Senior Electrical Performance Engineer

nexamp; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Nexamp seeks a Senior Electrical Performance Engineer to improve reliability, availability, and performance of Nexamp's solar PV and BESS assets, over 2 GW under management. You will analyze field data, optimize protection schemes, and drive data-backed recommendations to reduce downtime and extend asset life.

You will work in a hybrid capacity from multiple offices including Lawrence, Boston, NYC, Chicago, or Washington, DC, reporting to the Director of Performance Engineering.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
• 7+ years of electrical engineering experience.
• 2+ years in solar and protection relays (breakers, reclosers, power logic controllers).
• PE license a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own plant protection, controls, and compliance strategy with protection settings and approvals.
• Engage utilities on grid-interaction issues and interconnection compliance.
• Improve system reliability by evaluating protection schemes, breaker coordination, relay timing, and inverter control functions.
• Partner with Engineering to improve design standards and fleet consistency.
• Lead data-driven reliability and loss reduction efforts using inverter logs and EMS data.

Skills

Electrical Engineering

Power Systems

Protection Relays

Grid Interconnection

Data Analysis

Root Cause Analysis

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

EMS

Inverter Controls

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