Electrical Design Engineer - Battery Energy Storage Systems (Utility & Industrial)

Electrical Design Engineer

BESS Engineering (Utility, C&I)

Role Summary

The Engineering Manager for Utility & Industrial Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) is responsible for defining system architecture, ensuring product performance, managing technical requirements, and supporting engineering teams throughout the lifecycle of large-scale BESS products. The role bridges product management, engineering, certification, and customer application teams to deliver reliable and cost-optimized energy storage solutions.

Key Responsibilities

1. System Architecture & Design

Define end-to-end BESS system architecture including PCS, battery racks, protection, controls, thermal systems, fire safety, auxiliaries, and SCADA integration.

Develop system sizing models, performance simulations, and grid-integration assessments.

Create and maintain System Requirements Specifications (SRS), Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and system design documents.

Evaluate design options for containerized, modular, or skid-based BESS platforms.

2. Product Development & Engineering Support

Work closely with R&D teams to translate product requirements into subsystems (battery, PCS, EMS, HVAC, fire suppression, wiring harness, structural components).

Own the system BoM, configuration rules, and product variants.

Validate subsystem integration with hardware, firmware, and controls engineering.

Coordinate with electrical, mechanical, firmware, and safety engineers for design reviews.

3. Performance & Compliance

Ensure the BESS meets UL 9540, IEC 62933, UL 1973, IEC 62109, IEEE 1547, and local grid code requirements.

Support thermal modeling, cycle life estimation, electrical protection coordination, and control tuning.

Conduct FMEA, safety hazard analysis, arc-flash study, and reliability assessments.

Work with certification agencies and testing labs for compliance audits.

4. System Testing & Validation

Define test plans for FAT, SAT, subsystem testing, container-level testing, and grid functional tests.

Support commissioning teams with root-cause analysis, issue resolution, and design improvements.

Validate EMS/SCADA functions—charge/discharge control, frequency support, blackstart, peak shaving, volt-var, etc.

5. Product Lifecycle Management

Own product improvements based on field feedback, warranty claims, and performance data.

Support cost reduction initiatives: component optimization, vendor qualification, modularization.

Maintain product documentation including schematics, layout drawings, system architecture diagrams, and user manuals.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with Product Managers to define roadmap priorities.

Support Sales & Application Engineering with technical proposals, SLDs, sizing charts, and customer queries.

Interface with Supply Chain and Manufacturing on vendor specifications and build processes.

Required Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, Energy Systems, or related fields.

Technical Skills

Strong understanding of BESS architecture: Li-Ion battery systems, PCS/inverters, HV/LV electrical systems, EMS/SCADA.

Experience with power system analysis tools (PSS/E, PSCAD, MATLAB, DigSilent, ETAP).

Knowledge of thermal systems, HVAC, fire protection, and containerized system design.

Understanding of grid codes (IEEE 1547/2030.5, IEC 61000, CEA guidelines for storage).

Strong ability to read schematics, SLDs, control diagrams, and mechanical layouts.

Experience

10+ years in BESS, solar inverter, UPS, EV charging, or similar power conversion industries.

Experience in utility-scale or C&I BESS preferred.

Hands-on experience with testing, commissioning, or field engineering is an advantage.