Director of Operations

Nextpower LLC, USA; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Dental and vision

401(k) with matching

Unlimited PTO

Stock compensation

Job summary

Nextpower LLC in San Jose, CA, seeks a senior project and bid manager to own the operating model from opportunity through contract award and transition to Project Execution. You will lead readiness reviews, align BOMs with requirements, and coordinate with Sales, Sourcing, Product, and Finance to secure a successful handoff.

The role requires 10+ years in renewables or related equipment, strong cross-functional leadership, and excellent executive communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, or related field.
• 10+ years in renewable energy tech, utility scale solar, or related equipment environments.
• 5+ years leading cross-functional teams in pre-awards, project coordination, or related ops.
• Experience aligning designs, BOMs, costs, supplier inputs, and delivery assumptions.

Responsibilities

• Own the operating model from opportunity to contract award and handoff to Project Execution.
• Establish readiness gates, review cadences, templates, and escalation paths for bids and opportunities.
• Lead cross-functional bid reviews across Engineering, Sales, Sourcing, Product, Compliance, Logistics, and Finance.
• Ensure BOMs, product configurations, and supply plans align with contract scope and approved deviations.
• Coordinate with sourcing and supply to validate pricing, availability, and lead times.
• Escalate risks requiring changes in design, source, schedule or commitments.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Risk analysis

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree (engineering/related)

Equivalent experience

Tools

ERP systems

PLM/CRM data tools

Sourcing tools

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Own the standard operating model from qualified opportunity through contract award and accepted handoff to Project Execution. Establish readiness gates, review cadence, templates, decision rights, and escalation paths for bids and customer opportunities. Lead bid and readiness reviews across Project Engineering, Sales, Sourcing, Product, Compliance, Logistics, and Finance. Run bid or no bid and conditional approval reviews when technical, commercial, supply, compliance, or delivery risks remain unresolved. Ensure PJE designs, configurations, bills of material, quantities, and customer deliverables match requirements, approved product guidelines, and contract scope. Confirm that proposed eBOS and wire management products can be built, documented, supported, and delivered within current manufacturing and supplier capabilities. Maintain alignment with Product Management and Product Engineering on product availability, product roster, technical data, documentation, certifications, and approved deviations. Identify capability or product gaps early and ensure required development, qualification, documentation, or approval work is explicitly planned. Ensure estimates use current and traceable inputs for material, direct labor, manufacturing overhead, tariffs, freight, logistics, and other material cost drivers. Coordinate with Material Sourcing and Supply Chain to validate supplier assignments, standardized pricing files, availability, lead times, capacity, and known constraints. Validate that the proposed source and allocation or build path support the project schedule, customer delivery requirements, quality expectations, and cost target. Ensure country of origin, trade routes, tariffs, packaging, shipping lanes, delivery timing, and site requirements are reflected in the commercial baseline. Escalate risks that require a design, source, commercial, schedule, or customer commitment change. Lead the formal transition to the Senior Director of Project Execution and project manager at contract signature or the defined award point. Deliver an accepted handoff package containing the approved scope and bid baseline, final design and bill of material, product configuration, sourcing plan, cost and logistics assumptions, build path, delivery milestones, revenue related timing inputs, and open risks with owners. Remain available to clarify pre signature assumptions during the initial execution phase and use post award corrections to improve the process at the source. Set clear ownership, priorities, staffing, and accountability across Project Engineering, Sales and Estimating, and Material Sourcing. Improve the quality and governance of ERP, PLM, CRM, configure price quote, estimating, sourcing, and pricing data used in commercial decisions. Track practical measures such as quote cycle time, readiness completion, handoff completeness, post award change rate, bid to actual variance, and avoidable margin leakage. Create a culture of fact based review, timely escalation, cross functional accountability, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing, industrial engineering, supply chain, business, or a related discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Ten or more years of progressive experience in renewable energy technology, utility scale solar, electrical equipment, eBOS, wire management, power systems, industrial manufacturing technology, or a related equipment supplier environment.
• At least five years leading cross functional teams in pre‑awards operations, project coordination, estimating, sourcing, commercial operations, or a related function.
• Experience supporting productized equipment or technology solutions sold to EPCs, developers, owners, or operators, with accountability for the technical and commercial baseline.
• Demonstrated experience aligning designs, bills of material, cost estimates, supplier inputs, customer requirements, and delivery assumptions before contract award.
• Working knowledge of utility scale solar and electrical balance of system applications, including combiner and disconnect boxes, harnesses, trunk or IPC systems, and wire management solutions.
• Experience managing supplier, material, lead time, logistics, tariff, trade compliance, buildability, and project risks.
• Strong analytical, written, verbal, and executive communication skills, with the ability to influence in a matrixed organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with utility scale photovoltaic, battery energy storage, power conversion, critical power, electrical infrastructure, or related clean energy systems.
• Experience with contract manufacturers, OEM or ODM partners, international suppliers, cross border sourcing, or supplier transfers.
• Experience establishing readiness gates, bid review processes, cost databases, product rosters, standardized pricing files, or project handoff standards.
• Experience with ERP, PLM, CRM, configure price quote, estimating, sourcing, or product data systems.
• Professional certification such as PMP, PE, CPSM, Lean Six Sigma, or a related credential.

Benefits

Nextpower offers a comprehensive benefits package. We provide health care coverage, dental and vision, 401(K) participation including company matching, company paid holidays with unlimited paid time off, generous discretionary company bonuses, life and disability protection and more. Employees in certain positions may be eligible for stock compensation. All plans are in accordance with relevant plan documents. For more information on Nextpowers benefits please view our company website at www.Nextpower.com.

Compensation

Pay is based on market location and may vary based on factors including experience, skills, education, and other job‑related considerations. The annual target total cash compensation for this position is $200,000–$220,000, which includes base salary and target commission. Actual compensation may vary based on sales target achievements. This role is also eligible for equity as part of the total compensation package. (Applicable to California)

Company Information

At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility‑scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data‑driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.

Equal Opportunity

Nextpower is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are Nextpower At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility‑scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data‑driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.