Hiring Company Overview:
Join a specialized infrastructure private equity firm that is integrated across the lifecycle of distributed energy and C&I solar projects in the U.S. and Europe. With a portfolio spanning 16 states and two European countries, it has over 800MW of projects under construction or operational, a pipeline of 4+ GW of new projects, and has deployed over $1.2 billion of capital since inception.
This firm invests and develops greenfield solar projects at the DG, C&I, and community-scale levels through partner developers or corporate partners including ground mounted, rooftop, and carport solar. Using an outsourced EPC, it completes construction of projects and then holds projects until an optimal time to exit.
Position Overview:
The Solar Design and Repowering Engineer will play a pivotal role in both the development of new projects and ensuring the optimization and efficiency of solar energy assets.
On the design side, this position involves reviewing preliminary designs and pitch packs from early-stage development partners to determine the technical feasibility of projects, preparing and optimizing conceptual layouts, and creating P50 and P90 models.
On the repowering side, this position involves reviewing reports from third-party operations and maintenance (O&M) providers, preparing high-level performance summaries for leadership, performing cost-benefit analysis for which projects should continue to be repaired versus which should be decommissioned, redesigned, and repowered, at which point, you will do design work for repowering.
The role requires a strong analytical mindset, expertise in solar technology, and excellent communication skills for presenting both technical and financial information.
Job location: Remote or Hybrid from Northeast to Mid-Atlantic. If hybrid, M-W-TH in office in Westport, CT
Reporting to: VP of Engineering
Key Responsibilities:
For Design Engineering:
- Conduct feasibility studies to assess the location, topography, shading, geotechnical data, costs at the location, proximity of interconnection points and substations, site configuration, and other considerations or potential risks
- Review technical due diligence information from third parties and be able to explain technical concepts and risks to non-engineer members of the team such as business developers, project finance, and legal
- Also, coordinate and collaborate with other internal team members such as procurement, contracting, and DD (due diligence) through the project lifecycle
- Respond to RFIs (requests for information) in response to your RFPs and collaborate with bidders to generate the best project outcomes
- Review technical documents such as EPC contracts, studies, bills of material, and material specifications and warranties
- Review and accept Issued for Permit (IFP) designs and Issued for Construction (IFC)/execution designs
- Ensure designs comply with national and local electrical codes and good design practices
- As needed, propose modifications in order to optimize project returns via change in design, change in materials to reduce cost, change in materials to improve power output, change in installation methods, or other performance improvement measures
- Reach out to utility companies, electric co-ops, or other authorities involved on an as needed basis to understand requirements for interconnection or other clarifying information as needed
- Work with the asset management team to compile daily detailed reports from third-party O&M companies who are managing the company’s assets, ensuring the quality and reliability of data acquisition for all solar assets.
- Create high-level performance reports for corporate leadership.
- Schedule and coordinate repair technicians for site visits and troubleshooting (manage trouble tickets).
- Confirm that services rendered by contractors, utilities, and external service providers comply with contractual obligations.
- Optimize preventive and corrective maintenance tasks to ensure quality, efficiency, and cost savings.
- Run financial models to assess whether equipment should be repaired or replaced, optimizing the O&M budget and present courses of action for senior management.
- Build relationships with suppliers for securing replacement parts and handling warranty claims, especially for long lead-time items.
- Provide equipment recommendations to the design engineering team based on historic performance, known issues, and/or vendor viability.
- Plan for the decommissioning of solar plants, determining the best path forward (sale, storage, recycling, or scrap).
- Provide support during the start-up and commissioning of new assets, and lead contractors in testing and troubleshooting data acquisition systems before final hand-over.
- Monitor and control access to operating assets and ensure compliance with all safety and regulatory standards (NEC, OSHA, UL, IEEE, etc.).
- Enforce and promote the company’s Health and Safety policies.
Requirements:
- Experience with both design engineering and performance analysis of solar assets
- Knowledge of solar plant operations and maintenance.
- Proven ability to analyze and interpret data and make recommendations based on power production models.
- Excellent communication skills for preparing reports and presenting findings to senior management.
- Ability to build strong supplier relationships for long-term equipment management.
Benefits and Other:
- Base salary $100,000 – $120,000
- Quarterly bonus
- 401(k) program with generous matching
- Healthcare paid for by the company (no employee contribution)
- PTO + sick days + personal days + banking holidays
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