RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEER

About Us

Sounder was founded by a team of like-minded engineers from the renewable industry that shared a desire and drive to build a company that operates in a way they could be proud of. Additionally, Sounder partners with some of the best individual contractors we know of in the business to provide true value to our customers. We hold ourselves to a high standard and hope that in leading by example we can influence others in the industry and beyond to do the same.

At Sounder our focus, passion and greatest value involves solving our customer’s hardest technical challenges. We do this by providing consulting to IPP’s, developers, utilities, manufacturers, investors and others needing technical assistance in the renewable energy space. These services include advanced troubleshooting, product testing, root-cause analysis, energy modeling, engineering, design, and QA/QC services.

We make investing in renewable energy predictable and easy. We do this by providing sensible, intelligent and creative solutions to our client’s most difficult technical challenges. In all our interactions we strive to be responsive, conscientious, and honest.

Job Title

RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEER – Full-time

Position Overview

We are seeking a well-rounded Renewable Energy Engineer with hands-on SCADA and controls experience to support solar PV, battery energy storage (BESS), and other power generation projects throughout the asset lifecycle. This is a renewable energy engineering and consulting role first; SCADA and controls expertise is an important supporting capability, not the sole focus.

The successful candidate will work across technical troubleshooting, commissioning, performance analysis, engineering studies, QA/QC, project support, and client consulting, while also supporting SCADA, DAS, RTAC, controls, communications, and data-validation activities when needed.

Key Responsibilities

– Provide technical engineering and consulting support for utility-scale and commercial solar PV, BESS, and other renewable energy projects.

– Troubleshoot complex electrical, controls, communications, performance, and equipment issues; perform root-cause analysis.

– Support commissioning, startup, FAT/SAT, field validation, inspections, component testing, and system assessments.

– Perform or support engineering studies, feasibility reviews, performance investigations, and technical evaluations.

– Support QA/QC activities to verify installations, documentation, equipment, and system performance against project requirements.

– Analyze operational and performance data to identify underperformance, recurring issues, and improvement opportunities.

– Support SCADA, DAS, RTAC, and plant control system configuration, validation, and troubleshooting as part of broader engineering assignments.

– Validate communications, telemetry, alarms, point mapping, and data integrity between field devices, plant systems, and monitoring platforms.

– Assist with targeted RTAC, PLC, relay, or plant controller logic/configuration changes where appropriate.

– Develop technical reports, commissioning documentation, test procedures, findings, recommendations, and client deliverables.

– Collaborate with clients, EPCs, O&M providers, manufacturers, vendors, and internal teams to resolve technical issues.

– Support proposals, scopes of work, project management, and other renewable energy consulting engagements; travel to sites as required.

Example Projects

These are some typical tasks or projects we expect this engineer to have skills and experience to perform. This is not an exhaustive list of the types of projects the successful candidate will be assigned.

· Create settings for a SEL 651R-2 recloser control based on drawings and other documentation (such as Interconnect Agreement) for a 5 MW PV plant.

· Perform an in-depth evaluation of an operational PV plant, analyzing 1 year of data to enumerate suspected or known causes of underperformance. For possible or hypothesized causes, develop a test plan for onsite technicians to execute to determine if the suspected cause is real. Estimate costs or effort to remediate actionable causes. Prepare a report for PV plant ownership with a recommended action plan, including the estimated ROI or justification for each proposed action.

· Remotely modify an existing Beckwith 7670 series recloser control’s programming to add automatic reclosing functionality.

· Remotely perform a capacity test of a new PV plant following ASTM 2848.

· Determine and apply appropriate settings for string inverters such as SMA Peak3, Solectria XGI, or CPS SCH series to comply with specific utility requirements. Prepare documentation in a format acceptable to the utility, listing the exact settings applied.

· Review 30% drawings for a 10 MW PV project for the purpose of evaluating the long-term serviceability of the proposed design. Prepare a report for a non-technical audience which delineates how certain design choices will increase ongoing Operations and Maintenance costs.

· Travel to a 10 MW PV plant to support Witness Testing. While onsite, verify all relevant devices such as recloser controls, energy meters, and inverters are properly configured before the test. Demonstrate to utility engineers / technicians that equipment is configured as required.

· Remotely investigate intermittent Modbus RS485 serial communications between PV inverters and a DAS such as AlsoEnergy or Deno Watts. Develop a plan of action for a 3rd party technician to perform onsite in order to determine and correct the cause(s). This includes determining software and other specialized equipment that will be required for the technician to use onsite. Support the technician while they are onsite via telephone or teams.

· Visit a 10 MW PV + BESS project under construction and perform an Independent Engineering Review inspection. Write a report of findings including all meaningful errors or issues found along with guidance for the owner or investor which describes the issue, the importance, and suggested remediation approaches.

· Create a new weekly report for the owner of a small fleet of PV plants, which reports performance of the portfolio. In consultation with the customer, determine which KPIs to include, download data from a portal, and prepare report. Fine tune the report to meet the customer’s requests. Fully document the preparation steps and calculations. Automate the report generation.

Location

Day to day: Remote. Office attendance will be hybrid as needed when office location is established.

Travel: Expected to be up to 35% on average depending on business needs and availability of the employee. Weekend travel will be optional, and the typical travel duration will be 3-5 days. Travel is currently limited to within the United States, but international travel may become available and necessary in the future.

Type

Full-time, salary, with an expectation of 40 hours per week. Additional hours may be worked as business needs and as employee availability allows.

Work hours can be flexible, but it is expected that a specific weekly timeframe be designated for Sounder work, and that Sounder will be notified at least 2 weeks prior to a planned change to that timeframe. Unplanned changes, such as illness or family emergencies will be expected from time to time, and notification to Sounder should be as early as is practical for the employee.

Required Skills & Qualifications

– Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

– 3+ years of experience supporting solar PV, BESS, power generation, or other renewable energy projects.

– Strong understanding of renewable energy systems, including design, commissioning, performance monitoring, troubleshooting, and O&M practices.

– Demonstrated experience with technical troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, field testing, commissioning, or engineering analysis.

– Working experience with SCADA, DAS, industrial controls, or automation systems in a renewable energy or power generation environment.

– Familiarity with SCADA/controls technologies such as Ignition, AVEVA/Wonderware, FactoryTalk, RTACs, PLCs, protective relays, or similar systems.

– Knowledge of common industrial communications protocols such as Modbus TCP, DNP3, and OPC.

– Ability to interpret electrical drawings, controls documentation, point lists, test procedures, and technical specifications.

– Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and technical writing skills; willingness to travel.

Preferred Qualifications

– Utility-scale solar PV and BESS commissioning experience.

– Experience with SEL RTACs, relay configuration, Power Plant Controllers (PPCs), or renewable plant controls.

– Experience with energy modeling/performance analysis tools such as PVsyst.

– Familiarity with NEC requirements, grid integration, and renewable energy project design practices.

– PE license or ability to obtain one; project management experience or PMP certification.

Benefits

• Competitive pay

• Competitive healthcare reimbursement

• Paid time off in addition to national holidays

• Professional development opportunities

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their resume, cover letter, and references to [email protected]. Please include "Renewable Energy Engineer Application" in the subject line.

Pay: From $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Flexible schedule
• Paid time off

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

• solar PV, BESS, power generation, or other renewable energy : 3 years (Required)

Willingness to travel:

• 50% (Required)

Work Location: Remote