Org chart
The projects branch is shown in depth, from the projects head to a project manager and the site engineers, supervisors and technicians. Sales, design, procurement, operations and maintenance, HR and accounts are drawn one level down. Field teams work on rooftops and sites away from the office.
Levels and designations
| Level | Typical designations | Span of control |
|---|---|---|
| L1 Leadership | Managing Director, CEO | 5 to 7 heads |
| L2 Function heads | Projects Head, Sales Head, Design and Engineering Head, O and M Head | 3 to 6 reports |
| L3 Managers | Project Manager, Area Sales Manager, Lead Design Engineer | 5 to 15 staff |
| L4 Engineers and staff | Site Engineer, Installation Supervisor, Design Engineer | 0 to 12 staff |
| L5 Field staff | Solar Technician, Service Technician, Helper | no direct reports |
Approval chains
| Request | Approval chain |
|---|---|
| Leave | Solar Technician → Installation Supervisor → HR Executive |
| Attendance correction | Site Engineer → Project Manager → HR Executive |
| Overtime | Service Technician → O and M Head → HR Executive |
| Reimbursement | Sales Engineer → Sales Head → Accounts Manager |
| Hiring | Project Manager → Projects Head → HR Executive |
How the structure works
The company follows a project from sale to service. Sales engineers survey sites, size a rough system and close the deal. Design and engineering produce the detailed layout, load calculations and drawings, and handle net metering and approvals. Projects and installation build the system on site, where a project manager leads site engineers, installation supervisors and solar technicians who mount panels, run cabling and commission the plant. Procurement buys panels, inverters and mounting structures against project needs. Operations and maintenance service installed systems, clean panels and fix faults on a schedule. Finance manages subsidy claims and staged payments, and HR supports the office and field teams.
How it changes with size
A small installer may be an owner with a sales engineer, a designer and one installation crew. A mid-sized company builds separate sales, design, projects and maintenance teams and runs several installations at once. A large developer adds utility-scale projects with their own project directors, a dedicated procurement and logistics function, a maintenance business over a fleet of sites, and state teams for approvals and subsidies. Rooftop and ground-mount work may split into separate lines. Through every stage the project remains the unit of work, and field teams travel to wherever the next installation or service call is.
Common problems
Most of the work happens away from the office. Installation crews and service technicians travel to rooftops and sites, so attendance must be taken on a phone, not at a desk, and travel is a large cost. Projects run to milestones, so crews move as jobs finish, which breaks reporting lines. Weather and site readiness cause idle days and rush days. Service calls are spread across a wide area. The steady fixes are mobile attendance with location for field crews, one project manager or supervisor as reporting manager per technician, and travel handled cleanly as a payroll input.
- Mobile attendance with location for installation and service crews
- Reporting lines updated as crews move between projects
- Travel handled cleanly as a payroll input added by HR
- One project manager or supervisor as reporting manager per technician
Set up this structure in ZeniaHR
- Add the head office and each project or service region as a branch, and create departments like Sales, Design, Projects, Installation, Operations and Maintenance, HR and Accounts.
- Add designations such as Solar Technician, Installation Supervisor, Site Engineer, Design Engineer and Project Manager, and use grades to hold pay bands.
- Give every field worker a reporting manager, the installation supervisor or project manager, and office staff their function head, each with an HR partner.
- Use mobile app punches with a check-in spot for installation and service crews who work on rooftops and sites, and set a General shift for the office.
- Use the org chart to keep reporting lines correct as crews move between projects, and handle travel as a payroll input.
- Keep leave, corrections and overtime on the reporting manager then HR route, and add the projects head as a hiring approver above project managers.
See it on your own data
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is the organizational structure of a solar company?
A solar company is led by a managing director over sales, design and engineering, projects and installation, operations and maintenance, procurement, HR and finance. Sales bring projects, design sizes the system, projects build it on site, and maintenance services it afterwards. Field crews work on rooftops and sites. Large developers add utility-scale project teams and a dedicated maintenance business over many sites.
Who does a solar technician report to?
A solar technician reports to the installation supervisor or site engineer on the project, who reports to the project manager. For leave and attendance corrections in ZeniaHR, the technician's request goes to their reporting manager and then to HR. Because installations run to milestones, the project manager plans crew cover before approving leave during a job.
How is attendance managed for solar field crews?
Installation and service crews work on rooftops and sites away from any office, so they punch on the mobile app, which can carry GPS location and be limited to a check-in spot per site. Office design and sales teams work a General shift. The finalized attendance month feeds payable days, while travel and site allowances are added as payroll inputs by HR.