Electrical Engineer (Firmware & Software)

Wind Harvest develops vertical-axis wind turbine technology and is preparing its next-generation turbine for certification testing and commercial production. The Electrical Engineer will design, develop, integrate, and validate turbine control systems across embedded software, PLCs, SCADA, industrial communications, motor controls, and electrical power systems.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, program, test, and maintain embedded control systems for next-generation wind turbines and associated rotating machinery
• Develop and troubleshoot PLC programs, including ladder logic, for industrial machine control, automation, monitoring, and safety functions
• Implement reliable control logic for turbine operation, startup, shutdown, fault detection, protective functions, and system monitoring
• Develop and integrate control-system interfaces, including signal conditioning, signal isolation, and other practices that support high-reliability operation
• Lead the implementation, design, coding, development, integration, and maintenance of SCADA software for turbine monitoring and control
• Develop and maintain industrial communications interfaces using protocols such as Modbus and RS-485
• Support reliable data acquisition, system diagnostics, operational monitoring, alarms, and fault reporting
• Troubleshoot communication failures, signal integrity issues, electromagnetic interference, and control-system performance
• Develop and implement control interfaces for 3-phase motors and variable frequency drives (VFDs) used in rotating machinery up to 100 kW
• Configure, integrate, and troubleshoot VFD control systems, including motor operation, protective functions, and communication with supervisory control systems
• Collaborate on VFD-related electrical design considerations, including specialized Litz wire cables, dV/dt filters, and electromagnetic noise mitigation
• Support the integration of turbine controls with distributed power generation and grid-interactive electrical systems
• Contribute to the electrical and controls design of distributed generator arrays, including wind farms and other grid-interactive generation systems
• Apply knowledge of utility-scale 3-phase electrical systems, medium-scale distributed generation, and site-level electrical infrastructure
• Support the specification and integration of transformers, overload protection, switchgear, and other electrical components for 3-phase systems up to several megawatts
• Collaborate on electrical designs that meet applicable utility interconnection requirements and relevant UL, IEEE, NEC, and NFPA standards
• Collaborate on industrial control-panel design, including DIN rail controls, DIN panel layouts, enclosures, field wiring, and electrical interfaces
• Apply relevant NEMA, NEC, NFPA, IP enclosure ratings, and US and European wiring standards to systems operating in demanding indoor and outdoor environments
• Produce and maintain control-system documentation, software specifications, communication diagrams, interface requirements, and testing procedures
• Support the development of repeatable, well-documented control architectures suitable for future commercial production
• Take a lead technical role in the design, development, integration, and validation of electrical control systems for complex industrial machinery
• Develop comprehensive test plans covering control logic, communications, system performance, fault handling, and electrical and controls integration
• Perform troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and corrective action during development and commissioning
• Travel to installation sites, including Texas, to supervise and support control-system installation, testing, troubleshooting, and commissioning
• Collaborate with engineering colleagues, contractors, and technical partners to ensure safe, reliable system operation

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical field, or equivalent professional experience
• 5+ years of progressive engineering experience in industrial automation, embedded control systems, firmware/software development, or electrical controls engineering
• Experience with utility-scale 3-phase electrical systems, medium-scale distributed power generation systems, and grid-interactive systems, including their requirements and specifications
• Expertise in electrical and controls design for arrays of distributed generators, such as wind farms
• Familiarity with UL and IEEE standards for grid-tie requirements of solar, wind, and other grid-interactive generators, with experience designing complete electrical systems that meet these standards
• Experience with industrial power and control systems, including DIN rail controls, DIN panel design, NEMA, NEC, NFPA, IP ratings, power and control cables, conduits, flexible cabling, and US and European wiring standards
• Knowledge of electrical design standards for harsh indoor and outdoor environments, signal integrity, signaling standards, and troubleshooting electromagnetic noise
• Experience designing embedded systems for machine control, including PLC programming, ladder logic, Modbus protocols, signal conditioning, signal isolation, and other design practices for high-reliability control systems
• Experience implementing 3-phase motor controls and variable frequency drives (VFDs) for rotating machinery up to 100 kW, including controls interfacing and selecting specialized Litz wire VFD cables and dV/dt filter products
• Experience with SCADA software implementation, design, coding, development, and ongoing maintenance
• Demonstrated experience selecting transformers, overload protection, switchgear, and other site-level electrical components, with expertise in code-compliant electrical system design for 3-phase systems up to several megawatts (MW)
• Proven ability to lead electrical and controls design and development for complex heavy machinery, including developing comprehensive electrical and controls test plans
• Ability and willingness to travel to project sites to supervise construction, installation, testing, and commissioning activities
• Experience designing or integrating control systems for utility-scale or distributed power generation, including wind, solar, or other grid-interactive systems
• Familiarity with electrical and controls design for arrays of distributed generators, such as wind farms
• Knowledge of UL and IEEE standards applicable to grid-interactive power generation, including IEEE 1547 and UL 1741
• Experience with site-level electrical design for 3-phase systems up to several megawatts, including selection or specification of transformers, switchgear, overload protection, and related equipment
• Familiarity with industrial electrical standards, including NEMA, NEC, NFPA, IP enclosure ratings, and US and European wiring practices
• Experience with control-panel design, DIN rail components, field wiring, and industrial electrical enclosures
• Experience with electromagnetic interference mitigation, grounding, signal isolation, and noise-sensitive control systems
• Experience selecting or integrating specialized VFD cables, Litz wire, and dV/dt filters
• Experience with controls development for wind turbines, heavy machinery, or other complex rotating equipment
• Familiarity with software version control, structured testing, and maintainable industrial control-system development practices
• Experience supporting field commissioning, certification testing, or commercialization of new industrial technologies