System Integration & Validation Engineer

Location: SFO/Bay Area
Team: System Engineering

The Impact You’ll Make:

As a System and Validation Engineer, you will bridge the gap between complex software and high-power physical hardware by designing and building infrastructure to test systems at scale. You will serve as the final gatekeeper of reliability and performance, utilizing Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments to simulate real-world grid conditions while driving the core system requirements for our utility-scale renewable energy power plants.

Key Responsibilities:

• Requirements Management: Lead the definition and management of system-level requirements for large utility-scale renewable energy power plants.
• Validation Planning: Own and execute comprehensive validation plans (Design Verification Performance Reporting) for Utility-Scale power grid integration, including AC/DC systems and Medium Voltage (MV) architectures.
• Compliance & Certification: Ensure full system compliance with UL 1741 and IEEE 1547 standards through rigorous testing of protection functions and grid-interactive behavior.
• Test Bed Architecture: Design, build, and maintain full-system test beds integrating high-voltage DC-DC converters, battery simulators, and PV emulators.

The Skills You Bring:

• System Design: Proven experience in driving and managing technical requirements for large utility-scale renewable energy systems.
• Professional Experience: 5+ years in systems integration, hardware validation, or product development within the power electronics or utility industry.
• Simulation Expertise: Deep expertise in HIL simulation environments (e.g., Typhoon HIL, RTDS, or Opal-RT) and SIL frameworks.
• Grid Integration Knowledge: Strong technical knowledge of LV/MV grid integration, transformer performance, and utility-scale power distribution.
• Educational Foundation: Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience with a focus on Power Systems and Control Theory.

Nice to Have:

• Hands-on experience with the complete lifecycle of utility-scale renewable energy power plant development.
• Experience with industrial communication protocols such as Modbus TCP, CAN, and Ethernet.
• Proven ability to perform failure analysis (FMEA) at both system and subsystem levels.

About the Tech Stack 

• Languages: Python, go, C/C++
• Frameworks: MATLAB, Typhoon HIL, RTDS, Opal-RT, SIL frameworks, CI/CD pipelines automation
• Infrastructure: High-voltage DC systems (up to 1500V), PV emulators, battery simulators, and Electrical Design architectures. AWS IOT core
• Tools: Git, Jira, Power Analyzers, Oscilloscopes, and Logic Analyzers

Benefits and Perks:

Competitive Compensation Package

Remote Flexibility with 5-15% travel to sites as needed

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.

Additional Information:

Minimum salary of $xxx to maximum salary of $yyy + equity + benefits.

The range provided is 1AP’s reasonable estimate of the base compensation for this role. The actual amount will be based on job-related and non-discriminatory factors such as location, experience, training, skills, and abilities. Consult with your Recruiter during the initial call to determine a more targeted range based on these job-related factors.

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, one of the most successful clean energy technology innovators and entrepreneurs 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.

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.]