Electrical Engineering Project Manager

Electrical Engineering Project Manager Job Description

 

 

OVERVIEW

We are addicted to energy.   Other than food, water, and air, energy is the one thing we need all day, every day.  We take energy for granted.  When we lose it, we panic- our lives are affected, our plans are altered, our businesses are shut down. 

 

Consider the following: Two billion of the world’s people are without power and running water every day. The world’s existing energy infrastructure pumps billions of tons of pollutants and greenhouses gases into the atmosphere every year.  Most climate scientists agree that this causes global warming, which is a potentially cataclysmic problem that must be solved in the coming decades. The consumption growth rates of oil in India and China will far outstrip supply growth over the next ten years, driving costs upward and impacting financial markets, not to mention the billions of users of this precious commodity.  Per-capita incomes are rising around the world. There is a direct correlation between income and energy consumption. Despite all the talk, there is not enough political will for the world to change how it consumes energy.  Niche markets are being exploited (Toyota’s Prius is one example), but the mass market has not shifted its mindset sufficiently to effect change in energy production, distribution or consumption.  This massive industry is stuck in stagnation. The “grid� as we know it was built for the mechanical age, not the digital age.  It is antiquated and inflexible, too centralized and therefore vulnerable to disruption and attack, far too expensive, and cannot scale to meet the needs of a rapidly modernizing world population. Large firms like General Electric are quickly shifting their strategies to capitalize on these opportunities, but none of them have been able to produce the innovations necessary to truly change the way the world creates and consumes energy.

 

Enter Bloom Energy…

Bloom Energy, one of Silicon Valley’s most promising start-ups, is a solid-state fuel cell company that will dramatically change the way that the world’s energy is produced, distributed and consumed.  The Company has assembled a super-star board, management team and technical staff, has attracted world class funding from two of Silicon Valley’s largest and best venture capital firms, and has developed a system that will transform the energy industry and bring it in line with the digital age.  Following the vision of the CEO, to higher people with high IQ, EQ and PQ (Passion Quotient), the company is looking to build its application and systems engineering team. This individual should be a dynamic and experienced professional who is looking for a rewarding future in one of today’s most exciting technologies. Synergy with the vision of the company is absolute must for the long-term success of any relationship.

 

General Description:

Yes, indeed, the job description mentions that we are looking for Electrical Engineer, but as in any start-up the role of the individual is likely to be more expanded. As an Electrical Engineer this person will be responsible to participate in the electrical design, testing, troubleshooting and evaluation of solid oxide fuel cell systems.  In an expanded role, management of projects related to the electrical elements of the system is an opportunity.  A working understanding of power generation practices, electrical distribution systems, electrical code and IEEE requirements, electronic principals and theory is required.  An ability to understand the effects the electrical system can have on other portions of the overall fuel cell system is a very valuable skill in our business.

 

Roles and Responsibilities:

Ø    Responsibility as module owner for a large sub-system of the Bloom Energy fuel cell product.

o       Manage and participate in the generation of design documents working with system electrical architecture as input

o       Manage and participate in the generation of the electrical bill-of-materials

o       Responsible for holding cross-functional design-review sessions, documenting and incorporating feedback

o       Manage and participate in the development of new electrical system architectures for feature addition or cost-reduction

o       Participate with Operations team counter-parts in sourcing and manufacturing hand-off activities

Ø    Manage lab analysis of electrical systems in order to troubleshoot problems, evaluate electrical performance, and verify codes and standards compliance.  Candidate must be willing to participate in lab activities when urgent needs arise

Ø    Lead and participate in teams which are resolving fuel cell system problems which are electrical in nature.

Ø    Work with Product Development team to establish hazardous area classification requirements for components within a fuel cell system.

Ø    Work jointly with supply chain personnel establish type-testing (such as UL) requirement standard requirements

Ø    Participate in the development of a cost and reliability roadmap activity to reduce fuel cell system capital, installation, and service costs.

Ø    Provide leadership in establishing and maintaining routine communications with cross functional design, manufacturing and sourcing teams

 

Skills and Education:

Ø    Minimum requirement:  electrical engineering degree

o       Education in power electronics beneficial

Ø    Minimum requirement:  5 years of engineering experience with emphasis in electrical engineering required.

o       Work experience in power electronics beneficial

Ø    Minimum requirement:  Experience managing design projects or design teams

Ø    Multi-tasking capability:  product design requires work on many items in parallel.

Ø    Ability to understand functionality of an integrated fuel cell system

 

Must be willing to relocate to Sunnyvale, CA (BE headquarters).