Director of Engineering

Position Summary

The Director of Engineering is responsible for leading and scaling the engineering function for a growth-focused EPC microgrid company. This role oversees electrical, civil, and mechanical design efforts across distributed energy and microgrid projects including solar PV, battery energy storage systems (BESS), generators, and controls/SCADA integrations.

The Director of Engineering ensures projects are technically sound, compliant, and delivered on schedule and within budget, while building standardized processes that support scalability and operational excellence. This position works cross-functionally with Project Management, Procurement, Construction, and Executive Leadership to deliver high-quality, energy infrastructure solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership & Strategy

- Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing, multi-disciplinary engineering team.

- Develop engineering standards, templates, QA/QC protocols, and design best practices.

- Establish scalable engineering workflows to support increasing project volume.

- Provide technical oversight across all phases: development, pre-construction, IFC, and as-built.

Project Execution & Oversight

- Oversee design of solar PV, BESS, switchgear, interconnection, grounding, protection, and controls systems utilizing 3rd party consultants.

- Review and approve engineering deliverables including SLDs, site plans, equipment specs, and commissioning plans.

- Coordinate with utilities and AHJs to ensure permitting and interconnection compliance.

- Support value engineering efforts to optimize system performance and cost.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Partner with Project Management to manage schedule adherence and mitigate design-driven delays.

- Collaborate with Procurement on equipment selection, vendor qualifications, and technical evaluations.

- Support Construction during installation and commissioning phases, including field troubleshooting when needed.

Risk Management & Compliance

- Ensure projects comply with NEC, NFPA, IEEE, local codes, and utility requirements.

- Identify and mitigate technical risks early in the project lifecycle.

- Support contract reviews and technical scope alignment during negotiations.

Continuous Improvement

- Implement engineering KPIs tied to design cycle time, rework reduction, and cost efficiency.

- Drive post-project lessons learned reviews and standard updates.

- Evaluate emerging technologies in DER, storage, controls, and microgrid optimization.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Mechanical or related discipline considered with relevant experience).

- 10+ years of engineering experience in renewable energy, power systems, or EPC environments.

- 5+ years in a leadership or management role.

- Strong experience designing or overseeing solar + BESS or microgrid systems.

- Deep understanding of NEC, utility interconnection processes, and power distribution systems.

- Experience reviewing contracts and aligning technical scope with project budgets.

- Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced environment.

- Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred or ability to obtain.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in EPC project execution for commercial and industrial energy systems.

- Background in microgrid controls, SCADA integration, or DER optimization.

- Experience working with financing partners and providing engineering support for bankability reviews.

- Master’s degree in Engineering.

- PMP certification.