Back to jobs
New

Director, Project Engineering

Houston, Texas, United States; Reston, Virginia, United States; United States

ON.energy is building the power infrastructure that makes the AI era possible. As AI demand surges past what the grid and traditional data centers can support, ON.energy provides a new class of power technology proven at gigawatt scale and trusted by the world’s leading cloud and AI companies. Our systems are already deployed across 2.5 GW of hyper-scale campuses, validated by top U.S. national labs, and certified for grid-safe operation by major utilities. With real products in the field, we’re scaling faster than the grid can, transforming power from a bottleneck into a competitive advantage for the companies building the future.

Director of Engineering, BESS for Data Centers

 

On Energy Storage is seeking an accomplished and visionary Director of Engineering to provide technical and strategic leadership for our Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects integrated with data center infrastructure. This executive-level role is responsible for the overall technical excellence, standardization, and successful delivery of a portfolio of BESS projects, ensuring compliance with industry standards and driving innovation within the engineering function.

Responsibilities

  • Establish and drive the long-term technical strategy and vision for BESS integration into data center electrical infrastructure, ensuring scalability, reliability, and competitive advantage.
  • Provide executive oversight for the end-to-end engineering lifecycle of BESS projects, from conceptual design and development through commissioning and handover.
  • Lead, mentor, and manage a team of multi-disciplinary engineers, fostering a culture of technical rigor, continuous improvement, and professional growth.
  • Serve as the ultimate technical authority and final escalation point for the project management organization, resolving complex technical and contractual issues across project lifecycles.
  • Direct collaboration and maintain strategic relationships with key external partners, including customers, EPC contractors, major OEMs, and third-party design consultants to shape and define project integration standards.
  • Establish, standardize, and govern engineering policies, design review processes, and quality assurance protocols for all system designs (electrical, civil, mechanical) and vendor submittals to ensure adherence to technical compliance and quality metrics.
  • Set the standards for and review the outcomes of detailed engineering packages, including Single Line Diagrams, Schematics, Wiring Diagrams, and critical equipment specifications (Inverters, Switchgear, Transformers).
  • Oversee and validate critical power system studies (Short Circuit, Load Flow, Arc Flash) developed by the team, ensuring safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance.
  • Drive the development of sophisticated technical documentation, procurement strategies, and long-range project schedules in collaboration with Executive Leadership and Procurement teams.
  • Provide executive sponsorship for key field activities, including complex Factory and Site Acceptance Testing (FAT/SAT), high-level commissioning sign-offs, and critical site evaluations.
  • Proactively identify and manage systemic technical risks across the project portfolio, developing and implementing high-level mitigation strategies in coordination with Project and Executive Management.
  • Ensure corporate-wide adherence to all relevant national and international codes (e.g., NEC, IEEE, NFPA) and On Energy Storage’s internal engineering standards and best practices.

Required Qualifications

  • 12 - 15+ years of progressive experience in engineering and technical leadership, with a minimum of 5 years managing high-performing engineering teams in the BESS, energy, or critical data center infrastructure sectors.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field. A Master’s degree or MBA is highly desirable.
  • Deep executive-level understanding of BESS technologies (e.g., CATL, Sungrow, Tesla) and the integration of high-voltage infrastructure within complex mission-critical environments.
  • Proven ability to interpret, enforce, and govern electrical schematics, single-line diagrams, power system studies, relay coordination, and protection & control philosophies at a high level.
  • Experience in P&L or managing significant departmental budgets and driving efficiency in the engineering function.
  • Ability to travel domestically and internationally (up to 30%) for high-level client meetings, strategic partner reviews, and executive oversight of critical project milestones.
  • Demonstrated leadership in managing and developing cross-functional teams and collaborating at the executive level across Engineering, Project Management, Procurement, and Construction.
  • Exceptional communication and presentation skills for technical and non-technical audiences, including the ability to influence C-suite decision-makers and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Professional Engineer (PE) License is strongly preferred.
  • Extensive experience leading or overseeing EPC or design-build projects in the North American energy or critical infrastructure sector.
  • Expert-level knowledge of advanced commissioning protocols, technical risk assessment methodologies, and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) procedures for large-scale electrical systems.
  • Prior experience in developing and implementing global engineering standards and knowledge management systems.

What You’ll Get

  • Competitive salary + performance bonus

  • 401(k) match, health, vision, dental

  • Paid time off and company holidays

  • Work that matters—building resilient, secure infrastructure for the future of energy

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in ON.energy’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.