Chief Architect, Energy Storage Software & Controls

Socket.dev; Troy (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

SKOn is seeking a Chief Architect to lead the architecture for its energy storage software, controls, and EMS platform, spanning EMS, plant controls, PCS, BMS, edge and cloud infrastructure. The role requires defining system boundaries, interfaces, and reusable reference architectures while guiding build/buy decisions.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strong systems thinking and can move between executive strategy, customer discussions, and hands-on problem solving.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 12+ years of experience developing complex software, controls, automation, energy, power-electronics, or industrial systems.
• Demonstrated experience architecting distributed, safety-critical, high-availability, or mission-critical systems.
• Strong understanding of industrial control systems and real-time or near-real-time software.
• Experience defining interfaces across hardware, embedded controls, application software, networking, and cloud systems.
• Strong systems-engineering capability, including requirements decomposition, interface definition, failure-mode analysis, and system-level trade studies.
• Experience taking complex technical systems from prototype or project-specific implementation into scalable products.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively with engineers, senior executives, customers, and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Define and govern the end-to-end architecture for energy storage software, controls, and EMS platform.
• Establish scalable architectures supporting multiple battery configurations, PCS platforms, grid applications, customer use cases, and deployment models.
• Develop the technical roadmap to evolve from project solutions toward repeatable products and platforms.
• Define system boundaries and interfaces across EMS, plant controls, PCS, BMS, edge computing, networking, cloud services, and third-party systems.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and guide build, buy, partner, and integration decisions.
• Lead architecture for complex multi-asset energy systems including battery storage, renewable generation, grid interconnection, backup generation, and critical loads.
• Establish control hierarchies, operating modes, communications architecture, failover strategies, and system-level state management.
• Define architectures for high-availability and mission-critical applications, including data center and microgrid environments.
• Develop reusable reference architectures, APIs, interface standards, software components, and configuration strategies.
• Drive standardization and reuse to improve scalability, maintainability, and product quality.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for the software and controls organization.
• Chair or lead architecture reviews and major technical design decisions.
• Provide technical leadership across controls, software, networking, cybersecurity, DevOps, systems engineering, and integration teams.
• Mentor principal engineers, technical leaders, and architects while resolving complex cross-functional technical tradeoffs.
• Establish engineering standards, architecture governance, and design-review process.
• Participate in strategic customer discussions and early-stage solution architecture.
• Partner with product management and business leaders to translate customer and market requirements.

Skills

System architecture leadership

Distributed safety-critical systems

Real-time software

Industrial controls

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field

Tools

Modbus

DNP3

IEC 61850

OPC UA

Job description

SKOn is seeking a Chief Architect to lead the architecture for its energy storage software, controls, and EMS platform, spanning EMS, plant controls, PCS, BMS, edge and cloud infrastructure. The role requires defining system boundaries, interfaces, and reusable reference architectures while guiding build/buy decisions.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strong systems thinking and can move between executive strategy, customer discussions, and hands-on problem solving.