Data Center Proposal Engineer

Capstone Energy+; California (MO); On-site; USD 125,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Capstone Energy+ is looking for a Sales Application Engineer in California. This role involves managing the Inquiry-to-Order process for technical proposals related to integrated energy solutions. Candidates must have strong skills in financial modeling, proposal development, and excellent communication abilities.

The ideal applicant will bridge product design and power plant requirements, ensuring optimal configurations while also handling P&L responsibilities. A base salary between $125,000 and $160,000 is offered, along with commission and benefits.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in thermodynamic and mechanical performance calculations.
• Expertise in electrical packaging and 3-phase synchronization.
• Capability to evaluate customer specifications against product catalogs.
• Experience in building robust financial models for power generation.
• Strong presentation skills to C-suite executives.

Responsibilities

• Manage the 'Inquiry-to-Order' (ITO) process.
• Develop technical proposals for integrated energy solutions.
• Synthesize engineering drawings and financial data into proposals.
• Conduct rigorous vetting of RFI and RFP documents.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external partners.

Skills

High-level Excel experience

TCOM modeling

Financial modeling

P&L knowledge

Proposal development skills

Education

Professional Engineer (P.Eng) designation (preferred)

Tools

3D CAD (CREO, SolidWorks)

AutoCAD

ANSYS

MATLAB

Microsoft Project

Job description

Our Core Values

Sales Application Engineer

Date Issued: January 2026

Department: Strategic Sales

Reports to: VP Strategic Sales

Location: Van Nuys, CA

Position Purpose

The Sales Application Engineer serves as the technical lead bridging the gap between product design and customer‑specific power plant requirements. You will be responsible for the "Inquiry-to-Order" (ITO) process, which involves scoping, quoting, and technical validation of integrated energy solutions. The individual should also have skills including high‑level Excel experience, TCOM modeling, financial modeling, P&L, RFI and RFP C,D,E risk review including proposal development and good presentation skills with strong knowledge of design, product selection, and integrated power plant components such as turbine power generation, absorption chilling, battery energy storage systems, and plant‑level control systems.

Key Responsibilities

To excel in this role with a focus on integrated power plants, your skill set must span mechanical, electrical, and control systems.

Core Engineering Skill Set

• Mechanical & Power Design: Proficiency in thermodynamic and mechanical performance calculations to develop turbine power requirements, performance curves, and auxiliary system interfaces.
• Electrical Systems: Expertise in electrical packaging for gensets, including 3‑phase synchronization, load balancing, and managing power factors.
• Product Selection: Capability to evaluate customer specifications against product catalogs to determine the optimal turbine configuration (e.g., simple vs. combined cycle) and prepare technical proposals.

Integrated System Expertise

• Turbine Power Generation: Design of "cradle‑to‑grave" turbine architectures, often coupled with aeroderivative gas generators or steam‑driven systems.
• Absorption Chilling: Integrating absorption or adsorption chillers that utilize waste heat from turbine exhaust for district cooling or turbine inlet air cooling, improving net plant efficiency to nearly 80%.
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): Implementation of BESS to manage peak demand and frequency response, utilizing grid‑forming technology to stabilize the power system.
• Plant‑Level Control Systems: Mastery of Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) to coordinate turbines and BESS, managing charge/discharge cycles and maintaining grid stability through active and reactive power commands.

Essential Software & Professional Tools

• Design & Modeling: 3D CAD (CREO, SolidWorks), AutoCAD, and system simulation tools like ANSYS or MATLAB.
• Proposal Management: Experience with Microsoft Project for timeline tracking and ERP systems for cost estimation.
• Professional Credentials: Pursuing a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation is highly valued for signing off on technical designs.

Commercial & Financial Mastery

• High‑Level Excel & Financial Modeling: Build robust financial models for power generation to calculate LCOE, NPV, and IRR for integrated projects.
• P&L Ownership: Responsible for the project's "shadow" Profit & Loss statement during the proposal phase, ensuring that the technical solution aligns with the manufacturer's margin targets and the customer's payback period.
• TCOM Modeling: Simulate the interplay between technical performance and commercial variables to optimize the plant's total cost of ownership.

Proposal Development & Risk Management

• RFI and RFP Vetting: Rigorous vetting of RFI and RFP documents.
• RFP C, D, E Risk Review: Tiered risk classification systems used by major manufacturers.
• Category C/D: Standard or moderate risk projects.
• Category E: High‑risk, complex, or first‑of‑a‑kind integrated systems. Identify technical deal‑breakers and draft contingency plans for performance guarantees.
• Proposal Development: Synthesize engineering drawings, performance data, and financial projections into a cohesive technical proposal that demonstrates a clear value proposition.

Communication & Soft Skills

• Presentation Skills: Present complex plant architectures to C‑suite executives prioritizing financial outcomes.
• Stakeholder Management: Navigate between internal sales teams and external EPC partners to ensure all contractual technical requirements are met.

Compensation

This position offers a base salary ranging from $125,000 - $160,000, commission, and benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Capstone provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job‑related instructions and to perform any other job‑related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills or abilities that the incumbent(s) must possess to successfully perform each duty proficiently.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship.