Senior Power Plant Engineer at Formenergy (Berkeley, CA)Senior Power Plant Engineer

Form Energy is hiring a Senior Power Plant Engineer to support the modeling and validation of our power plant controls as they relate to grid interconnection. As part of our team, you'll help verify that our power plant controller meets interconnection and compliance requirements across our DC-coupled plant architecture, using hardware-in-the-loop and simulation environments to validate system-level behavior before it reaches the field. This is a great opportunity for an early-career engineer with a strong power systems/controls foundation to grow into plant controls validation work on breakthrough energy storage technology.

Relocation assistance is available.

What you'll do:

• Support modeling and validation of our power plant controller (PPC) against grid interconnection requirements, partnering closely with senior staff on test planning and execution
• Serve as a key point of contact with third-party conversion equipment and controls suppliers, managing interface documentation, tracking open items, and professionally coordinating Form's hardware and controls requirements, interface specs, and test results across organizations
• Build and run hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test cases (e.g., in Typhoon HIL) verifying that our DC/DC converters and DC bus behavior integrate cleanly with plant inverters in our DC-coupled architecture
• Develop and maintain simulation models in Simulink and PSCAD representing plant-level electrical behavior and control interactions ahead of hardware validation
• Validate grid compliance behavior (e.g., IEEE 1547, IEEE 2800) once DC bus dynamics are factored into overall plant response
• Support integration and testing of SCADA interfaces and meter data as part of plant controls validation
• Document test plans, results, and findings, translating HIL/simulation outcomes into clear recommendations for senior staff and the broader controls team
• Troubleshoot discrepancies between simulated and hardware-in-the-loop results, escalating root causes as needed

What you'll bring: -

• Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering or related discipline, with a focus on power systems or power electronics
• 3+ years of experience in power systems, power electronics, or controls engineering — internship, co-op, research, or equivalent strong academic project experience welcome
• Foundational knowledge of power systems fundamentals (per-unit analysis, three-phase power, grid interconnection basics)
• Exposure to power plant controls, grid compliance standards (e.g., IEEE 1547, IEEE 2800), or inverter-based resource behavior through coursework or projects
• Familiarity with simulation/modeling tools such as Simulink, PSCAD, or HIL platforms (e.g., Typhoon HIL)
• Exposure to SCADA interfaces, metering, or similar plant communication/data systems is a plus
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain design decisions, summarize observations, absorb information and requirements from other teams, and spearhead engagement with 3rd party vendors

#LI-Onsite

Humanity is a cornerstone of Form Energy’s culture, and we make sure our compensation and benefits reflect that. Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package to ensure all employees have what they need to thrive while working here.

When it comes to you and your family’s health, we cover 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees - and 80% of healthcare premiums for dependents. This starts from day one. We also offer at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge when needed.

To build America’s energy future, we need everyone at the table. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply to our open jobs.

If you may require reasonable accommodations to participate in our interview process, please contact accommodations@formenergy.com. Requests for accommodations will be treated with discretion.

Form Energy is committed to maintaining the privacy of our applicants. Please be aware that we will never solicit sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details during the recruiting or hiring process.