Senior Development Engineer

About the Role

The Development Engineer provides early-stage deliverables to support commercial solar electric system project development with limited supervision. This role executes engineering and technical tasks focused on early-stage site evaluation, design development, and optimization based on project-specific parameters. The Development Engineer identifies optimal technical and material solutions and performs early-stage design calculations for project scoping and feasibility analysis.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support to Commercial Sales and Finance for technical proposals and customer presentations.
• Coordinate with Commercial Sales to identify engineering deliverables required for early-stage project development.
• Serve as the primary engineering contact interfacing with Business Development.
• Perform preliminary design of early-stage projects, including PV1s, energy production modeling (PVsyst), and single-line electrical drawings.
• Conduct due diligence and critical issues analysis of projects.
• Perform electricity tariff analysis, electricity bill analysis, and load versus energy generation analysis.
• Prepare engineering calculations, estimates, statistics, and early-stage designs.
• Contribute to the development of Preliminary Engineering Plans and designs.
• Review third-party engineering documentation to create Due Diligence reports.
• Conduct detailed site evaluations for targeted projects, including due diligence review, proposal development, and pre-engineering support to Sales, Finance, and Construction.
• Perform peer-reviews on engineering deliverables.
• Provide support to other engineering roles (Development, Design, or Project) and other departments as directed.
• Work with the engineering manager to develop, revise, or improve Standard Operating Procedures related to the job function.

Qualifications

• BS or MS degree in an engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited institution (e.g., BSEE, BSME, BSCE, BSChE). Electrical Engineering, Energy Engineering, or Renewable Energy Engineering degrees are preferred.
• 2–5 years of engineering experience, with a minimum of one year in large-scale solar PV engineering.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Working familiarity with AutoCAD, PVsyst, HelioScope, Google SketchUp, PVcase, and Microsoft Excel.
• Organized with the ability to manage multiple development projects simultaneously.
• Knowledge of relevant codes, such as IBC and NEC, is preferred.

Work Environment

• Conducts work in both field-type environments and professional office settings, including local travel to job sites for inspections.
• Physical demands may include lifting up to 20 pounds, extended periods of sitting, walking, standing, reaching, and bending, as well as reading fine print on computers or paper.
• Non-physical demands include analytical and logical reasoning, problem-solving, time management, organizational skills, and the ability to work independently with guidance.
• Routine interactions with customers, the public, the engineering team, Business Development, Finance, and all levels of management.
• Potential hazards may include trips, slips, falls, exposure to chemical abrasives, and other hazardous conditions on customer premises.