Development Engineer

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The Engineer, Development – WEST will be responsible for the design and engineering of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage (BESS) projects in early-stage development within the West region. Technical responsibilities include production and dispatch modeling, facility layout, project sizing, and preliminary system analysis in support of early-stage cost estimates. They will coordinate internal resources for drafting and civil/geotechnical engineering to complete the layouts and designs. The Engineer will also support the development team to prepare responses to offtake requests for proposal (RFPs), permit applications, interconnection applications, and perform technical due diligence to optimize the facility design.

The Engineer will join a team of utility-scale development engineers reporting to the West region development engineering manager. They will support senior team members on technical and engineering matters for assigned projects and may serve as the lead project engineer at the discretion of the West region development engineering manager.

The successful candidate will have direct design experience with PV and BESS systems and battery energy storage systems. Excellent communication, task management and planning skills are required, in addition to technical breadth.

The position is at one of AES US Renewables & Power offices or remote and will include up to 10% travel to project locations and partner offices.

Key Responsibilities

Project Development

• Develop preliminary plant designs, site layouts, and single-line diagrams working with internal CAD and interconnection teams for greenfield development, M&A, and RFP-support projects.

• Select primary project equipment (inverters, PV modules, batteries, trackers, etc.) based on internal guidance on site conditions, utility requirements, and project schedule.

• Model energy production (using PVsyst and/or Solar Farmer) and battery dispatch.

• Conduct site evaluations, both remote and in-person, to assess project suitability, technical constraints, and constructability.

• Perform technical diligence on third party-prepared production estimates, site plans, product documentation, and meteorological data.

• Support internal estimating, development and commercial teams on project pricing and value engineering exercises.

Growth and Leadership

• Contribute to process and design tool improvement initiatives for more accurate cost estimate and efficiently produced preliminary facility designs.

• Identify changing trends in project development and provide feedback.

Safety

• Attend site safety walks and identify jobsite hazards.

• Obtain and maintain safety certifications: NFPA 70E, OSHA 10, and CPR/First Aid

• Lead by example.

Skills and Qualifications

Primary Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in engineering (electrical or mechanical preferred) or equivalent technical field.

• 3+ years professional experience in energy system design or consulting. Advanced degrees in a related field may be credited towards years of experience.

• Proficiency with common renewable energy system modeling tools and packages including PVsyst, Solar Farmer, SAM (System Advisor Model), and AutoCAD.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to successfully work cross-functionally across a large organization.

• Self-starter with ability to work effectively in a remote and/or distributed team environment.

• Ability to effectively manage third party consultants, vendors, and internal stakeholders.

• Proficient with MS Office Suite.

Nice to have

• Graduate degree in engineering

• EIT or PE qualifications

• NABCEP PV Installation Professional certification

• Substation/high voltage design experience

• Structural/civil/SCADA/Commissioning engineering design experience

• Experience with AutoCAD Civil 3D

• Experience in technologies such as wind, green hydrogen, hydroelectric, nuclear, or data centers