The Development Engineer, Electrical serves as the internal subject matter expert for PV and battery storage project development, leading technical evaluations, early-stage design, and coordination of engineering activities across standalone BESS and PV+BESS projects. This role bridges technical expertise with project development by supporting equipment selection, system optimization, and external consultant management, while ensuring designs meet company standards, regulatory requirements, and financing needs. The Development Engineer plays a key role in advancing projects from concept through execution, providing critical technical guidance across the organization.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related discipline
- 5+ years of relevant PV+BESS development engineering experience with preference given to those with a strong understanding of utility-scale BESS and PV + BESS projects.
- Experience in sizing BESS systems for projects, including options for overbuild and augmentation. Installation, services & commissioning is a plus.
- Basic knowledge of relevant codes and standards such as the National Electric Code, NFPA, and related standards.
Responsibilities:
Early-Stage Development
- Act as the internal subject matter expert (SME) for PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and serve as the primary technical point of contact for all BESS-related items.
- Provide early-stage sizing and conceptual design for standalone BESS, AC-coupled, and DC-coupled PV+BESS projects.
- Define strategies for overbuild, augmentation, degradation, and round-trip efficiency.
- Evaluate and recommend battery technologies and suppliers (general and project specific), considering costs, warranties, performance, and system architecture.
- Recommend project and technology configurations, optimizing for market use cases and dispatch scenarios to maximize project financial viability.
- Support creation of 10% designs for PV, PV+BESS, and standalone BESS projects.
Technical Oversight & Design
- Draft and review equipment specifications (batteries, inverters, DC-DC optimizers, transformers, etc.) and ensure alignment with company standards.
- Review and coordinate technical studies, including:
- Electrical (single/three-line diagrams, SCADA, short circuit, cable ampacity, load-flow, arc flash, protection coordination).
- Civil (site layout, access roads, grading, drainage).
- Geotechnical and hydrology studies.
- BESS overbuild and augmentation analyses.
- Lead design review meetings, provide QA/QC on engineering drawing packages, and ensure stakeholder markups are incorporated.
- Ensure compliance with codes, standards, and local regulations while optimizing system performance.
External & Internal Coordination
- Manage and coordinate third-party engineering consultants and EPC partners to deliver conceptual and detailed designs.
- Participate in RFI/RFP/RFQ development, bid evaluations, and recommendations for OEMs and EPCs.
- Support day-to-day coordination with internal project teams (status updates, RFIs, revisions).
- Facilitate technical interactions with Independent Engineers during project financing.
Standards, Processes & Continuous Improvement
- Support creation and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures including design templates, processes and develop and maintain a repository of specifications for BESS and PV+BESS projects.
- Identify and implement process improvements in engineering design, documentation, and procurement workflows.
- Contribute to the development of cost models, benchmarking, and optimization strategies for BESS.
Execution & Cross-Functional Support
- Provide technical support during EPC contracting, procurement, and construction phases as needed.
- Support the Director of Development Engineering and EPC team across engineering, procurement, and financing activities.
- Assist in preparing documentation for EPC pricing requests and project financing deliverables.
Desired Qualifications:
In addition to BESS expertise, candidates with experience in high-voltage (HV) electrical systems are strongly preferred. This includes familiarity with substation design, main power transformer (MPT) selection and application, medium and high-voltage breakers, relays, and protection systems, as well as interconnection requirements with transmission operators and utilities. A working knowledge of HV equipment specifications, one-line and three-line diagram development, and substation layout/design will be considered a significant advantage, enabling the candidate to contribute more broadly to the integration of PV+BESS projects into the grid.
