Sr. Labor Compliance Specialist

Title:Senior Labor Compliance Specialist
Department: Labor Compliance Department
Location:Houston, TX
Supervisor: Sr. Manager of IRA Compliance
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Status:Permanent, Full-time

Work Status:Hybrid

SENIOR LABOR COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST

Hanwha Qcells USA Corp (Qcells USA), headquartered in Houston, TX, specializes in providing utility-scale modules, solar photovoltaic (PV), and battery energy storage systems (BESS) project development, along with Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) services for solar and BESS projects nationwide. Qcells USA delivers comprehensive turnkey solutions encompassing the entire utility-scale project lifecycle. By choosing Qcells USA for turnkey solutions, customers can reduce uncertainty and risk, leading to enhanced investment returns and contributing to a more sustainable future.

Qcells USA’s complete turnkey solutions seamlessly integrate the expertise of our Development, Module, and EPC teams, while ensuring close coordination with other vital internal groups such as Project Finance, Systems Integration, and Legal. This collaborative approach ensures that Qcells USA projects deliver exceptional value and performance. With several multi-billion-dollar investments, Qcells is pioneering the establishment of the only complete module supply chain in the U.S., including the expansion of our Georgia module manufacturing facility, which stands as the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

As an integral part of the global Qcells brand, Qcells USA benefits from a legacy of excellence in photovoltaic manufacturing. Qcells is renowned worldwide for its high-performance, superior-quality solar cells and modules. With dual headquarters in Seoul, South Korea (Global Executive HQ) and Thalheim, Germany (Technology & Innovation HQ), Qcells operates under the umbrella of Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 500 company and one of the top 8 business conglomerates in South Korea.

SUMMARY

The Senior Labor Compliance Specialist serves as a project-facing compliance lead responsible for supporting labor compliance from project startup through construction, owner and third-party audit review, remediation, and closeout across Qcells USA’s EPC portfolio. This role provides direct oversight of project-level Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship (PWA) compliance, including certified payroll review, wage and fringe validation, worker classification, apprenticeship documentation and utilization, subcontractor compliance, owner reporting, audit response, and corrective-action closure. The Senior Labor Compliance Specialist works closely with Labor Compliance Leadership, project teams, subcontractors, owners, auditors, tax-equity stakeholders, legal counsel, and compliance service providers to maintain complete, accurate, and defensible project records. A key objective of this position is to identify and resolve compliance exceptions before they become owner or auditor findings and to maintain each assigned project in an audit-ready condition through final closeout. This position reports to the Sr. Manager of IRA Compliance or another management personnel that the CEO of the Company may designate. This position is hybrid, based out of our Houston, TX office, requiring up to 4 days per week in the office. Standard working hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 5:00pm or 9:00am to 6:00pm local time. This position is expected to travel up to 20%.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTION & RESPONSIBILITIES
 

Project Compliance Oversight & Execution

·          Serve as the primary Labor Compliance point of contact for assigned projects from startup through construction, audit review, remediation, and closeout.

·          Develop and maintain project-specific compliance plans, requirements matrices, reporting calendars, deliverable trackers, and audit-ready documentation.

·          Coordinate with Project Management, site leadership, subcontractors, Procurement/Commercial, Legal, Finance, and compliance service providers to execute project labor compliance requirements.

·          Review project contracts, owner requirements, audit protocols, wage determinations, supplemental wage determinations/conformance needs, PLA requirements, and other project-specific labor obligations.

·          Lead project compliance kickoff and readiness activities before subcontractor mobilization and maintain clear accountability for open compliance requirements.

·          Identify project compliance risks, exceptions, and recurring issues; assign corrective actions and escalate material items to Labor Compliance Leadership.

·          Maintain project status and risk reporting so leadership has clear visibility into assigned project compliance performance.

Certified Payroll, Prevailing Wage & Apprenticeship Compliance

·          Review certified payroll records and supporting documentation for completeness, timeliness, worker classifications, wage rates, fringe benefits, deductions, and other project requirements.

·          Validate applicable wage determinations, classifications, supplemental wage determinations/conformance requests, and project-specific wage requirements.

·          Monitor apprenticeship labor-hour utilization, participation, journeyworker-to-apprentice ratios, apprentice registration/certification, and good-faith-effort documentation as applicable.

·          Identify potential underpayments, classification issues, apprenticeship shortfalls, missing payroll records, or unsupported fringe practices and coordinate timely correction.

·          Maintain supporting documentation for wage corrections, restitution, interest calculations, apprenticeship cures, and other remediation actions.

·          Coordinate subcontractor follow-up and escalation when required compliance records or corrective actions are overdue.

Owner Reporting, Audit Management & Response

·          Serve as a project-level point of contact for owner, third-party auditor, tax-equity, and internal labor compliance reviews for assigned projects.

·          Prepare, organize, and submit project compliance documentation and responses to owner and auditor requests within required timelines.

·          Manage audit request lists, findings, open questions, corrective actions, and aging items through documented closure.

·          Perform project reconciliations between certified payroll, compliance platforms, apprenticeship records, subcontractor documentation, owner templates, and other source records.

·          Prepare clear written explanations, supporting schedules, and project narratives for complex compliance questions, exceptions, and remediation items.

Project Documentation & Audit Readiness

·          Maintain complete and supportable project compliance files throughout the project lifecycle rather than assembling records only at audit or closeout.

·          Conduct recurring project-level quality reviews to identify missing, inconsistent, or inaccurate payroll, wage, fringe, apprenticeship, classification, or subcontractor information.

·          Validate that records used for owner reporting, audits, tax-credit support, and compliance certifications reconcile to source documentation.

·          Maintain project-specific audit indexes, evidence folders, correspondence, cure documentation, and decision records.

·          Coordinate correction of data or documentation gaps with project teams, subcontractors, compliance coordinators, and service providers.

·          Perform periodic internal project audits and readiness reviews to identify exceptions before owner or third-party auditor review.

Project Risk, Remediation & Closeout

·          Track project-level compliance indicators, open exceptions, audit findings, corrective actions, and aging items and provide regular status updates to Labor Compliance Leadership.

·          Lead or support remediation of prevailing wage, fringe, classification, certified payroll, apprenticeship, and documentation deficiencies.

·          Coordinate cure documentation and proof of payment or other evidence required to support closure of identified compliance issues.

·          Escalate material project risks, missed deadlines, subcontractor non-responsiveness, and potential owner or tax-credit exposure in a timely manner.

·          Complete final project compliance reconciliation, apprenticeship calculations, outstanding cure validation, audit package preparation, and closeout support before final compliance signoff.

Project & Stakeholder Support

·          Provide direct labor compliance support to assigned Project Managers, site teams, subcontractors, and other project stakeholders.

·          Participate in project startup, owner/auditor, weekly compliance, remediation, and closeout meetings as required.

·          Support preparation of documentation requested by owners, auditors, tax-equity stakeholders, legal counsel, and internal management.

·          Coordinate with Labor Compliance Coordinators and compliance service providers to ensure project records, follow-ups, and deliverables remain current.

·          Support site visits and project-level reviews when necessary to validate workforce activity, classifications, apprenticeship participation, or documentation practices.

·          Coordinate special project compliance assignments and audit-response initiatives assigned by Labor Compliance leadership.

·          Assist with project mobilization and compliance readiness activities as needed.

·          Regular attendance, in accordance with company's attendance policy and supervisory assignment, is an essential job duty requirement for this position.

·          Perform other duties and special projects, as assigned by Management.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
 

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Construction Management, Finance, Human Resources, Compliance, Labor Relations, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in labor compliance, construction compliance, prevailing wage compliance, certified payroll, project compliance, audit support, or a related function.
• Demonstrated experience managing compliance requirements across active construction projects and coordinating with project teams, subcontractors, owners, or auditors.
• Strong experience reviewing certified payroll, wage and fringe records, apprenticeship documentation, classifications, and supporting compliance records.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience preparing audit responses, project reconciliations, corrective-action documentation, and owner-facing compliance deliverables.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with demonstrated ability to identify compliance exceptions, reconcile conflicting information, and drive issues to closure.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities across a portfolio of active projects.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with project teams, subcontractors, operations, finance, legal, commercial teams, owners, auditors, and senior leadership.
• High degree of organization, attention to detail, accountability, sound judgment, and project discipline.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Direct experience with IRA Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship (PWA) requirements and project-level compliance execution.
• Experience with Davis-Bacon Act or other federal/state prevailing wage requirements, including wage determinations and conformance processes.
• Experience leading labor compliance for utility-scale solar, BESS, renewable energy, EPC, or other large construction projects.
• Hands-on experience reviewing certified payroll and using labor compliance management platforms.
• Experience preparing owner/auditor reports, compliance trackers, and project-level risk reporting.
• Experience with third-party compliance audits, tax-equity reviews, owner audits, or internal audit readiness programs.
• Experience managing audit requests, findings, corrective actions, remediation documentation, and closeout packages.
• Strong knowledge of registered apprenticeship requirements, construction craft classifications, prevailing wage/fringe requirements, and supporting documentation.
• Experience reconciling project compliance data and presenting complex findings clearly to owners, auditors, project teams, and leadership.

EXAMPLES OF PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Stationary Position: frequently remains stationary up to 90% of the time and sitting up to 8 hours in a day
• Move/Traverse: infrequently bend, stand, stoop and/or walk
• Carry Weight: infrequently carry weight and/or lift objects (light to heavy) weighing up to 10 pounds
• Hearing and Speech: frequently communicates with the ability to hear and talk on a regular basis with employees, coworkers, and all personnel matters; must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations
• Sight: frequent use of sight to detect images on computer, office documents, and office objects near and far
• Climb: occasionally ascends/descends on stairway to get to office upper and lower floors
• Travel: up to 20% as needed

EXAMPLES OF WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Regular professional, office business setting
• Noise level ranges from low to moderate (if in office setting)
• Noise level ranges from moderate to high (if on construction worksite)
• Under the Office Mobilization Plan (OMP) policy, the role may transition to an onsite or hybrid arrangement, as determined by business needs and the Head of Department

Hanwha Qcells is proud to be an at-will Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination against race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status and any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law.  This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

It is important to note that the job descriptions provided by Qcells USA Corp are not intended to be comprehensive lists of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the positions. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice, reflecting our dynamic and evolving work environment.

We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals.  As part of this commitment, Hanwha Qcells will provide reasonable accommodations to all qualified individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.  Please contact us to request accommodations at

hr-usa@qcells.com