Velin Valkov - Head of the C&I Business Department

Meet Velin Valkov, the accomplished Head of the C&I Business Department at Solarpro, who provides a glimpse into his integral role, leading his team through the entire project life cycle with a dedication to seamless execution and client satisfaction. An experienced professional with over six years at Solarpro, he emphasizes the importance of a diverse skill set for effective leadership, including stress management, delegation, flexibility, and timely decision-making. Learn more about Velin below.

Tell us more about your role in Solarpro
As a Head of the department, I am involved in the entire life cycle of the projects allocated to my team. I collaborate on a daily basis with various departments, managing the entire process in order to ensure smooth projects execution. Of course, client relationship management and client objectives are a top priority and the team always strives for completion as per the agreed timelines and objectives.

How does an average day on the job look like for you?
A day usually starts with checking the priorities on a project basis to ensure that the outstanding issues are closed. On a regular basis, we organize daily team meetings, during which we prepare a to-do list including the daily tasks. At the same time, we also review financials, contracts, holding meetings with clients and/or other company departments.

What’s the most important skill to bring to your position?
To excel as a Team Leader or Head of the Department, a diverse skill set is essential. This includes the ability to alleviate stress on resources without micromanaging. Delegating tasks to the appropriate team members is crucial, ensuring they are well-equipped to fulfill their responsibilities as well. At the same time, such a person would need to be flexible, be able to react in adequately and in time, while also providing guidance, solving complex issues and make informed decisions. It goes without saying, that the ability to work under stress so as to meet strict deadlines is also crucial.

What are the most common challenges you face in your work?
The most common challenges are always two types – internal and external.
Internally, these often originate from communication gaps between departments. The external challenges are mostly related to meeting client expectations and ensuring the highest possible quality of the service provided to the client as per the originally defined contract requirements and clauses.

How and when did you start working in Solarpro?
I’ve been working for Solarpro for more than six years now, I started in March 2017. Joining the renewable energy sector marked a significant milestone for me, and this transition was made in collaboration with my colleagues, Daniela Bizheva and Gabriel Nenov, with whom I worked previously.

Why did you choose solar energy? What motivates you to work within the renewable sector?
I began my journey in the Energy sector with a company specializing in repairing main components of conventional power plants. I chose Solarpro as my next employer driven by a personal desire for self-development and the opportunity to acquire more competencies and skills in a sector that, at the time, wasn’t widely popular. However, it showed a tendency to grow and develop over the years, a trend that has proven accurate given the increasing number of clients worldwide that continues to grow from year to year.

How do you think the PV industry will change in the next few years? What is different today than it was 5 years ago?
The differences are in the scale of the projects, efficiency of the technology, the overall cost of the entire PVPP system and type of the clients.
Following the renewable industry more and more often we will start to hear about – BESS, hybrid projects and green hydrogen.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start a job in renewables / to start a job in your position?
Global renewable capacity additions are set to soar by 107 GW, the largest absolute increase ever, to more than 440 GW in 2023. The dynamic expansion is taking place worldwide. This makes the renewables one of the preferred areas of work. Why is there even a hesitation to be a part of this?

How do you like to spend your free time outside of work?
I’m a person keen on sports who loves to spend time training outdoors, so I use every free minute that I have to do some sports as it helps me release stress. Additionally, I have a deep appreciation for nature, and on weekends, I thoroughly enjoy hiking in the mountains with my friends. Last but certainly not least, taking a walk with my family is another one of my favourite pastimes.

Velin Valkov - Head of the C&I Business Department

Parachute jump from 4000 meters

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