Energy recruitment firm Orion Group has opened its latest US office in New Jersey, as a booming renewable energy sector looks for a range of new talent.
Formed In 1987, Orion Group was established by Alan Savage to provide personnel for rig construction yards. Over more than 35 years it has expanded its international recruitment services across the energy and life science sectors.
Still headquartered in Inverness, the group has added UK locations including in Aberdeen and London, and now manages placements of over 2,500 contractors every year via a network of offices throughout Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Africa.
September 6 marks the official opening of its new office in Jersey City, New Jersey, the group’s third US location.
It follows the company’s original foothold in Houston – established during the 1990s when its services focused mainly on the oil and gas – and the 2020 opening of a Chicago office to support the city’s growing life sciences sector.
Orion said business development manager Jeanne Farias has relocated from Houston to set up the office and is now looking to expand recruitment in the area.
Key strategic priority
Commenting on the new location, managing director Paul Savage said: “We took time to evaluate the market and the move into Jersey City was identified as a key strategic priority for the company as we continue our expansion into renewable energy.”
Mr Savage described the city as “the geographic centre for clean energy on the east coast” and drew particular attention to the ambitious offshore wind projects planned off neighbouring New York state.
President Biden set a new federal target last year that would see the US reach 30GW of offshore wind by 2030. Nationally there are around 1GW of fully approved projects with offtake and connection agreements, and a further 11GW with site control and offtake.
The most recent and largest of these so far, New York Bight, was held in February and saw the auction of six areas off New Jersey totaling nearly 2,000 square km, with gigawatts of new capacity secured by bidders.
“We will look to leverage our global expertise within the specialist energy recruitment space and offer a springboard to those with transferrable skills, as the US continues its energy transition and commitment to cutting emissions,” Mr Savage said.
