Vice President, Platform Engineering

Nextracker Inc.; Heathrow (FL); Hybrid; USD 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Nextpower is seeking a Vice President of Platform Engineering in Heathrow, FL, to lead the engineering org and own the end-to-end BESS platform roadmap. This role focuses on performance, reliability, and TCO, with close partnership to the CTO and accountability for the engine room—hardware platform design and engineering discipline.

Responsible for scaling the department, enforcing industrial-grade processes, and delivering deployment-ready solutions while collaborating with Sales, Services, and

Qualifications

• Deep design and engineering experience in energy storage, power systems.
• Masters in Electrical Engineering with 10+ years leadership.
• Ability to lead platform roadmap and vendor integrations.

Responsibilities

• Own the Platform Lifecycle and drive commercial/technical success.
• Make primary decisions for day-to-day engineering operations.
• Design and scale a high-performance engineering culture.
• Implement industrial-grade processes and PLM, stage-gate rigor.
• Lead supply chain validation with partners and vendors.
• Bridge to Sales, Services, and Project Engineering for deployment readiness.
• Drive BOM reduction and manage risk with safety standards.

Skills

Executive leadership

Business acumen

Communication skills

Li-ion battery systems

Grid-tied power conversion

Team building

Risk management

Education

Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

UL standards (9540/1973/1642/1741)

IEEE standards (1547/2800)

NFPA standards (855/70/70E/69/68)

Job description

Job Description

Vice President, Platform Engineering Location: Heathrow, FL / Hybrid / Remote

About Nextpower

The world's demand for electricity is growing faster than ever. Meeting that demand requires infrastructure that's smarter, more reliable, and built to last. The future of energy is not about one advanced technology – it’s about bringing the right solutions together in a unified platform that can deliver reliable power at scale. As a trusted, bankable partner, Nextpower provides integrated technology solutions for utility-scale solar, energy storage, and critical power infrastructure, helping customers design, build, and operate projects with greater speed, reliability, and long-term value. Building on more than a decade of innovation and execution, we're helping power the electrified world. Together, we're powering what's next. Our Values Innovation · We challenge limits to power what’s next. Integrity · We do the right thing with honesty and respect. Accountability · We own it, we deliver, we rise together. Collaborative · We listen, include, and win as a team. Customer Focus · We earn trust by partnering to solve what matters most.

Job Summary

The VP of Platform Engineering will serve as the operational and strategic anchor for Prevalon’s tech and engineering organization. This role will own the end-to-end execution of the BESS platform roadmap, ensuring the current and next-generation product lines achieve market-leading performance, reliability, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). While working in close partnership with the CTO, who focuses on long-horizon innovation and vanguard technologies, the VP of Platform Engineering will assume full responsibility for the "engine room." This includes the design authority for the BESS hardware platform (Battery, PCS, Enclosure, MV collection, etc.), the rigor of the engineering process, and the day-to-day leadership of the development team. This is a high-impact role designed for a leader capable of scaling a department and eventually stepping into broader responsibilities.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership – Own the Platform Lifecycle: Move beyond simple roadmap execution to full ownership of the platform's commercial and technical success. Ensure products are delivered not just on time, but with the margins and reliability required for business scale.
• Operational Autonomy – Serve as the primary decision-maker for day-to-day engineering operations, allowing the CTO to focus on R&D and future-state technology.
• Organizational Construction – Design and scale a high-performance engineering culture. This includes defining organizational structure, hiring strategies, and career pathing to ensure high retention of top talent.
• Engineering Rigor – Implement and enforce "industrial-grade" engineering processes (Stage-Gate, Revision Control, PLM, Requirements Management) to transition the company from startup agility to enterprise reliability.
• Supply Chain Integration – Lead the technical validation of strategic partners (cells, inverters, enclosures). Drive technical negotiations to ensure vendors meet not just today’s specs, but our future roadmap requirements.
• Cross-Functional Alignment – Act as the primary technical bridge to Sales, Services, and Project Engineering. Translate market feedback into engineering requirements and ensure the platform is "deployment-ready" to minimize field labor and maintenance costs.
• Cost Down Initiatives – Aggressively drive BOM reduction and efficiency improvements to maintain competitive advantage.
• Risk Mitigation – Oversee compliance and safety strategies (UL, NFPA, IEEE) to minimize warranty exposure and operational risk.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Business Acumen: Ability to translate technical decisions into financial implications (CapEx, OpEx, Margin).
• Executive Presence: Capable of representing the company in front of major utility customers, investors, and industry groups.
• High Agency: A track record of solving complex organizational problems without waiting for permission or detailed instruction.
• Technical expertise on Li-ion battery systems, battery enclosures, power conversion systems, and power systems generation, transmission, and distribution.
• Working knowledge for BESS industry relevant standards including UL9540/1973/1642/1741, IEEE1547/2800, and NFPA855/70/70E/69/68.
• Subject matter expert on grid tied power conversion including GFL and GFM.
• Understanding of utility communication protocols, industrial ethernet networks, and power generation control strategies.
• Ability to recruit and develop personnel in a technical organization including training, guidance, and mentoring.
• Exceptional communication skills particularly conveying complex technical concepts or issues.

Education & Experience

Deep design and engineering experience in energy storage, power systems, and power conversion technologies. Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering. 10+ years of experience in design and engineering leadership. Proven background developing and successfully bringing to market products and services in the energy storage industry.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Regularly required to stand and walk, with frequent lifting or moving of up to 25 pounds and occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud. Hearing protection may be recommended and/or required in some work locations. Domestic and international travel may be required.

Nextpower is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are Nextpower At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.