Operations Engineer

Company Overview

esVolta is independently owned, and we are among the largest players in the US energy storage sector with about 1.5 GWh of projects in operation or construction, and a 20+ GWh development pipeline.

We are headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with employees in multiple regions across the U.S. Our diverse management team has many decades of experience in the renewable energy, utility, and independent power sectors. esVolta is an innovative industry leader in development, design, construction, financing, and management of utility scale energy storage projects.

At esVolta, every employee makes an impact on the company’s growth and profitability every day. We have a fast-paced, high-performance, and team-oriented culture. We value quality of life and flexibility for our employees and strive to help our team members achieve their career goals.

About The Role
We are seeking motivated and energetic individuals to join as an Operations Engineer to support the integration, commissioning and performance management of utility-scale battery energy storage projects from the Pre-Commissioning phase through operations, to ensure successful execution and technical asset management of the BESS assets.

The Operations Engineer is the primary technical point of contact for esVolta’s service providers, and the internal project team throughout commissioning and Asset Management activities. The role is to be the liaison between the EPC contractor’s, BESS OEM and EMS commissioning teams. This position is responsible for ensuring the timely completion of project commissioning and ensuring the technical reliability and performance of the energy storage fleet.

Core Responsibilities

• Work as a leader, team member and individual contributor to develop & implement commissioning processes for battery energy storage systems, from initial planning to final verification by collaborating with project managers, project and SCADA engineers, construction teams, and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate a smooth commissioning process.
• Mentor Operations and SCADA and Integration Engineer(s), ensuring technical commissioning and operational performance and compliance with Utility, ISO/RTO, federal, state and local regulations.
• Develop commissioning plans, protocols, and checklists to ensure all aspects of the system are thoroughly tested to contractual and AHJ requirements.
• Manage equipment suppliers and host daily plan-of-the-day (POD) with each supplier to report progress and work schedules.
• Evaluate comprehensive battery energy storage system tests to verify their functionality, performance, and safety. This includes assessing charging and discharging capabilities, response to grid signals, and overall system efficiency.
• Identify and resolve technical issues. Work closely with the Asset Management Team and equipment suppliers to address any system deficiencies or malfunctions.
• Maintain detailed records of activities, test results, and any modifications made to the system. Prepare comprehensive reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Management and oversight of the site commissioning personnel, ensure construction testing and QA documentation is available and assembled into the turn-over document books.
• Provide training to operation and maintenance teams on the functioning and maintenance of the commissioned energy storage systems.
• Supports Warranty requests for completed project sites. Assesses failure rates and expected lifetimes of storage components.
• Conducts root cause analysis or validates contractor-provided root cause analysis.
• Development of technical documentation to support O&M activities and build expertise to serve as subject matter expert.
• Participate in regular project team meetings to ensure commissioning and operations engineering requirements are met on a timely basis.
• Develop and oversee storage augmentation plans and the implementation of site-specific augmentation measures.
• Support the inventory and inspection process as major materials arrive to site: inspection, offload, receiving, and storage.

Quality Assurance

• Assists third parties/IE partners in confirming product performance including onsite meetings during site visits and to oversee tests.
• Support the final inspections and punch list process with contractors, vendors, independent engineers and management.
• Ensures the maintenance of high work quality within the Asset Management storage team.

Safety

• Assist project management and HSE team in developing and executing site specific safety programs and activities.
• Monitor and review trade partner work plans and activities for safety concerns.
• Participate in and contribute to project planning and hazard analysis.
• Maintains safe and clean working environment by enforcing procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Maintain operational knowledge of construction safety, OSHA, ANSI, NFPA, and other applicable standards, regulations, laws, and procedures.
• Serve as resource for safety issues or concerns for all project team members.

Skills & Qualifications

• 3 years of experience in commissioning and asset management within an Energy Storage integrator, EPC or O&M contractor is required.
• ABET accredited bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related field is required. Professional Engineering status preferred.
• Must have a sound understanding of the commissioning and testing of Energy Storage projects
• Familiarity with applicable standards including IBC, NFPA 855, CEC, CFC, IEEE, NEMA, NEC, OSHA, and UL.
• Experience in system engineering and solid understanding of related regulatory standards, including NEC/UL code compliance.
• Superior communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, including an ability to maintain calm and effective exchanges by all parties during stressful situations, and executive level reporting that ensures timely action and decision making in time-pressured scenarios.
• Willingness to be remotely based and ability to travel to project sites.
• Demonstrate strong teamwork orientation, initiative, communication, problem solving, organizational and leadership skills.
• Willing to travel – estimated 30%.

Compensation, Location & Benefits
The salary offered will depend on the specific skills and experience of the selected candidate. This position is also eligible to participate in our annual bonus program.

$130,000

20%

• 401k program with 6% match
• 20 vacation days, 5 sick days and 9 observed holidays
• Medical, dental and vision care benefits
• Monthly cell phone stipend

This position is classified as remote; however, periodic travel to company offices, project sites or other meeting locations may be required on an as-needed basis.

esVolta is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
We celebrate all forms of diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. However you identify or whatever your path here, we encourage you to apply. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment.