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Principal Engineer, BESS

Minneapolis, MN

About Sparkfund

Sparkfund is the deployment services company utilities rely on to take DERs from grid edge to grid core.


With over a decade of experience as a utility services company, Sparkfund has pioneered a smarter approach to deploying distributed assets as part of a fast-growing grid. Through its Distributed Capacity Procurement (DCP) model, Sparkfund enables utilities to plan, deploy, and dispatch DERs at the scale and pace necessary to meet load growth demand and unlock the full value of the grid. We support program design, assessment of DER grid value, host engagement, and value chain management to ensure on-time, on-budget deployment of distributed resources with maximum grid value and lowest cost.


With more than 3,500 projects deployed across 43 states and more than 300MW of energized assets constructed, Sparkfund is transforming buildings into a valuable extension of the grid for the benefit of our society.

Position Summary

As the Principal Engineer for BESS, you will be our chief technical authority on the technology, procurement, and strategic application of utility-scale energy storage. You will serve as the technical north star for our core business, operating at the intersection of strategy, engineering, and commercial execution. Your expertise will shape our technical roadmap and strategic sourcing, providing the foundational engineering for our large-scale DER programs and ensuring we build confidence with our utility partners and regulators.

Location 

While Sparkfund is a remote-first company, with a digital workplace built around emerging hub-offices, this role is required to be in/around our Minneapolis, Denver, or Washington, DC hubs area, with a strong preference for Minneapolis or relocation to Minneapolis. Candidates must be within commuting distance, or open to relocating, to be considered for this role. Company subsidized relocation is available for this role and will be covered by the recruiter. 

Key Responsibilities 

Strategy & Technical Leadership

  • Serve as the organization's foremost technical expert on all aspects of grid-scale BESS, including various cell chemistries, power conversion systems (PCS), control platforms, and safety protocols.
  • Advise senior leadership on the safe and effective design, construction, operation, and development of the company's energy storage portfolio.
  • Lead the development of the long-term energy storage technology roadmap, evaluating emerging technologies and their potential for grid support applications.
  • Translate technical roadmaps into actionable sourcing strategies by identifying and developing relationships with key BESS suppliers, integrators, and EPC contractors.
  • Provide expert technical guidance and justification for BESS projects within Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs), regulatory filings, and rate case proceedings.

Engineering & Design Governance

  • Act as the primary resource for BESS safety, ensuring all designs and operational procedures comply with relevant codes and that these requirements are embedded in all supplier contracts.
  • Establish and govern the company’s technical standards and specifications, which serve as the foundation for RFP requirements and contractual technical exhibits.
  • Translate OEM performance data, control specifications, and safety documentation (UL 9540A, IEEE 1547, NFPA 855 Annex G) into practical design and operational requirements for distributed BESS projects.
  • Coordinate and validate inverter, BMS, and site controller design configurations; oversee FAT/SAT testing and ensure control logic alignment between OEM and project requirements.
  • Support commissioning and troubleshooting of BESS control systems, communications networks, and monitoring platforms in collaboration with vendors and field teams.
  • Engage in product feedback loops with OEMs and integrators to inform equipment selection, firmware updates, and future product improvements.
  • Lead the technical review of all utility-owned and third-party interconnection applications for BESS projects, ensuring compliance with grid codes, safety standards, and operational requirements.
  • Contribute to reliability, cybersecurity, and safety reviews related to control and communications systems.

Preferred Skills & Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Management, Environmental Science, or a related technical field.
  • 10+ years of project development engineering experience in the clean energy, resilience, and/or energy efficiency space, preferably working with BESS OEMs, inverter manufacturers, or SCADA/DERMS vendors.
  • Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.).
  • Demonstrated technical proficiency with battery energy storage systems, specifically on commercial and/or industrial-scale projects with front-of-meter interconnections.
  • A thorough understanding of BESS-specific codes and standards, such as NFPA 68, 69, and 855 (especially Annex G); NFPA 70 articles 706 and 480; IEEE 1547; UL 1741, UL 9540, and UL 9540A; and IFC Section 1206.
  • Familiarity with Factory and Site Acceptance Testing (FAT/SAT) procedures for utility-scale battery systems.
  • Experience specifying or integrating BESS control systems, including power plant controllers (PPC), battery management systems (BMS), site controllers, inverter controls, and OEM supervisory systems
  • Hands-on experience with commissioning, monitoring platforms (e.g., Fluence Mosaic, Tesla Powerhub, or Sungrow iSolarCloud), and data integration workflows.
  • Experience with BESS dispatch and monitoring communication systems, including utility SCADA systems and/or Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS)/Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS).
  • Knowledge of industrial and utility communication protocols (Modbus/TCP, DNP3, IEC 61850, IEEE 2030.5).
  • Ability to interpret and apply grid interconnection standards and utility telemetry requirements to OEM BESS architectures.
  • Proficiency in system modeling or performance analysis tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink, DIgSILENT, HOMER, Xendee, or equivalent).
  • Relevant technology-specific professional certifications, such as the NABCEP Energy Storage Installation Professional (ESIP) or similar.
  • Competency in software and cloud-based information management tools, including Bluebeam Revu, Salesforce, GSuite, and CAD.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate highly technical concepts for executive and non-technical audiences.
  • Demonstrated analytical abilities with a keen attention to detail.
  • Skilled at making sound and defensible decisions with incomplete information.

Benefits

For full-time positions: 

  • Competitive compensation and stock option plans - we believe in shared ownership.
    • The anticipated salary range for this position is between $150,000 - $180,000 per year.
  • Comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, and dental insurance as well as disability and life insurance.
  • Flexible vacation policy encouraging strong work life balance and paid time away. We also observe all federal holidays.
  • Alternating 4 day weeks, with every other Friday off.
  • 12 weeks gender-neutral paid leave for caregivers when they have a new addition to their families and an additional 4 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents.
  • A one-time, work-from-home stipend to help cover any equipment, hardware, etc. you need to set up your remote office.
  • A monthly allowance of $100 to help cover phone and WiFi expenses.

We Want You To Know

You can be a great candidate even if you don't fit everything we've described above. You can also have important skills we haven't thought of. If that's you, don't hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We are dedicated to environmental stewardship, and recognize we need diverse perspectives to successfully tackle this massive challenge. To change the world, we must first change ourselves, which is why Sparkfund has created a space that sources viewpoints from people who look and think differently.
 
We are committed to diversity and building an equitable and inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and experiences, and we're taking steps to meet that commitment. Sparkfund is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Sparkfund will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records consistent with federal, state, and local legal requirements.

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