Principle Energy Storage Engineer

Position

Principal Energy Storage Engineer (BESS SME)

Location

Bloomington, Minnesota (HQ) / REMOTE

About Us

Geronimo Power develops, owns, and operates large-scale power and affiliated digital infrastructure projects throughout America's Heartland, including solar, wind, energy storage, and powered data parks. As a farmer-founded and community-focused business, Geronimo Power equips landowners and rural communities with sustainable revenue to ignite local economic growth. To learn more about Geronimo Power, visit www.geronimopower.com or follow the company on LinkedIn.

About This Role

Geronimo Power is seeking a Principal Energy Storage Engineer to serve as a subject matter expert for its growing portfolio of utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS). This senior individual contributor will provide technical leadership across the full project lifecycle, from development and commercial evaluation through design, interconnection, procurement, contracting, construction, commissioning, operations, and continuous improvement.

The role establishes technical direction, resolves high-impact issues, strengthens engineering practices, and communicates complex technical matters clearly to technical and nontechnical stakeholders. The successful candidate may bring deep battery-storage expertise or advanced, transferable experience in utility-scale power systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead BESS engineering across development, design, interconnection, procurement, contracting, construction, commissioning, operations, and asset improvement activities.
• Translate project, commercial, interconnection, safety, operational, and contractual requirements into clear technical criteria, scopes, specifications, and decisions.
• Evaluate BESS architectures and major equipment, including battery enclosures, cells and modules, battery management systems, power conversion systems, medium-voltage collection systems, transformers, protection and controls, plant controllers, energy management systems, SCADA, communications, auxiliary systems, and balance of plant.
• Lead or oversee technical due diligence, conceptual design, sizing, performance evaluation, degradation and augmentation review, availability assessment, and design-basis development.
• Review engineering deliverables for technical accuracy, completeness, constructability, operability, maintainability, code compliance, and alignment with project requirements.
• Manage technical interfaces among BESS suppliers, EPC contractors, engineering consultants, substation and transmission scopes, utilities, RTO/ISOs, construction teams, commissioning teams, and operations personnel.
• Support competitive solicitations, bid evaluations, contract exhibits, technical negotiations, supplier selection, and resolution of exceptions, clarifications, and commercial-technical risks.
• Support project estimating, scheduling, risk assessment, value engineering, procurement planning, and major-equipment decisions.
• Provide field and office support during construction, factory and site acceptance testing, energization, commissioning, performance testing, turnover, and operations.
• Analyze technical data, test results, alarms, trends, failures, and operating performance; lead or support root-cause investigations and drive issues to practical resolution.
• Interpret and apply applicable codes, standards, listing requirements, utility criteria, and industry practices related to BESS safety, fire protection, controls, commissioning, and grid interconnection.
• Develop and maintain owner requirements, design standards, specifications, checklists, lessons learned, technical guidance, and repeatable engineering processes.
• Communicate technical risks, alternatives, recommendations, decisions, and changes in a timely and practical manner.
• Mentor colleagues and share knowledge to strengthen BESS capability across the organization.
• Travel up to 25% based on project needs, including travel to project sites, supplier facilities, offices, and industry events.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Bring

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or another relevant engineering discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and directly applicable experience.
• Typically, eight or more years of progressively responsible engineering experience in battery energy storage, engineering consulting, utility-scale power generation, substations, transmission or distribution, power conversion, controls, commissioning, operations, equipment manufacturing, or EPC execution.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership across the full project lifecycle and connect detailed engineering work to safety, quality, schedule, cost, contractual, operational, and commercial objectives.
• Strong engineering judgment, analytical problem-solving ability, attention to detail, and accountability for technically difficult work.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to organize complex information, explain tradeoffs, document decisions, and drive issues to resolution.
• Ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional teams and external partners while managing multiple priorities in a growing project portfolio.
• Commitment to safe, ethical, consistent, and high-quality work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five or more years of direct experience with utility-scale BESS design, procurement, construction, commissioning, operations, performance analysis, or technical asset management.
• Working knowledge of battery systems, BMS, PCS/inverters, plant controls, EMS, SCADA, protection and controls, communications, medium-voltage systems, high-voltage interconnection, and plant auxiliary systems.
• Experience with BESS safety and compliance topics, including fire protection, emergency response, hazard mitigation analysis, NFPA 855, UL 9540, and UL 9540A.
• Experience working with equipment manufacturers, EPC contractors, engineering firms, utilities, independent system operators, or regional transmission organizations.
• Experience preparing or reviewing technical specifications, design packages, bid evaluations, contract exhibits, test plans, commissioning procedures, and turnover documentation.
• Engineer-in-Training certification or Professional Engineer licensure.
• Advanced degree in engineering or a related field.

Success in This Role Looks Like

• Projects move forward with clear technical requirements, disciplined decisions, and well-managed interfaces.
• Safety, performance, constructability, operability, maintainability, and lifecycle risks are identified early and actively addressed.
• Engineering deliverables and technical documentation are accurate, complete, timely, and usable by the teams that depend on them.
• Technical data is converted into sound conclusions, practical recommendations, and accountable follow-through.
• Internal teams and external partners understand the technical basis of decisions and remain aligned through execution.
• Knowledge, standards, and lessons learned become stronger and more repeatable across Geronimo Power’s BESS portfolio.

What You’ll Get

• Competitive compensation and performance-based incentives
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off and holidays
• Tuition assistance and ongoing professional development
• Employee assistance program (EAP) and wellness resources
• Pet insurance and employee discount programs

Pay Range for the posted level: $145,000 - $180,000 plus target annual bonus opportunity of 25%. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, skills, and demonstrated market-relevant expertise

Our Commitment

Geronimo Power is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and energized to do their best work. We believe strong teams and strong communities drive better outcomes.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants.