Principal Systems Engineer

Fourth Power is developing and commercializing the lowest cost energy storage technology on the market to enable the utility grid to operate 24/7/365 on renewable energy. Our batteries store heat in low-cost carbon blocks at up to 2400 degrees Celsius – half the temperature of the sun. The batteries then convert this heat back to electricity using thermophotovoltaics (TPV) on demand.

Fourth Power has a culture of teamwork, continuous innovation based on first principles, and relentlessness in tackling challenging problems. Fourth Power is looking for highly skilled, experienced, and motivated individuals who share our passion for mitigating climate change.

Job Description

We are seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to join the Fourth Power Engineering team. You will provide cross-cutting systems engineering support across our technology development programs, ensuring requirements, interfaces, risks, and safety concerns are identified and resolved across disciplines.

This is a full-time, exempt role.

Location: Bedford, MA and Middleton, MA

Your Role

• Own system-level requirements and traceability from top-level targets down to subsystem specs across mechanical, electrical, chemical, and controls domains.

• Identify applicable codes, standards, and regulations (e.g., NEC, NFPA, ASME, OSHA) for evolving system designs and advise engineering leads on compliance.

• Lead formal risk identification and tracking (FMEA, HAZOP, fault tree, or equivalent), maintain risk registers, and drive mitigations to closure.

• Manage interface definitions between subsystems and ensure cross-discipline interactions are captured and conflicts resolved early.

• Support electrical system design reviews with practical knowledge of industrial electrical concerns including grounding, ground fault propagation, fuse coordination, protective coordination, cable routing, and power quality.

• Split time between desk-based analysis and hands-on work on the shop floor, including inspecting hardware, supporting test campaigns, and troubleshooting in a lab environment.

• Synthesize specialist inputs across knowledge domains, ask the right questions, and identify gaps where you are not the subject matter expert.

• Support design reviews, gate reviews, and test planning with structured analysis and clear acceptance criteria.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of systems engineering experience with demonstrated depth in formal requirements management, risk identification, and interface control.

• Experience in extreme environments or with first-of-kind hardware strongly preferred.

• Prior energy, power, or heavy industrial experience strongly preferred.

• Proficient as a technical generalist across mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering disciplines.

• Proficient in independently determining which codes and standards apply to a new design context.

• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong communication skills to effectively collaborate with fellow engineers and technicians.

• BS degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Chemical Engineering, or equivalent experience.

Fourth Power is committed to offering equitable compensation, stock options, and a competitive benefits package to all employees.