M or service delivery context — you have managed cost and margin for a project or business unit, not just delivery KPIs.
– Experience managing government or municipal clients in India — familiarity with urban local body governance, payment cycles, and contractual frameworks in state-level infrastructure programmes is a strong advantage.
– Track record of managing geographically distributed field teams, including both direct employees and contract or outsourced workforces.
– Exposure to IoT-enabled infrastructure operations: remote monitoring, SCADA, fault management systems, or smart metering infrastructure is preferred.
Capabilities
– Commercial sharpness: you understand the difference between operational performance and financial performance, and can translate field metrics into margin outcomes.
– Collections instinct: you are comfortable owning payment accountability and managing government receivables — not just flagging delays to the finance team.
– Cost discipline: you actively look for ways to reduce cost per light point without SLA compromise — contract renegotiation, workforce optimisation, and process improvement are natural tools for you.
– Structured communicator: able to present project P&L and SLA performance to the CEO with clarity, and represent Neev professionally in government client settings.
– Operator mindset: you prefer being close to the ground and in the detail. This role requires direct accountability, not arm's-length oversight.
Preferred background
– Prior experience in street lighting O&M — either with a state-level implementing agency, an EPC company's O&M arm, or an energy services company operating under performance or annuity-based contracts.
– Familiarity with DBFOT, BOT, or annuity-based O&M structures in Indian urban infrastructure.
– Working knowledge of energy audit requirements, AMC structures, and government O&M reporting and documentation standards.
What the first 90 days look like
Days 1 – 30: Immersion and baseline
– Visit all active project sites. Understand the physical asset base, current SLA status, and team capabilities on the ground at each location.
– Review all O&M contracts: annuity or payment structure, SLA obligations, penalty clauses, payment terms, and current collections status.
– Map the full cost structure per project: dedicated team payroll, contract manpower, and allocable shared services.
– Identify the top risks per project across SLA, cost, and collections — and present an initial risk register to the CEO.
Days 31 – 60: P&L activation
– Establish the per-project P&L framework: agree on cost allocation methodology for shared functions with Finance and present to the CEO.
– Publish the first monthly P&L for each project — even if directional — to establish the cadence and baseline.
– Initiate a collections review on overdue projects: set up the escalation path with the relevant government client and track resolution.
– Present a contract manpower optimisation plan per project, with cost-reduction targets and a delivery timeline.
Days 61 – 90: Performance and process
– Formalise the O&M operating playbook: inspection schedules, escalation matrix, SLA early-warning triggers, and client reporting templates.
– Complete the first formal quarterly performance review with each project's client, presenting uptime data, issue logs, and resolution status.
– Deliver a 12-month O&M cost and collections forecast to the CEO, with headcount and contract manpower assumptions by project.
Propose any structural changes to team allocation, contract manpower arrangements, or project P&L ownership, with a rationale and implementation plan.
This is a senior, performance-accountable role. Compensation will reflect seniority and will include a variable component linked to P&L and collections outcomes. Location is Delhi NCR with regular travel to active project sites.
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