Software Engineer

About 1st Avenue Power:

 At 1st Avenue Power, we are on a mission to deliver simple, fast-to-deploy, customer-centric and intelligent power systems leveraging the abundance of solar to provide inexpensive and reliable clean energy to global customers from data centers to energy starved communities around the world. We envision a future where every community, business, and nation thrives on the limitless potential of clean energy, united in a shared commitment to a sustainable and equitable world.

You will be working with Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, a clean energy technology innovator and entrepreneur who has been a driving force in making solar-based energy solutions the cheapest and most reliable energy option. Tom founded and led Avantus (formerly known as “8minute Solar Energy“), to become one of the largest and most profitable solar and energy storage companies in the United States and the largest in California, including delivering over 17% of Los Angeles’ power.  When Tom sold his interest in Avantus’ development business  to KKR in mid-2024, it had delivered over $1 billion in profit and secured over $10 Billion in power purchase agreements and project financings with a pipeline of over 30 GW of solar and 90 GWh of energy storage, capable of powering the homes of more than 20 million Americans day and night. Tom’s family office investment firm, 1st Avenue Capital, is building teams for the next generation of advanced solar power system architecture and AI to aggressively drive down the cost of and equitable access to clean and reliable energy.[1] 1st Avenue’s advanced large scale power systems are addressing the increasing inadequacy of the grid to meet the massively growing power demands of the digital economy, while its intelligent distributed solar utilities are leapfrogging the grid to provide equitable access to inexpensive, clean and reliable power to underserved communities around the world.

 

About the Role:

Join a groundbreaking team of proven leaders at the forefront of the clean energy transition. We are building a future where sustainable energy is accessible to all. As a Software Engineer, you will build Energy Management Software that drives utility-scale power plants, featuring renewable and thermal generators, batteries, and colocated loads. You’ll design and optimize algorithms that make these plants more electrically and economically efficient, including battery lifetime management, smart load response, and energy trading. The software you write will optimize power flows and long-term economics of the plant, as well as provide cloud-based views and controls.You and your team of fellow software engineers will be responsible for controlling hundreds of megawatt-hours (MWh) of power every day.

What Makes This Job Unique:

• Growth Potential: 1st Avenue Power and the project pipeline is in high growth mode, offering excellent opportunities for career growth and professional development.
• Co-Founder Mindset: This is an opportunity for a passionate and driven individual to join a groundbreaking team and contribute significantly to our mission. We encourage candidates who bring a co-founder mindset, with a focus on ownership, innovation, and a deep commitment to building a sustainable and equitable energy future.

Job Responsibilities:

• Design and implement software that integrates with first- and third-party power electronics, grid SCADA platforms, battery management systems, controllable loads, and cloud technologies
• Design and implement control and optimization algorithms for safe operations of a power plant.
• Collaborate with power electronics engineers to design hardware/software systems
• Troubleshoot and debug hardware and software issues during development and after deployment of systems.
• Work with and educate leaders, peers and junior engineers on software tech
• Guide the company’s technology decisions, both software and physical architecture
• Other duties as assigned 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or another related field.
• 5 years of experience in software development
• Expertise in at least two programming languages, one of which should be a systems language (C/C++, Java, C#, Golang, Rust, etc)
• 2 years of experience in the energy industry
• Ability to handle ambiguity and manage your own progress and timelines. We have a lot to do, and we have to deliver the right thing, working well, at the right time.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills. We’re going to be a small team and work closely together. Each of us will give and receive plenty of feedback and grow together.
• Technical breadth. You know more than one programming language, stack, development ecosystem, etc.
• Technical depth. You know how to write and maintain good software. Testing, optimizing for readability, and managing system complexity are everyday skills.
• Problem oriented: You keep the problem to be solved in mind, and can optimize solutions based on quality, timeline, and other business constraints.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with implementing energy management systems or energy market trading software
• Experience building RTOS or controls for power electronics
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance requirements for power electronics and power facilities
• Previous work in a startup or growth-stage company

Compensation & Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation Package
• Health Insurance: We offer 100% coverage of employee premiums under a Gold-level PPO plan. Dental & Vision Insurance: 50% of employee premiums are covered.
• Retirement Plan: A 401(k) plan with a 6% employer match.

 

1AI Energy, the employing entity for 1st Avenue Power, and 1st Avenue Power are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee based on race (inclusive of traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), age, veteran or military status, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, reproductive decision-making, or any other legally recognized protected class under federal, state, or local law.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on 1AI Energy or 1st Avenue Power. Please inform the company's personnel representative if you need assistance completing an application or to otherwise participate in the application process. 

 

 

Join our team and make a real difference in the world.

[1: Additionally, 1st Avenue is in the business of acquiring projects where there has been a final notice-to-proceed or financial close.]