Lead Power Systems Engineer, R&D

ON.energy is building the power infrastructure that makes the AI era possible. The Lead Power Systems Engineer will direct power systems studies, focusing on planning and coordinating grid integration modeling efforts to support interconnection studies and product improvement efforts.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary technical lead for EMT modeling activities
• Define study scopes, develop workplans, and coordinate timelines across internal engineering teams and external stakeholders (utilities, ISOs, consultants) to support interconnection applications and compliance milestones
• Oversee the development, validation, and maintenance of detailed EMT models of ON.energy’s energy storage systems in PSCAD, PSSE, and equivalent platforms
• Ensure contractor models accurately represent inverter controls, protection schemes, and plant-level behavior under steady-state and transient conditions
• Perform and review EMT studies required by transmission providers and ISOs, including fault response, frequency and voltage ride-through, sub-synchronous resonance screening, and weak-grid stability assessments
• Prepare technical reports and present findings to utilities and grid operators
• Verify that ON.energy’s products meet applicable grid codes, interconnection standards (IEEE 2800, NERC, regional ISO requirements), and customer-specific performance specifications through simulation and analysis
• Produce clear, detailed compliance reports for customers, regulators, and internal stakeholders
• Document study assumptions, model configurations, simulation results, and any required mitigations or design modifications
• Serve as a technical point of contact for customer and utility engineering teams during interconnection and commissioning processes, addressing modeling questions and resolving compliance gaps
• Partner with the controls engineering team to translate EMT study findings into control system requirements and tuning recommendations
• Support the design and validation of plant control strategies to prototype higher layer functions in the ON.energy EMS
• Collaborate with test engineers to correlate control simulation predictions with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and field test results
• Identify discrepancies, refine models, and close the loop between simulation and measured performance
• Define simulation-based test cases and acceptance criteria that feed into HIL and lab validation plans
• Review test data against model predictions and recommend firmware or controls adjustments
• Use transient and dynamic modeling to evaluate the impact of proposed hardware changes (inverter topology, filter design, protection settings) on system-level grid performance before physical prototyping
• Conduct parametric sweeps, contingency analyses, and failure-mode simulations to identify design vulnerabilities and inform de-risking priorities for new and existing product architectures
• Translate modeling insights into actionable product improvement recommendations
• Partner with R&D leadership, product engineering, and field teams to prioritize enhancements that improve grid compliance margins, reliability, and customer value
• Partner with Policy Engagement leaders at ON to inform external policy development efforts and internal product design processes
• Engage with Policy stakeholders to influence and review policy, providing recommendations based on quantitative assessment of ON product performance
• Address applications and markets across which ON products may be applied

Requirements:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or a closely related field
• 5+ years of hands-on experience developing and executing EMT studies for inverter-based resources, ideally in PSCAD, EMTP, or equivalent platforms
• Deep understanding of power electronics (inverters/rectifiers), Energy Storage Systems (BESS), grid-forming and grid-following control architectures, and grid interconnection standards (IEEE 2800, NERC FAC/MOD/PRC, regional ISO technical requirements)
• Proficient in MATLAB/Simulink for controls development and analysis
• Experience with HIL testing environments (e.g., Opal-RT, RTDS, Typhoon HIL) and familiarity with real-time simulation workflows
• Proven ability to prepare and present interconnection study reports to utilities, ISOs, and customers
• Comfortable translating complex simulation results into clear, actionable recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to translate modeling, controls, and hardware; fluent in speaking 'Simulation' to study engineers, 'Controls' to firmware developers, and 'Compliance' to utility and customer stakeholders