Countries across Europe are developing green energy projects to meet climate change targets and provide access to secure energy. In the process, thousands of high-skill roles, including project managers and technical experts, are coming online, with growing demand for the capabilities that they bring. However, many employers in the DACH (Germany [D], Austria [A], and Switzerland [CH]), are now looking for professionals who combine the skills and expertise of these two roles in one profile.
We examine the challenges European employers face in identifying these hybrid professionals and the strategies they can use to develop or attract them.
The European background
Countries in the DACH region are committed to the transition away from fossil fuels, but each is pursuing it in its own individual way, the strategies for which are shaped by its own current energy systems and political priorities.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has its Energiewende, or Energy Transition policy, which aims to achieve a sustainable, reliable and climate-neutral energy system by 2045. This policy has led to the introduction of wind, solar power, next-generation nuclear technology, and hydrogen projects, as well as the grid infrastructure needed to distribute the generated power, and aims to phase out coal by 2038. Its aims are fourfold: to decarbonise the economy, to strengthen energy security, to enhance industrial competitiveness and to create high-value jobs. Wind and solar now provide much of Germany’s electricity needs.
Project example: a 4 GW offshore wind project off the German coast, comprising two wind farms, each with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts each, is scheduled to begin construction in 2029/2030 and be operational by 2031/2032.
Austria’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) is an integrated plan, outlining the country’s 2030 energy and climate targets, with the ambition to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 48% and achieve 100% renewable energy by that date. To achieve this, the country, which already relies heavily on hydropower, plans to expand its solar and wind electricity production and increase the use of heat pumps, biomass generation, district heating and transport electrification. Austria is investing heavily in energy storage capacity and modern grid infrastructure.
Project example: six agrivoltaic farms with battery storage are currently under construction in Burgenland, Austria, and are scheduled to come online by mid-2026. The agrivoltaics will produce 257 MWp and the modern battery storage system will have a capacity of 4.1 MW/8.6 MWh. When combined, these plants will meet the electricity needs of 71,000 households in the region.
Switzerland’s energy strategy, or Energiestrategie 2050, focuses on a gradual transition from fossil fuels, and plans to supplement its heavy reliance on hydropower and nuclear power, which have already kept its emissions low. The Swiss now plan to install solar panels on rooftops in both urban and alpine areas as part of their plans to expand solar power and hope that by scaling up the use of energy storage, the country will be able to reduce the use of fossil fuels in heating and transport. It also aims to strengthen cross-border cooperation with its neighbours in electricity production and grid integration, particularly during the winter months, as it phases out nuclear plants that have reached the end of their useful operational lives.
Project example: in 2024, Switzerland’s first and largest green hydrogen production plant was opened in the Graubünden canton. The 2.5-megawatt plant can produce up to 350 tonnes of green hydrogen a year, replacing the use of up to 1.5 million litres of diesel. Hydrogen produced at the plant is compressed, making it easy to deliver to industrial customers and refuelling stations.
These regional ambitions are being achieved through the growth of low-carbon and large-scale renewable projects. However, employers charged with planning and building them now face a vital challenge – finding experienced project managers who are capable of leading these complex infrastructure projects, and attracting the highly specialised technical experts who have an understanding of the demands of advanced energy engineering systems.
Rising demand for complexity
Rather than employ two separate individuals, employers in the DACH region are increasingly looking for professionals who possess a combination of technical expertise and commercial insight in one hybrid role. This is to ensure that the integration of complex projects, such as connecting hydrogen systems with industrial clusters and interfacing renewable generation with storage grids, can be achieved effectively.
These large-scale infrastructure and energy projects require two traditionally separate skill sets:
Project managers – in critical, large-scale energy infrastructure projects, project managers are responsible for coordinating contractors and suppliers across various countries, liaising with federal, state and municipal stakeholders, managing budgets, procurement and risk, ensuring strict environmental and safety compliance and delivering programmes on time and on budget.
Technical experts – increasingly in demand, specialised civil, mechanical design and electrical grid engineers, who can also work on hydrogen, storage and digital systems, provide the technical skills to ensure that projects are safe and reliable and conform to all regulatory standards.
In the past, these two discrete career paths rarely overlapped but today, the distinction is less obvious. And today, the competition for people who can encompass all these attributes into one role is intense and looks set to increase in the future as more projects come on line.
The hybrid professional
Within the DACH region, energy projects are becoming increasingly technically and commercially complex. As a result, employers are seeking professionals who combine attributes of both project management and technical expertise into one hybrid profile. This will typically include:
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A strong engineering or technical background
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Experience gained in delivering large infrastructure projects
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Commercial awareness and an understanding of a project’s finance
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The ability to engage with stakeholders, from engineers to executives
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The skills to interpret technical data and the confidence to make informed decisions
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Leadership and people-management skills.
The difficulty that many employers now find is that these highly skilled hybrid professionals are in short supply. Germany already has a Fachkräftemangel (skilled worker shortage) which threatens to disrupt economic and societal advances in the future and makes it difficult for German employers to fill technical roles. When these roles require leadership skills and commercial experience in addition, the already small talent pool shrinks significantly.
Why hybrid roles are so difficult to fill
Like in other European countries, the UK included, employers in the DACH region are dealing with rising demand and a falling talent pool. Issues include:
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Skills shortages – brought about by an aging population, demographic shifts and the lack of suitably qualified engineering professionals
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Competition for talent – green energy projects require a similar skill set to that required in traditional manufacturing industries such as automotive and manufacturing, meaning that the talent pool is limited. In addition, projects elsewhere in the world combined with the desire for remote work broadens the choice for candidates
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Specialisation – traditionally, German-speaking countries have opted for strict specialisation within roles, limiting cross-functional development and resulting in fewer candidates with overlapping skill sets
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Lengthy hiring processes – many of the sought-after professionals in this sector receive multiple job offers, expanding their choice. Employers who have lengthy or overly complicated interview processes risk losing the hires that they need.
How employers can attract hybrid professionals
There are a variety of ways in which employers can attract the hybrid professionals they need for green energy projects in the DACH region, including:
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Developing a strategic, long-term workforce strategy that looks beyond immediate needs to focus on future requirements
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Upskilling employees, including financial and commercial training for engineers and technical training for project managers
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Offering clear career progression pathways that include recognition for performance and long-term stability
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Flexible and hybrid working options which appeal to highly qualified professionals across the region
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Creating a strong Employer Value Proposition (EVP) which highlights the organisation’s commitment to climate objectives.
How can JAM help?
However, the most significant course of action that an energy and infrastructure employer looking to hire this new kind of hybrid professional can take is to partner with a specialist recruiter like JAM. Using our deep sector expertise, we can offer advice on many aspects of the recruitment process. With our market knowledge, geographical reach and sector specialism, we add value to employers’ searches through mechanisms such as:
Technical assessments – we look beyond a CV to evaluate a candidate’s capability and experience and assess if they are a ‘true’ hybrid professional who combines the necessary engineering expertise with the level of commercial awareness required. As job titles differ from country to country and from organisation to organisation, we use our specialist skills to understand what employers want and need and what talent is available.
Access to passive candidates – hybrid professionals who are already in fulfilling employment may not actively be looking for a new role. However, as specialists with 25 years’ experience of building and maintaining long-term relationships with highly niche talent pools, we can engage discreetly with such individuals to establish whether they would consider a rewarding, strategic career move.
Benchmarking and market intelligence – because of our experience in the European market, we can offer advice and insight into such issues as notice periods (which differ across DACH), realistic remuneration and benefits packages, the feasibility of remote work or relocation, the availability of required skill sets, whether candidates need to speak additional languages, the timelines involved in hiring and whether organisations are competitively positioned relative to their competitors. In this way, employers can tailor their offers to avoid misaligned expectations and improve their acceptance rates.
Speeding up the time-to-hire – when candidates are highly sought-after, any delay can lead to losing the hybrid professional that an organisation had targeted. We help organisations implement a more efficient hiring process through the pre-assessments of candidates’ technical and commercial abilities, coordinating interviews, managing a candidate’s expectations and maintaining engagement with them throughout the hiring process.
Workforce planning – we can also assist employers with their broader workforce strategy that includes recognising internal professionals with hybrid potential, identifying skills requirements in forthcoming DACH projects, advising on succession planning and offering insight into the talent trends of each specific region.
Germany, Austria and Switzerland are leaders in the green energy revolution and the countries’ impact on the development of renewable technologies is a leading driver of high-skill employment opportunities in the region, and further afield. The complexity of offshore wind, hydrogen, storage systems and grid modernisation projects needs individuals with combinations of skills and experience that have never been required before, placing them in demand and leaving employers exposed to workforce gaps.
By partnering with a consultancy, like JAM, organisations can enhance their chances of finding the hybrid professionals that they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive and vital market.
For more information about how we can support your organisation's clean energy skills, contact us.
