Principal SME, Utility & Grid Infrastructure

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Act as the technical expert for utility collaboration, grid interconnection, transmission and distribution systems, substations, power quality, utility tariffs, regulatory factors, and grid-connected Energy Hub frameworks.

• Take ownership of the integrity, usability, and development of utility service technical standards, reference architectures, risk assessment models, and decision-making criteria.

• Collaborate with regional leaders on utility and grid strategies for the execution of commercial projects, infrastructure readiness evaluations, long-term site planning, cross-functional technical coordination, and feedback mechanisms.

• Work alongside the Energy Strategy team to identify utility-interface limitations, outline engineering requirements, validate study assumptions, and propose effective mitigations.

• Minimize technical, interconnection, delivery, and operational risks through standards and proactive engagement.

• Develop scalable technical frameworks, reference architectures, and decision-making criteria for Product Engineering.

• Enhance cross-functional collaboration across Product Strategy, Product Engineering, Development, Energy, Construction, Operations, and regional delivery teams.

• Shape future platform strategy with technically sound recommendations.

• Advance utility readiness, enhance reliability, reduce interconnection risk, and inform the long-term energy infrastructure strategy.

• Create utility engagement frameworks and best practices across various regions and utility providers.

• Offer technical input on utility tariffs, rate structures, regulatory considerations, and power procurement strategies.

• Assist with utility capacity assessments, infrastructure readiness evaluations, and long-range site planning.

• Lead the assessment of transmission and distribution infrastructure needs for large-scale data center projects.

• Define grid interconnection strategies and establish technical standards and risk assessment frameworks.

• Provide guidance to project teams on utility service configurations, reliability factors, and capacity expansion planning.

• Set product-level standards for utility substations and grid-connected power systems.

• Direct reference designs for medium-voltage and high-voltage utility interfaces.

• Assess emerging technologies and infrastructure strategies that enhance scalability, resilience, and delivery certainty.

• Supply expertise on power quality, harmonics, voltage regulation, reactive power management, and system stability.

• Partner with electrical engineering teams on performance requirements and mitigation strategies.

• Aid in resolving complex utility and grid integration challenges throughout design, delivery, and operations.

• Define grid-connected Energy Hub architectures that support future energy strategies.

• Evaluate integration opportunities involving utility-scale generation, storage, and grid services.

• Support roadmap initiatives that improve flexibility, capacity availability, and system reliability.

• Perform additional tasks as assigned by management.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical field.

• Over 10 years of experience in utility systems, transmission and distribution infrastructure, grid interconnection, or power system engineering.

• Extensive knowledge of utility operations, grid planning, and substation design.

• Experience directly interacting with utilities, ISOs, RTOs, regulatory bodies, or large-load interconnection processes.

• Strong grasp of power quality, electrical reliability, grid stability, and requirements for large-scale power delivery and transient modeling.

• Excellent executive-level communication skills with the capacity to translate complex technical ideas into actionable business decisions.

• Travel requirements are anticipated to be up to 15%, potentially increasing as the business develops.

• Professional Engineer (PE) license is preferred.

• Experience with hyperscale data centers, industrial power systems, or extensive energy infrastructure programs is preferred.

• Familiarity with regional utility regulatory frameworks and energy market structures is preferred.

• Experience working across multiple geographical regions and utility jurisdictions is preferred.

• Proven ability to establish standards, reference architectures, and technical governance frameworks is preferred.

• Capability to occasionally stand, walk, sit, use hands, reach, climb stairs, balance, stoop or kneel, talk, and hear.

• Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

🏝️ Benefits

• Bonus eligibility.

• Medical coverage.

• Dental coverage.

• Vision coverage.

• Life insurance.

• Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage.

• Short-term disability coverage.

• Long-term disability coverage.

• Paid time off.

• Employee assistance program.

• 401(k) program with company match.

• Voluntary benefits.

• Health and welfare benefits.

• Retirement benefits.

• Paid leave benefits.

• Recognition programs.

• Training and development opportunities.

• Up to 15% travel (job-related travel provision).