Director of Engineering

About Lightshift Energy:

Founded at the beginning of 2019, Lightshift Energy focuses on the development, design, financing, construction, ownership and operations of utility-scale energy storage projects in the US. Large-scale batteries allow our customers to save costs, operate the grid more reliably, and balance variations in wind and solar production. Located in Arlington, VA, Lightshift works with utilities and large electric consumers on sophisticated, value-maximizing approaches to energy storage and clean energy integration. Lightshift's leadership combines decades of clean energy expertise with a commitment to accelerating the shift to a sustainable energy future through storage.

Description of Roles:

The Director of Engineering will be responsible for overseeing the design and engineering of Lightshift's growing pipeline of battery energy storage projects. The ideal candidate is an experienced Energy Storage Systems (ESS) engineer, capable of coordinating inputs across many stakeholders and disciplines to develop system designs that maximize value for Lightshift and our customers, while adhering to latest industry standards and best practices. The Director of Engineering will help develop and oversee the team responsible for project design and will work with the broader Lightshift team and our project partners to ensure that projects are designed, built, and tested to cost, schedule, and performance requirements.

The Director of Engineering will support Lightshift by:

• Leading all stages of project design and engineering, including conceptual and advanced system design, observation of industry codes and standard, management of customer requirements, assessment of site conditions, developing balance of plant solutions, executing development support activities, providing technical support during construction, and planning for project commissioning;
• Coordinating with Lightshift's customers, suppliers, engineering partners and contractors to facilitate the design and implementation of our projects;
• Engaging with internal and external teams to establish system use cases and requirements and set project technical baselines, including requirements from customer, utility/interconnection, AHJ, etc.;
• Contributing to the completeness of design and delivery of BESS projects alongside other teams, including development, construction, and operations;
• Leading technical tasks in preparation of proposals, projects, and the review of potential project/supplier acquisition opportunities;
• Interfacing with technology partners and staying current on the latest ESS technologies relevant to Lightshift projects;
• Preparing technical documents and exhibits for engineering, procurement, and construction partners;
• Developing RFOs/RFPs for ESS equipment and overseeing the RFP process;
• Conducting technical due diligence on technology partners and solutions;
• Reporting to the leadership team on the planning and technical design of BESS projects;
• Establishing and overseeing company policies and processes for execution of design activities;
• Identifying tools and processes to improve and streamline the design process;
• Helping grow and scale the Lightshift engineering team to take on our rapidly increasing project volume
• Managing and mentoring junior employees in engineering of energy storage projects
• Contributing to the learning and growth of the company, including executing projects in support of the company’s process, tool, and subject matter expertise development

The Director of Engineering will also be requested to assist with general administrative and management support functions to improve operations at Lightshift Energy. The ideal candidates for this position will have a strong background in energy storage or renewable project engineering and outstanding track record in coordinating large efforts across many organizations and many technical and non-technical disciplines.

Minimum requirements:

• A degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or another related engineering field, with the working knowledge within several fields of engineering;
• Minimum of 5 years of professional engineering experience in the renewable / BESS industry;
• Extensive technical experience working on energy storage projects or other relevant inverter-based, utility-scale generation projects;
• Knowledge of BESS plant design and optimization;
• Knowledge of the National Electric Code and various Standard Industry Codes, including IEEE and NFPA;
• Ability to motivate and develop others;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Location:

Washington DC metropolitan area.

Compensation and Benefits:

· Base salary commensurate with experience and generous annual cash bonuses;

· Possibility of upside in the company for well-qualified candidates;

· Full benefits package, including 401k, health/dental/vision insurance, paid vacation, paid sick leave, paid holidays, and short term disability.