PV Performance Engineer

We’re a team of friends bound together by a mission to preserve our planet for future generations through innovative energy solutions and modern infrastructure. In December 2025, Google announced an agreement to acquire Intersect, to enable more data center and generation capacity to come online faster while accelerating energy development and innovation. After close, we’ll continue doing exactly what we were built to do - develop, construct, and operate the most ambitious power and data infrastructure in the country. Intersect’s operations will remain separate from Alphabet and Google under the Intersect brand. We’re on an aggressive growth trajectory and looking for people hungry to tackle the largest energy challenges on the planet.  Location & Team Gatherings Intersect has been a fully flexible workplace since its founding in 2016.  We’ve been very intentional about the way we do things. We are not work-from-home, hybrid, or in-office - we are any and all of those options! Deepening social connections and offering shared experiences is a cornerstone of the way we work. We connect as a team at our Team Week experiences four times a year and at our recently established Hub locations - SF Bay Area, NYC Metro Area, NY; Denver, CO; Austin, TX; Calgary, AB; and Toronto, ON. We are currently looking for candidates located within 60 miles of any of the listed hubs to foster more in-person connections while maintaining our flexible remote culture. About This Position The person in this role will lead and be accountable for the PV module technology, energy modeling, performance and production estimates, as well as managing engineering consultants, Independent Engineers final deliverables for PV Solar projects. This role is for a sole contributor and does not have direct reports at this time. It may change as the PV team grows with time. What You’ll Do Engineering • Lead and maintain ownership of the thin-film, CdTe PV module technology, including: Qualification testing (performance, degradation, hail, etc); Develop test programs to predict behavior of PV modules based on power plant operation, including accelerated life test protocols; Manage test programs with partner labs and periodically report out results that could guide the business • Lead and maintain ownership over the technical design and documentation (system sizing, equipment selection, electrical modeling, and balance of system) to ensure performance over the life of the system meets the required contractual offtake agreements and financial model expectations • Ownership of technology and product selection: Tracker systems/DC collection and wire management system • Lead and manage the IE, IE's scope, and the diligence process during project financing • Lead cross functional design and PV optimization efforts accountable for targeting the lowest LCOE • Responsible for development and ownership of technical specifications and exhibits (EPC technical exhibits, energy capacity/ performance testing protocols, vendor specifications, etc.) • Lead the technical aspects of energy estimation on PPA negotiations, accountable for meeting the offtake requirements with a cost-optimized and constructible solution • Aid in EPC RFP and commercial supply agreements to ensure technical requirements are accurately defined and reflected while ensuring lower LCOE • Work cross functionally between development, land, and engineering teams • Interface, communicate, and establish relationships with vendors and suppliers in direct support of the Procurement team • Ensure timely and cost-effective resolutions for regulatory, permitting, and technical issues associated with the execution and delivery of PV facilities, collaborating with other internal teams. • Ensure the highest level of environmental health and safety standards in all engineering with aspects of the facility Operations • Power plant historian data mining to analyze PV module performance and determine root cause of production shortfalls. • Maintain as built models to study long term effects of PV module degradation, BOS failure rate, mismatch rates etc. Business Development • Support energy modeling for the BD team for data center or other load projects • Create simplified energy models for clean electron to green molecule production What You’ll Bring • BS in Engineering required; MS or PhD in Engineering preferred. • Minimum of 6 years of technical experience with ownership of PV performance and production estimates on utility scale PV systems, through these 4 phases: Development, Design, Contracting EPC/Modules/’Balance of plant’ components, and Construction • Material science based research/ development on PV module technology • Experience managing scope and deliverables of an Independent Engineer (IE) through one successful financing or more • Experience in leading technical diligence and advising the procurement team in the purchase of PV modules from a Tier 1 supplier for one procurement deal, 100MW or greater, OR in aggregate, supported more than 200 MW across multiple deals. • Experience in leading technical diligence and advising the procurement team in the purchase of single-axis trackers from a Tier 1 supplier for one procurement deal each 100MW or greater, OR in aggregate, supported more than 200 MW across multiple deals. • Experience in advanced techniques of performance and facility design optimization • Solid material science background in thin-film, CdTe PV technology. • Project engineering, effective time management and ability to prioritize tasks via solid project management skills • Technical background in utility scale power conversion, transformers, inverters and battery technology. • Working knowledge and practical understanding of the relevant codes and standards for PV modules, DC collection and PV inverters (NEC, IBC, IFC, NFPA, UL, IEC, ISO/TSP requirements for grid following/ forming PV plants e.g. ERCOT/CAISO) and how they are applied to the various life cycles of permitting, design, construction, and operation • Deep understanding of the photovoltaic technology, trackers, and inverters; advantages and trade-offs of the different technologies, system design, optimization levers, cost drivers, contracting pitfalls, construction challenges, life-cycle use and challenges • Experience in working with PVSyst and Plant Predict or a similar tool • Must have knowledge and understanding of scripting languages to automate engineering calculations e.g. VBA, Matlab, Python Bonus Points • Commercially minded engineer focused on LCOE/LCOS • Possesses the ability to quantify risk and opportunities around unknowns in design and technology • Understands PV and ESS development processes • Thrives in a cross functional environment, able to guide discussion and identify dependencies between design, production, cost, land use, and LCOE