Photovoltaic Project Assistant

Photovoltaic Project Assistant

1. Purpose of the position

At GTS, the project manager is the technical, financial, and contractual guarantor of their construction sites. In practice, a significant portion of their time is absorbed by administrative, coordination, and document tracking tasks: subsidy files, notifications to the grid operator, material orders, follow-ups, planning, filing, invoicing.
The assistant project position is created to take over these tasks in a structured and reliable manner, so that the project manager can focus on what only they can do: technical design, negotiation, customer relations, and control of costs and deadlines.
The objective of the position, formulated simply:
"No project must fall behind schedule, lose money, or lose a subsidy for an administrative or organizational reason."

1. Positioning in the organization

Hierarchical superior: The project manager to whom the assistant is attached. They set priorities, validate decisions, and evaluate performance.
Internal interlocutors: Technical office / estimators (sizing, plans, offers) Purchasing and logistics (orders, deliveries, stock) Team leaders and installers (planning, site preparation) Administration, accounting and HR (invoicing, contracts, hours) Management (reporting, arbitration)
External interlocutors: Clients (individuals, property management companies, companies, local authorities) Distribution grid operators (GRD) Pronovo, ESTI, municipal and cantonal services Suppliers, carriers, renters Subcontractors (electricians, tinsmiths, crane operators, scaffolders) Architects, engineering offices, works management
Substitution: Ensures the continuity of administrative project follow-up during the project manager's absences, within the limits of delegation defined in chapter 6.
Possible evolution: Towards a junior project manager position after increasing technical skills, or towards a multi-project administrative coordination function.
The position has no hierarchical responsibility.

1. General mission

The project assistant ensures the smooth administrative, documentary, and organizational progress of the photovoltaic projects entrusted to their project manager, from the signing of the contract until the closing of the file, covering the entire GTS portfolio: residential, large roofs, industrial and agricultural, as well as tender files and public markets.
This mission is divided into six axes:
File management: Each project has an up-to-date, complete file at all times that can be consulted by a third party without oral explanation.
Regulatory procedures: All notifications, authorizations, and subsidy requests are submitted on time and followed up until obtained.
Procurement: Materials and means are ordered, confirmed, and available before the start of the construction site.
Coordination and communication: Clients, subcontractors, and internal teams have the useful information at the right time; no request remains unanswered.
Financial follow-up and closing: Down payments and invoicing are issued at the right time, cost variances are reported early, files are closed properly.
Processes and data quality: Internal processes are applied as defined and the data in internal tools are complete, accurate, and up to date.

1. Detailed responsibilities by project phase

The tasks below constitute the reference framework for the function. Not all apply to every project: the project manager specifies the scope at the launch of each business.
Project launch (from order to start)
Open the project file in the ERP and on the server: filing structure, site number, client file, reference budget.
Check the completeness of the file taken from the estimation: signed offer, plans, layout, production calculation, technical data sheets, special conditions.
Identify open points and known risks with the project manager, and keep the list up to date.
Establish the administrative retro-planning of the project: submission dates, authority processing times, delivery times, site milestones.
Send the order confirmation and the reference contact to the client; transmit the file to the client in the agreed form.
Convene and prepare the internal launch meeting (technical office, team leader, purchasing): agenda, documents, decision points.
Regulatory procedures and subsidies
Prepare and submit the connection request and the production installation notification to the relevant grid operator (GRD); follow up on the connection agreement.
Prepare notifications and authorizations related to the electrical installation according to the OIBT; coordinate with the authorized electrician and, if necessary, the ESTI.
Compile and submit Pronovo subsidy requests (one-off remuneration); follow progress, respond to requests for additional information, monitor payment.
Process subsidy requests and cantonal or municipal programs applicable to the project.
Prepare building permit files or notifications to the construction police when the project requires it; follow up on public inquiry periods and any objections.
Gather elements related to fire protection and AEAI requirements, as well as building insurance notifications when required.
Prepare documents relating to a self-consumption group (RCP) or a local electricity community (CEL) when the project provides for one: agreements, lists of participants, metering data.
Maintain a dashboard of ongoing procedures: authority, submission date, expected deadline, status, next follow-up.
Systematically follow up with authorities and partners before deadlines expire, and not after.
Purchasing, material and site resources
Establish the material list