Management

Wind Energy Operations Manager Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

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

Median pay
$141,900
Growth to 2035
+4.9%
Openings a year
100,900
Typical entry
Bachelor's

Wind Energy Operations Managers earn a median of $141,900 per year ($68.22/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.9% through 2035, with about 100,900 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.

  • SOC 11-9199
  • Management
  • Last updated October 9, 2026

At a glance

Wind Energy Operations Manager in four numbers

Median pay
$141,900a year, or $68.22/hr
Lowest 10% $74KTop 10% $238K

US median, all jobs: $50,980

BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected growth
+4.9%Faster than average
This career
+4.9%
All jobs
+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
This career+4.9%
All jobs+3.5%
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year
100,9001,338,800 jobs today
  • Jobs in 20251.3M
  • Projected 20351.4M
Employment, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Jobs in 20251.3M
Projected 20351.4M
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Typical education
Bachelor'sneeded to enter
  • High school14.9%
  • Certificate7.1%
  • Some college3.6%
  • Associate's39.7%
  • Bachelor's34.8%
Highest education held by wind energy operations managers
SegmentValue
High school14.9%
Certificate7.1%
Some college3.6%
Associate's39.7%
Bachelor's34.8%
BLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET

Also advertised as: Service Site Manager, Site Manager, Turbine Site Manager, Wind Facilities Manager, Wind Operations Supervisor, Wind Plant Manager.

Pay

How much do Wind Energy Operations Managers make?

Annual pay, lowest-paid to highest-paid

Every wind energy operations manager in the US, by percentile of annual wage

Median

$141,900

Middle half earn $102,880 to $186,300

10th
$74,300
25th
$102,880
75th
$186,300
90th
$238,270

All US occupations: $50,980

Wind Energy Operations Manager annual wages
PercentileValue
10th$74,300
25th$102,880
Median$141,900
75th$186,300
90th$238,270
All US occupations$50,980

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Median annual wage
$141,900
Median hourly wage
$68.22/hr
Mean annual wage
$153,890
People employed
622,190

Versus all US occupations

At $141,900, Wind Energy Operations Managers earn 178% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $90,920 a year.

Versus management occupations

Inside the Management group, where the middle occupation pays $126,060, this is 13% above the group median.

Pay range

The top 10% earn $238,270 or more while the bottom 10% earn $74,300, a gap of 3.2×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.

Rank in the bank

This median pays more than 92% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.

Highest-paying state

Massachusetts pays the most at $182,950, and still leads at $172,991 once local prices are taken into account.

Pay by state

Which states pay Wind Energy Operations Managers the most?

State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.

Top 10 states by median annual wage for Wind Energy Operations Managers
StateMedianCOL-adjustedEmployed
1Massachusetts$182,950$172,99110,630
2District of Columbia$175,720$159,88918,570
3California$174,560$157,65999,580
4Colorado$171,140$166,07114,060
5Delaware$168,060$168,3831,280
6New York$167,200$154,92818,470
7Virginia$166,230$164,41521,560
8Rhode Island$165,900$162,202790
9Washington$164,160$153,40210,490
10Connecticut$162,690$157,0227,330
See all 54 states, sortable, with cost-of-living adjustments

Job outlook

Is Wind Energy Operations Manager a growing career?

Projected change in jobs

Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation

Wind Energy Operations Managers
+4.9%
All US occupations
+3.5%

Faster than average. +4.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.

Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Wind Energy Operations Managers+4.9%
All US occupations+3.5%

Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035

Faster than average

BLS projects employment of Wind Energy Operations Managers to change 4.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 65,600 more jobs.

Annual openings

About 100,900 openings are projected each year, 7.5% of the 1,338,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.

Getting in

How to become a Wind Energy Operations Manager

  1. 1

    Typical entry-level education

    Bachelor's degree

  2. 2

    Work experience in a related occupation

    Less than 5 years

  3. 3

    Typical on-the-job training

    None

  4. 4

    Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)

    Some preparation

BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.

What education people in the job have

O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as wind energy operations managers.

  • Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree39.7%
  • Bachelor's Degree34.8%
  • High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)14.9%
  • Post-Secondary Certificate7.1%
  • Some College Courses3.6%
Highest education held by wind energy operations managers
ItemValue
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree39.7%
Bachelor's Degree34.8%
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)14.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate7.1%
Some College Courses3.6%

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

The work

What does a Wind Energy Operations Manager do?

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

Day-to-day tasks

  1. Track and maintain records for wind operations, such as site performance, downtime events, parts usage, or substation events.
  2. Monitor and maintain records of daily facility operations.
  3. Develop processes or procedures for wind operations, including transitioning from construction to commercial operations.
  4. Train or coordinate the training of employees in operations, safety, environmental issues, or technical issues.
  5. Establish goals, objectives, or priorities for wind field operations.
  6. Estimate costs associated with operations, including repairs or preventive maintenance.
  7. Maintain operations records, such as work orders, site inspection forms, or other documentation.
  8. Develop relationships and communicate with customers, site managers, developers, land owners, authorities, utility representatives, or residents.

O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.

Working conditions and hours

Where the work happens

  • Indoors, climate-controlled

    NeverEvery day
  • Outdoors in all weather

    NeverEvery day

Physical demands

  • Sitting

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Standing

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Bending or twisting

    NeverAlmost all the time

Working with people

  • Contact with other people

    NoneConstant

    Constant contact with other people.

  • Face-to-face discussions

    NeverEvery day

    Face-to-face discussions every day.

  • Dealing with the public

    Not importantExtremely important

Pressure and stakes

  • Strict deadlines

    NeverEvery day
  • Conflict situations

    NeverEvery day
  • Cost of a mistake

    Not seriousExtremely serious

    Mistakes carry very serious consequences.

Autonomy

  • Freedom to decide

    NoneA lot

    A lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.

Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.

Core skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Active Listening4.0
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Monitoring3.9
  • Writing3.8
  • Mathematics3.0
  • Active Learning3.0
Core skills for Wind Energy Operations Managers
ItemValue
Active Listening4.0
Reading Comprehension3.9
Speaking3.9
Critical Thinking3.9
Monitoring3.9
Writing3.8
Mathematics3.0
Active Learning3.0

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Transferable skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Social Perceptiveness3.8
  • Management of Personnel Resources3.8
  • Coordination3.6
  • Persuasion3.6
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.4
  • Complex Problem Solving3.3
  • Operations Monitoring3.3
  • Time Management3.3
Transferable skills for Wind Energy Operations Managers
ItemValue
Social Perceptiveness3.8
Management of Personnel Resources3.8
Coordination3.6
Persuasion3.6
Judgment and Decision Making3.4
Complex Problem Solving3.3
Operations Monitoring3.3
Time Management3.3

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Tools and software

  • Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
  • Electronic mail software · in demand
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
  • Office suite software · in demand
  • Presentation software · in demand
  • Project management software · in demand
  • Spreadsheet software · in demand
  • Word processing software · in demand
  • Analytical or scientific software
  • Calendar and scheduling software
  • Compliance software
  • Data base user interface and query software

“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.

Personality fit

What personality type suits a Wind Energy Operations Manager?

Interest profile

O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7

Wind Energy Operations Manager · Realistic: 4Wind Energy Operations Manager · Investigative: 3Wind Energy Operations Manager · Artistic: 1Wind Energy Operations Manager · Social: 2Wind Energy Operations Manager · Enterprising: 6Wind Energy Operations Manager · Conventional: 5
Wind Energy Operations Manager interest profile
AxisWind Energy Operations Manager
Realistic4
Investigative3
Artistic1
Social2
Enterprising6
Conventional5

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

What the work is built around

Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.

  • Enterprising6.5
  • Conventional5.2
  • Realistic4.2
  • Investigative3.0
  • Social2.3
  • Artistic1.0

Closest MBTI types

NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.

Questions

Wind Energy Operations Manager: frequently asked questions

How much do Wind Energy Operations Managers make?

Wind Energy Operations Managers earn a median of $141,900 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 178% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $68.22/hr. The middle half earn between $102,880 and $186,300. The top 10% earn $238,270 or more.

Do you need a degree to become a Wind Energy Operations Manager?

Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Wind Energy Operations Managers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as some preparation. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 39.7% hold associate's degree or other 2-year degree.

Is Wind Energy Operations Manager a growing career?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.9% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 100,900 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

What does a Wind Energy Operations Manager do?

Manage wind field operations, including personnel, maintenance activities, financial activities, and planning. A core O*NET task: track and maintain records for wind operations, such as site performance, downtime events, parts usage, or substation events. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software.

Which states pay Wind Energy Operations Managers the most?

The highest state medians for Wind Energy Operations Managers are Massachusetts ($182,950), District of Columbia ($175,720), California ($174,560) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

What personality type suits a Wind Energy Operations Manager?

O*NET scores Wind Energy Operations Managers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.