Solar Design Engineer

Equate Recruitment; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Equate Recruitment is seeking an Electrical Engineer with 3–5 years of hands-on commercial solar design experience to join the Design Engineering team in Gauteng. You will design solar PV systems, size projects, conduct site visits, and support pre-sales with detailed drawings and technical input.

The role requires BEng/BSc/BTech in Electrical Engineering and proficiency in AutoCAD and PVsyst. You will collaborate with sales, operations, and installation teams on rooftop, carport, and

Qualifications

• BEng, BSc Engineering or BTech in Electrical Engineering.
• 2-3 years' relevant solar PV experience.
• Hands-on experience designing commercial and/or industrial solar PV systems.
• Practical working knowledge of AutoCAD.
• Experience with PVsyst or similar solar simulation software.

Responsibilities

• Design commercial solar PV systems using AutoCAD.
• Work on rooftop, carport and ground-mounted solar projects.
• Conduct site visits, take measurements and gather technical information required for system design.
• Analyse client electricity consumption and load profiles to assist with system sizing.
• Conduct solar simulations and yield assessments using PVsyst or similar software.
• Support pre-sales activities with high-level designs and technical input.
• Develop detailed engineering and installation drawings (SLDs, panel layouts, stringing layouts, bonding layouts, inverter layouts, earthing layouts, cable routing).
• Work closely with sales, project management, operations and installation teams.
• Assist with commissioning and technical problem-solving on projects.
• Provide occasional project management support when required.

Skills

Hands-on solar design

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Client site experience

Education

BEng, BSc Engineering or BTech in Electrical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

PVsyst

MS Office

Battery energy storage systems (BESS)

Job description

An established and growing renewable energy business is looking for an Electrical Engineer with 3-5 years' practical commercial solar experience to join its Design Engineering team.

This is an excellent opportunity for an engineer who already has hands-on solar design experience and wants to further develop within the commercial and industrial (C&I) renewable energy sector.

This is not a graduate role. You should already have a solid foundation in solar PV design and be comfortable contributing to live commercial projects, while continuing to develop your technical expertise.

Responsibilities:

• Design commercial solar PV systems using AutoCAD.
• Work on rooftop, carport and ground-mounted solar projects.
• Conduct site visits, take measurements and gather technical information required for system design.
• Analyse client electricity consumption and load profiles to assist with system sizing.
• Conduct solar simulations and yield assessments using PVsyst or similar software.
• Support pre-sales activities with high-level designs and technical input.
• Develop detailed engineering and installation drawings, including:
• Single Line Diagrams (SLDs)
• Panel layouts
• Stringing layouts
• Bonding layouts
• Inverter layouts
• Earthing layouts
• Cable routing
• Work closely with sales, project management, operations and installation teams.
• Assist with commissioning and technical problem-solving on projects.
• Provide occasional project management support when required.

Requirements:

• BEng, BSc Engineering or BTech in Electrical Engineering.
• 2-3 years' relevant solar PV experience.
• Hands-on experience designing commercial and/or industrial solar PV systems.
• Practical working knowledge of AutoCAD.
• Experience with PVsyst or similar solar simulation software.
• Experience with BESS / battery energy storage systems would be advantageous.
• Understanding of the technical requirements involved in designing and building commercial solar systems.
• Exposure to technical site assessments.
• Strong problem-solving ability and excellent attention to detail.
• Valid driver's licence.
• MS Office proficiency.

We're looking for more than someone who can operate design software. You should be a naturally curious and technically minded engineer who genuinely enjoys understanding how things work, solving problems and figuring out better ways to do things.

You'll suit this environment if you're hands-on, practical, eager to learn, comfortable getting onto client sites and enjoy working as part of a young, energetic and collaborative team.

If you have built a solid foundation during your first few years in commercial solar and are looking for an opportunity to take your engineering career to the next level, we'd like to hear from you.