Engineering Manager - BESS Commissioning

Inventure; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Inventure seeks an Engineering Manager to lead commissioning across grid-scale battery energy storage projects from EPC signing through COD and turnover. You will own technical readiness, coordinate Engineers of Record, review large equipment bids, and drive testing and energization to ensure the owner’s position is protected.

Beyond commissioning, you will support asset reliability with root-cause analyses, coordinate with OEMs and warranty teams, and feed field lessons back into design and

Qualifications

• Hands-on commissioning of grid-scale BESS.
• Experience with battery systems and PCS beyond EMS/controls.
• Electrical or mechanical engineering background preferred; practical commissioning experience valued.

Responsibilities

• Lead commissioning through COD; manage Engineers of Record and external consultants.
• Review engineering deliverables and conduct technical bid reviews for major equipment.
• Plan and lead test procedures, energization, acceptance testing and turnover.
• Provide reliability support to asset management; perform root-cause analyses; coordinate with OEMs and warranty teams.
• Incorporate field lessons into design standards and procurement specs for future projects.

Skills

Field commissioning

Battery energy storage systems

PCS knowledge

Electrical engineering background

Autonomous / proactive

Education

Electrical engineering degree

Mechanical engineering background

Job description

Our client is an independent power producer developing, building, and operating grid-scale battery energy storage projects. They hold and operate everything they build - so this seat sits on the owner's side of the table for the full project lifecycle, from EPC contract execution through commissioning, COD, and long-term operations.

They're hiring an Engineering Manager specifically for commissioning depth: someone who has been in the field on grid-scale BESS and knows where the trouble points are before they happen.

The role

The majority of the seat is new-build. You pick up projects at EPC contract signing and own them through COD - managing Engineers of Record and external consultants, reviewing engineering deliverables, running technical bid reviews on major equipment, and leading the commissioning scope: test procedures, energization, acceptance testing, and turnover. You are the owner's technical authority on whether a project is ready.

The remainder is reliability support to the asset management team across the operating fleet - root-cause analysis on failures and underperformance, coordination with OEMs and warranty administrators, and feeding field lessons back into design standards and procurement specs so the next project is built better. Few seats let you close that loop.

What our client is looking for

• Hands-on, field-based commissioning of grid-scale BESS - energization, acceptance testing, turnover. This is the non-negotiable. One or two sites as a commissioning lead is enough if the depth is real.
• Strong working knowledge of battery systems and PCS - not just the EMS/controls layer.
• Roughly 5-6 years of relevant experience; less is fine if recent years have been squarely in BESS/PCS.
• Electrical engineering background preferred; mechanical with strong commissioning experience also works.
• Balance of plant, substation, or protection exposure is a plus, not a requirement.
• Comfortable in a lean, entrepreneurial environment - proactive, autonomous, low ego.

Likely backgrounds: EPC commissioning teams, BESS integrators, supplier field engineering, or BESS IPPs.

Why this seat

You get exposure across the whole business - procurement, commercial decisions, operations - rather than being boxed into one lane. Scope expands ahead of title, and there's a live project entering commissioning to own from day one.