About Redwood Materials
Redwood Materials was founded in 2017 by JB Straubel, co-founder and former CTO of Tesla, on a simple but radical idea: the critical minerals powering the energy transition already exist. They just need to come back. Today Redwood is the largest lithium-ion battery recycler in North America — recovering, refining, and redeploying critical minerals from end-of-life batteries back into the supply chain. On the energy side, Redwood has deployed the largest second-life battery project in the world, delivering power to AI data centers in months rather than years using proprietary energy architecture engineered entirely in-house. The company is profitable, the market it operates in is projected to grow 20 to 50 times over the next decade, and Redwood is the only company with the supply chain, the technology, and the operational scale to lead it.
Position Summary
Redwood Materials is deploying large-scale battery energy storage systems that power data centers and the nation's grid. Founded by Tesla co-founder and former CTO JB Straubel, Redwood closed a $425M Series E in January 2026 and was named to Fast Company's 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2026. Redwood’s energy storage business is scaling fast - we built North America's largest microgrid (63 MWh) for AI infrastructure company Crusoe, signed a partnership with GM to deploy stationary storage using both new and second-life EV batteries, and are now bringing that same battery energy storage system to Rivian's Normal, Illinois manufacturing plant.
The Senior or Staff BESS Development Engineer will join as an early member of a new engineering team working on our Battery Energy Storage System product line, specializing in BESS projects at the initiation and concept phases — turning incomplete, ambiguous inputs into a buildable scope, a concept design, and a permitting/interconnection path. The role balances speed and depth: it must move fast enough to support active pursuits while setting up projects for execution success.
The ideal candidate is highly self-driven, adaptable to a startup environment, and comfortable operating where processes are still being built. You’re a doer and a builder, excited about working in a dynamic, fast-paced setting, and want to shape how Redwood delivers energy storage projects at scale.
- Early feasibility Business Development support: Development Engineer produces concept (feasibility) layouts and draft single-line diagrams from the BESS Product Team’s product specs and architecture guidance while customer discussions are in progress.
- Advanced proposal support: Development Engineer finalizes EPC concept, scope, and cost basis behind business development’s proposal and provides technical exhibits that attach to the contract.
- EPC Scope and Basis of Design (BOD): After a contract is signed and system architecture and inverter selection are finalized, the Development Engineer documents EPC scope and Basis of Design.
Responsibilities will include:
- Coordinate technically across BD, BESS Product Team, internal EPC engineers, and internal EPC project controls.
- Own internal and external EPC engineering resourcing and schedule for assigned early-phase work.
- Work with Business Development (BD) team to serve as BD's technical engineering support, supplying scope boundaries, buildability constraints, the design/construction/install side of the cost estimate, schedule, and the technical exhibits attached to the contract.
- Work with BESS Product Team who owns system architecture, configuration, and product compliance documentation.
- Engage civil, structural, electrical, controls, and fire engineering disciplines to review studies, layouts, and Single Line Diagrams (SLDs) produced by Development Engineer. Includes setting the design basis, routing data-request items to the right discipline, prioritizing against the pursuit schedule and combining elements into concept package.
- Engage project controls team for cost estimation and schedules to support BD proposals and facilitate resource planning.
- Coordinate and document critical electrical and fire/life-safety requirements or assumptions with risks and project mitigations.
- Deliver feasibility studies that document if and how project site physically and electrically host the system. Confirm buildable area, interconnection viability, and a clear permitting path. Output is a go/no-go input plus constraints register.
- Deliver gap analysis using data/information request checklist as gap tool, assign an owner to every item, and track status. Surface scope-delineation ambiguities and long-lead items.
- Drive the data/information request checklist to closure, including site surveys, geotechnical report, product configuration and cutsheets, product compliance basis, utility interconnection inputs, and AHJ and regulatory requirements.
- Document scope delineation across internal and external responsible parties.
Desired Qualifications:
- BS in Engineering, preferably Civil or Electrical Engineering. Alternatively, demonstrate exceptional ability in civil or electrical engineering fields through equivalent experience.
- 5+ years (Senior), 8+ years (Staff) of experience in energy project development, design, and construction with BESS and utility scale solar experience preferred.
- Familiarity with grid-scale energy storage technologies and balance-of-plant equipment (e.g. inverters, transformers, switchgear, fire detection).
- Strong working knowledge of electrical system design, interconnection requirements, and utility-scale BESS project execution.
- Familiarity with BESS industry standards and codes (UL 9540/9540A/1973/1741, NFPA 855, IEEE, NEC (NFPA 70), IEC).
- PE License preferred.
- Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in parallel.
- Excellent attention to detail and quality decision making.
- Skills in AutoCAD and Bluebeam to prepare concept layouts and single line diagrams. Civil 3D and Revit experience as a plus.
- Strong communication skills.
- Project management and/or EPC experience.
The position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.
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