Principle Engineer, Power Control Systems

About the role

• Own the control architecture for fully islanded microgrids combining solar, battery storage, and gas generation that power AI data centers with no utility behind them
• Own how the power electronics behave in an inverter dominant island, and the control architecture that ties every asset together
• Define where OEM firmware ends and a separate system level controller begins, and validate that the integrated plant holds frequency and voltage on its own under continuous data center load
• Report to the Director of Power Systems Engineering

Scope

• This role integrates utility scale OEM equipment and does not design power converters at the component level. You need to understand converter internals well enough to push OEM vendors hard on grid forming behavior, ride through, and protection
• You own the control architecture and its validation. You do not personally write PLC logic or stand up SCADA systems. A controls and automation engineer and vendor partners carry implementation under the architecture you set

Responsibilities

• Own the control hierarchy architecture, including the control philosophy, the boundary between OEM firmware and third party microgrid controllers, and the functional specifications for the microgrid controller and energy management system
• Specify, evaluate, and validate grid forming inverters and battery power conversion systems, including fault response, ride through behavior, and inverter to inverter interactions
• Run and review islanded power system studies, including load flow, short circuit, protection coordination, grounding, and transient stability for a continuous high density load
• Solve the islanded protection problem directly, designing differential, communication assisted, or adaptive protection schemes that remain selective as fault current collapses under islanded conditions
• Drive technical engagement with OEM vendors on power conversion systems, battery storage, and controls
• Support permitting and interconnection processes with required electrical analysis
• Write commissioning and validation test plans and support field bring up and troubleshooting

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, power systems, or a related technical field
• 7 to 10 plus years in utility scale solar, battery storage, or power electronics, with hands on ownership of single line diagrams and power conversion integration
• Proficiency in electrical CAD and study tools such as SKM, ETAP, or AutoCAD Electrical
• Strong working knowledge of grid forming versus grid following inverter architecture and battery power conversion system behavior
• Strong knowledge of relevant codes and standards for solar, AC and DC coupling, and energy storage integration
• Experience with islanding controls, microgrid energy management systems, and inverter or power conversion system integration
• Ability to model islanded systems, transient load response, and short circuit or coordination studies
• Extreme attention to detail with a bias for speed and rapid iteration

Nice to have

• Master's degree in electrical engineering with a power electronics or microgrid focus
• Direct experience with islanded, off grid, or behind the meter microgrid systems
• Field validated grid forming behavior, fault response, and ride through performance on a real inverter dominant plant
• Electromagnetic transient modeling experience for utility scale solar and storage powering a large variable load
• Hardware in the loop validation of inverter and battery storage controls
• Experience writing and executing commissioning and validation test plans with field troubleshooting