Electrical Engineer, BESS Project Development

Sparkfund; Minneapolis (MN); Remote; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in energy transition seeks an Electrical Engineer with expertise in Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). This role involves leading the development and implementation of innovative projects, ensuring technical excellence while collaborating across teams. The candidate will contribute to a sustainable energy future through diverse initiatives and support project management from concept to execution in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

Competitive compensation and stock option plans

Flexible vacation policy

Alternating 4 day weeks

12 weeks gender-neutral paid leave for caregivers

Work-from-home stipend

Monthly allowance for phone and WiFi expenses

Qualifications

• 5+ years in clean energy project development.
• Proficiency with commercial-scale BESS.
• Ability to manage multiple projects effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead BESS project development lifecycle from concept to construction.
• Perform feasibility studies and technical evaluations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for successful project delivery.

Skills

Project Development Engineering

Technical Proficiency with BESS

Analytical Abilities

Strong Communication Skills

Education

Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.)

Bachelor's or Master’s in Electrical Engineering or related

Tools

Bluebeam Revu

Salesforce

CAD

Job description

Electrical Engineer, BESS Project Development

Minneapolis, MN

About Sparkfund

Sparkfund is an energy transition partner built to accelerate the energy transition by transforming the built environment into a productive, resilient, climate-adapted extension of the grid. We do this by partnering with utilities and building owners to provide program management, project implementation, and financing services and capabilities to our partners' customers. Together, we are creating a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable energy future.

Position Summary

Sparkfund is seeking an experienced Electrical Engineer with deep subject matter expertise in Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to join our Project Development Engineering team. In this role, you will play a pivotal part in leading the development of BESS projects across our diverse distributed energy customer portfolio, working collaboratively within a team-based environment. You will provide critical technical guidance and applications expertise to internal stakeholders, as well as engage directly with our partners, customers, and vendors through external meetings and presentations. The ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive understanding of developing BESS projects ranging from 500kW/2MWh to 10MW/40MWh interconnected to the distribution grid, managing the process from initial concept through detailed construction documents, procurement, and installation.

Your responsibilities will include delivering design, application, and consulting services to our Customer Solutions team, utility partners, and customers throughout the entire project lifecycle—from early conceptual designs to fully engineered drawings (produced by third party consulting engineers), scopes, and pricing. Additionally you will be responsible for setting up critical project processes, systems and standards that support team development of a high volume of distributed BESS projects. As one of Sparkfund’s BESS subject matter experts, you will also have opportunities to collaborate closely with our Project Delivery team, supporting projects during and after implementation, and witnessing firsthand the tangible outcomes of your efforts.

This position will report directly to the VP of Project Development and Engineering and will work cross-functionally with many internal teams, including our Program Management, Customer Solutions, Vendor Management, and Project Delivery teams.

Location and Travel

Sparkfund is a remote-friendly company with a digital workplace built around emerging hub-offices; however preference will be given to candidates located in the Denver Metro or Twin Cities Metro areas. We will consider fully remote candidates (within the US), though a higher bar for qualifications will be applied in these cases. This role will require approximately 20-30% travel domestically to customer offices and project sites. Additionally, occasional travel to Washington, DC, and other US locations will be necessary for team meetings, company events, and collaborative sessions designed to strengthen team cohesion, deepen understanding of our business, and actively contribute to Sparkfund’s culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Consult on design, scope, development, and pricing of BESS projects for commercial/industrial customers.
• Collaborate with Customer Solutions to understand goals and develop technical solutions.
• Generate high-level cost estimates; perform site surveys, energy audits, and preliminary equipment selections; creating and continuously improving the system for enabling the team to do this effectively.
• Conduct feasibility studies and evaluate technical viability of customer sites.
• Perform engineering assessments ensuring project alignment with customer goals and budget.
• Design BESS system layouts; review blueprints, equipment specs, and perform engineering calculations.
• Review and markup engineering drawings using Bluebeam or CAD.
• Advise on vendor and subcontractor selection during the bid process.
• Provide engineering consultation and technical reports to customers and utility partners.
• Coordinate data handoff across internal teams (e.g., Program Management, Legal, Delivery).
• Develop strong relationships with external partners to support project development.
• Support project implementation and provide post-installation technical assistance.
• Represent Sparkfund professionally with customers, vendors, and other stakeholders.
• Develop and improve SOPs, tools, and processes for BESS engineering systems and operations; taking primary responsibility for effectiveness of BESS engineering systems and processes.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 5+ years of project development engineering experience in the clean energy, resilience, and / or energy efficiency space, including knowledge of project risks, key stakeholders, market incentives, and customer value propositions.
• Demonstrated technical proficiency with battery energy storage systems – specifically on commercial-scale and / or industrial-scale projects, with front-of-meter interconnections.
• Experience with the utility distribution systems, utility distributed energy interconnections, and distributed energy construction processes, norms and subject matter expertise. including experience with and interconnections.
• Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.)
• Thorough understanding or the ability to read and rapidly gain a thorough applications based understanding of BESS specific codes such as NFPA 68, 69, 855 (especially annex G), NFPA 70 articles 706 and 480, IEEE 1547, IEEE 2030.2, UL1741, UL 9540 and UL9540A, and IFC Section 1206.
• Experience with BESS dispatch and monitoring communication systems including utility SCADA systems, and/or Advanced Distribution Management Systems(ADMS)/Distributed Energy Resource Management System(DERMS)Competency in software and cloud-based information management tools, including Bluebeam Revu, Salesforce, GSuite, CAD (for markups and team management/guidance, not production) and other project management tools.
• Demonstrated analytical abilities with a keen attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to translate technical concepts and topics effectively for non-technical audiences in written reports and documents and verbal presentations.
• Experience managing multiple projects at one time, with a demonstrated ability to switch between contexts quickly and efficiently.
• Skilled at making sound and defensible decisions with incomplete information.
• Ability to build and maintain long-term, trusting relationships.

Preferred Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Management, Environmental Science, or related technical field.
• Experience or familiarity with Solar PV, and/or microgrid projects.
• Experience modeling energy storage systems and microgrids in HOMER, Xendee, or similar software tools.
• Past experience working as an electrical engineer at a consulting engineering company performing detailed electrical power engineering analysis and managing the production of print sets from schematic design through construction documents and as-builts.
• Relevant technology specific professional certifications, such as NABCEP Energy Storage Installation Professional (ESIP) or similar.

For full-time positions:

• Competitive compensation and stock option plans - we believe in shared ownership.
• The anticipated salary range for this position is between $140,000 - $170,000 per year.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, and dental insurance as well as disability and life insurance.
• Flexible vacation policy encouraging strong work life balance and paid time away. We also observe all federal holidays.
• Alternating 4 day weeks, with every other Friday off.
• 12 weeks gender-neutral paid leave for caregivers when they have a new addition to their families and an additional 4 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents.
• A one-time, work-from-home stipend to help cover any equipment, hardware, etc. you need to set up your remote office.
• A monthly allowance of $100 to help cover phone and WiFi expenses.

You can be a great candidate even if you don't fit everything we've described above. You can also have important skills we haven't thought of. If that's you, don't hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We are dedicated to environmental stewardship, and recognize we need diverse perspectives to successfully tackle this massive challenge. To change the world, we must first change ourselves, which is why Sparkfund has created a space that sources viewpoints from people who look and think differently.

We are committed to diversity and building an equitable and inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and experiences, and we're taking steps to meet that commitment. Sparkfund is an Equal Opportunity Employer and 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. Sparkfund will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records consistent with federal, state, and local legal requirements.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Preferred First Name

Email *

Phone *

Resume/CV *

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Are you a Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.)? * Select...

Are you located in the Minneapolis, MN area? If not, are you open to relocating with financial assistant from Sparkfund? *