Senior Optimization Engineer

Tierra; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

401K with 3% company contribution

Home office stipend

Co-working membership

Job summary

Tierra is seeking an Optimization Engineer to advance our optimization software across US power markets, focusing on day-ahead, intraday, and real-time opportunities for various asset types. You will directly influence revenue performance while contributing to environmental benefits in the energy transition.

You'll work with a team of engineers and data scientists to deploy robust optimization solutions, leveraging Python, LP/MIP, and cloud tools, in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of power systems and wholesale power market mechanisms.
• 3+ years of experience writing software in Python and using LP/MIP/Convex optimization for energy asset dispatch.
• 5+ years in energy or related engineering role with production software experience.
• Experience with GitHub, version control, and agile/lean development.
• Experience using relational or columnar databases and SQL.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refine optimization models for short-term battery dispatch across multiple US power markets.
• Monitor market prices and rule changes to identify optimization opportunities.
• Collaborate with data scientists and engineers to improve bidding and dispatch strategies.
• Enhance optimization methods under uncertainty and integrate probabilistic forecasts.
• Promote software development best practices including testing, deployment, and monitoring.

Skills

Power systems knowledge

Python programming

GitHub collaboration

Agile experience

SQL / databases

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related quantitative field

Advanced degree (Master's or PhD)

Tools

AWS (EC2, S3, RDS)

Optimization libraries / LP, MIP

Excel / data tools

Job description

About The Company

Power markets are undergoing a generational transformation. Surging electricity demand, an evolving generation mix, and growing market complexity are fundamentally changing how energy is produced, traded, and managed.

About The Company

Power markets are undergoing a generational transformation. Surging electricity demand, an evolving generation mix, and growing market complexity are fundamentally changing how energy is produced, traded, and managed.

Tierra is building an agentic power trading platform for physical energy assets. Our platform brings together market intelligence, forecasting, optimization, and AI-powered analysis to help energy teams make faster, smarter decisions without sacrificing transparency or control. We believe the future of energy trading lies in combining the speed and scale of artificial intelligence with the judgment and expertise of experienced human operators.

Founded by energy industry veterans, we're a team of engineers, data scientists, and market practitioners building the technology infrastructure for a new era of energy. Our ambition is to equip energy teams with the capabilities of a world-class trading desk and fundamentally redefine how physical energy assets are managed.

About The Role

We are looking for an intellectually curious Optimization Engineer to join our team. In this pivotal role, you will focus on developing and deploying solutions to advance our optimization software across multiple US power markets for a variety of asset types, with an emphasis on short-term opportunities in day-ahead, intraday, and real-time markets. Your work will directly enhance revenue performance while also delivering measurable environmental benefits that accelerate the energy transition.

What You'll Do

• Develop and refine optimization models for short-term battery dispatch and bidding in multiple wholesale power markets (e.g., CAISO, ERCOT, MISO, ISONE, NYISO, PJM, SPP)
• Monitor market prices, operating conditions, and rule changes to identify optimization opportunities and translate market observations into improvements to bidding and dispatch strategies
• Work with data scientists and optimization engineers to identify performance improvement opportunities and refine bidding and algorithmic strategies to enhance revenue and environmental performance
• Enhance methods for handling decision‑making under uncertainty (e.g., robust/stochastic optimization) and integrate probabilistic market forecasts into optimization workflows
• Explore and apply developments in optimization methods that can deliver practical improvements to short‑term bidding and dispatch
• Promote and implement software development best practices across the optimization codebase, including testing, deployment, and monitoring
• Act as a power markets subject matter expert for external stakeholders
• Ability to periodically work extended hours and respond swiftly when appropriate

Requirements

What You Bring (Required)

• Deep understanding of power systems and wholesale power market mechanisms
• Bachelor's degree in a related quantitative field (e.g., computer science, operations research, engineering, mathematics, physics, power systems, etc.) or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of post‑undergraduate experience in the energy industry or a related engineering role, with hands‑on experience building and deploying production software
• 3+ years of experience writing software in Python, and utilizing Linear Programming, MIP, and Convex Optimization, preferably in optimizing the dispatch of energy assets
• Experience with collaborative software development best practices, including version tracking and code reviews using GitHub
• Experience working in an agile/lean environment
• Experience using relational and/or columnar databases and using SQL or other query languages

What You Bring (Preferred)

• 3+ years of experience optimizing the operation of grid‑scale battery projects in multiple US power markets
• Advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in a related quantitative field
• Experience with tradeoffs between speed, performance, and scalability in optimization
• Experience with robust/stochastic optimization and decision‑making under uncertainty
• Experience with optimization across a portfolio of grid‑connected devices
• Experience with leading and mentoring technical team members
• Experience using AWS resources (EC2, S3, RDS)

What You Offer

• Entrepreneurial: You're personally invested in fulfilling our mission and growing the business. You're constantly thinking outside‑the‑box and proposing new ideas that may influence our broader strategy and product roadmap
• Commando Mindset: You aren't afraid to parachute into a metaphorical jungle, build systems from scratch, and define solutions to complex problems. You're an independent self‑starter that is adaptable to change
• Team‑Oriented: You recognize the whole is greater than the sum‑of‑its‑parts and work well with others. You are coachable and willing to invest in others
• Data‑Driven: You believe in hypothesis testing, iterative experimentation, and incremental delivery. You value underpinning conclusions with empirical evidence over unsubstantiated claims.

Benefits

We provide team members a robust suite of benefits:

• Pay: Competitive salary ($150,000-185,000) plus equity
• Benefits: Health insurance (PPO) and a 401K with a 3% company contribution
• Flexible Work Environment: Co‑working membership & home office stipend
• Development: Potential for professional advancement through growth in role & responsibility
• Mission: The opportunity to shape the future of power markets at a mission‑driven startup