Senior Electrical Performance Engineer

nexamp; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Nexamp is seeking a Senior Electrical Performance Engineer to improve the reliability, availability, and performance of Nexamp's solar PV and BESS assets, currently exceeding 2 GW. The hybrid role is based from our Lawrence, Boston, New York City, Chicago, or Washington, DC offices, reporting to the Director, Performance Engineering.

You will apply advanced electrical engineering analysis to operating systems in the field, perform root-cause investigations, and drive data-backed recommendations

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
• 7+ years of electrical engineering experience.
• 2+ years of experience in solar and protection relays (breakers, reclosers, power logic controllers, etc.).
• Commitment to Nexamp's mission and have a passion for solving tomorrow's climate crisis today.
• Demonstrated experience in effectively communicating information, ideas, and perspectives with people inside and beyond your organization.
• Experience in showcasing initiative to make improvements to current work, processes, products, and services across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Own plant protection, controls, and compliance strategy by reviewing and coordinating protection settings across OCPDs, relays, inverters, and plant controllers; managing required setting changes with third-party vendors; and securing utility approvals to ensure safe, reliable operation.
• Engage with utilities on complex grid-interaction issues related to protection schemes, relay settings, and plant control behavior; diagnose misalignment between plant and utility protection philosophies; negotiate solutions that optimize availability and interconnection compliance.
• Improve system reliability and energy performance by evaluating protection schemes, breaker coordination, relay timing, circuit configurations, and inverter control functions.
• Partner with Engineering to improve design standards and fleet consistency, including relay database templates, equipment specifications, standard drawings, and protection philosophies.
• Lead data-driven reliability and loss reduction efforts by analyzing inverter logs, relay events, EMS dispatch data, and waveform captures; conducting root-cause and 8D investigations; quantifying impacts; and recommending actions.
• Own fleetwide monitoring and diagnostics strategy by refining alert thresholds, logic, and escalation workflows to reduce false positives and accelerate incident response.
• Develop analytical models, diagnostic frameworks, and performance standards for Nexamp's PV and BESS fleet, integrating power systems engineering with data analytics.
• Influence organizational capability by representing Performance Engineering in cross-functional initiatives and mentoring junior analysts.

Skills

Electrical engineering experience

Solar experience

Protection relays

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Professional Engineer license (PE) – a plus

Job description

What we're looking for:

Nexamp is seeking a Senior Electrical Performance Engineer who will be a deep technical independent contributor responsible for improving the reliability, availability, and performance of Nexamp's operating portfolio of distributed and utility-scale solar PV and BESS assets, currently exceeding 2 GW under management and in construction. In this role, you will apply advanced electrical engineering analysis to operating systems in the field, performing root-cause failure analysis, diagnosing complex and recurring issues across inverters, transformers, protection systems, controls, and balance-of-plant equipment. You'll identify systemic risks, validate corrective actions, and drive data-backed recommendations to reduce downtime, prevent repeat failures, and extend asset life. You'll also be responsible for optimizing control schemes and operating strategies, translating observed field behavior and performance data into improved settings, logic, and operational standards. Working closely with Operations, Asset Management, Controls, and OEMs, you will bridge the gap between design intent and real-world performance to ensure the fleet operates safely and reliably, while maximizing value throughout the project lifecycle.

This is a hybrid role out of our Lawrence, Boston, New York City, Chicago, or Washington, DC office, and will report to the Director, Performance Engineering.

What you'll do:

• Own plant protection, controls, and compliance strategy by reviewing and coordinating protection settings across OCPDs, relays, inverters, and plant controllers; managing required setting changes with third-party vendors; and securing utility approvals to ensure safe, reliable operation.
• Engage directly with utilities on complex grid-interaction issues related to protection schemes, relay settings, and plant control behavior; diagnose misalignment between plant and utility protection philosophies; and negotiate technically sound solutions that optimize availability and interconnection compliance.
• Improve system reliability and energy performance by evaluating and optimizing protection schemes, breaker coordination, relay timing, circuit configurations, and inverter control functions (Volt/VAR, Volt/Watt, frequency-watt, ramp rates, ride-through).
• Partner with Engineering to improve design standards and fleet consistency, including relay database templates, equipment specifications, standard drawings, and protection philosophies, with a focus on maintainability, operability, and lifecycle cost.
• Lead data-driven reliability and loss reduction efforts by analyzing inverter logs, relay events, EMS dispatch data, and waveform captures; conducting root-cause and 8D investigations; quantifying production and financial impacts; and recommending corrective actions, upgrades, or repowering strategies.
• Own fleetwide monitoring and diagnostics strategy by refining alert thresholds, logic, and escalation workflows to reduce false positives, minimize alert fatigue, and accelerate incident response.
• Develop analytical models, diagnostic frameworks, and performance standards for Nexamp's PV and BESS fleet, integrating power systems engineering with data analytics to identify constraints and improvement opportunities.
• Influence organizational capability and decision-making by representing Performance Engineering in cross-functional initiatives, providing actionable feedback to development and engineering teams on design and procurement decisions, and mentoring junior analysts through training and documented best practices.

What you'll bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
• 7+ years of electrical engineering experience.
• 2+ years of experience in solar and protection relays (breakers, reclosers, power logic controllers, etc.).
• Professional Engineer license is a plus.
• Commitment to Nexamp's mission and have a passion for solving tomorrow's climate crisis today.
• Demonstrated experience in effectively communicating information, ideas, and perspectives with people inside and beyond your organization.
• Experience in showcasing initiative to make improvements to current work, processes, products, and services across the organization. We value accountability and an ownership mentality.
• Ability to ask appropriate questions, analyze data, identify the root causes of problems, and present creative solutions.
• Expertise in building strong internal and external relationships with customers and stakeholders, instilling trust and loyalty across th