--- title: 'Senior/Staff Power Systems Engineer, Grid Interconnection at Heron Power' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-power-systems-engineer-grid-interconnection-heron-power-scotts-zv8n3vhmmffq' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-31' --- # Senior/Staff Power Systems Engineer, Grid Interconnection at Heron Power - **Company:** Heron Power - **Location:** Scotts Valley, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-10-19 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-31 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/heron-power/e17e88eb-8e56-4bc7-9d90-c8ca45c52654 ## Job description What to Expect Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything. Our first focus goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron Power’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade. We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems. Job Overview You will own the grid interconnection of Heron's grid-forming inverters and solid-state transformers (SST) across utility-scale PV, BESS, and large-load projects, carrying each from model development through interconnection studies, utility and ISO approval, and field commissioning. That means building and validating the models grid operators rely on, demonstrating compliance with grid codes and regulation requirements, and closing the loop between simulation, hardware test, and field performance. You will be Heron's technical voice with utilities, ISOs and RTOs, developers' interconnection teams, and customers, working hand in hand with the Controls and Systems Integration teams: they own the inverter platform, you own getting it connected to the grid. That credibility also makes you central to supporting the sales, designing Heron's power systems solutions and giving customers confidence in how our hardware performs on the grid. ## How You Will Contribute - Own Heron's inverter and plant models across RMS and EMT platforms (PSS/E, PSLF, PowerFactory, TSAT, and PSCAD), including user-defined models, WECC generic models and their grid-forming variants, and EMT models built from Heron's production controls. - Benchmark models against one another and against controller hardware-in-the-loop, and produce the model validation reports, parameter sheets, and user guides that utilities and ISOs require. - Support interconnection studies for PV, BESS, hybrid, and large-load projects. - Guide developers through the interconnection process, including inverter technology changes on queued projects: prepare model submittals, respond to study comments and deficiency letters, and work through material modification and restudy reviews with transmission providers. - Carry projects through energization: define plant controller (PPC) settings and coordination, write and run commissioning and model validation test plans, analyze field data and disturbance recordings, and support post-energization performance reviews. ## What You Will Bring We have a short list of must-have requirements. We prioritize a strong grip on first principles, hands-on skills, and a sense of initiative. Must-Have Requirements - 5+ years of power systems engineering focused on inverter-based resource (IBR) interconnection at an inverter OEM, developer, utility, ISO/RTO, or consulting firm. - A track record of taking IBR projects from model development through interconnection approval and into commissioning, and owning the outcome at each step. - Hands-on proficiency in PSCAD and at least two of PSS/E, PSLF, PowerFactory, and TSAT, including building, tuning, and debugging user-defined models. - Working knowledge of IEEE 2800, NERC PRC and MOD standards, and FERC and ISO/RTO interconnection processes. - Strong grasp of inverter control fundamentals: grid-following and grid-forming control, current limiting, PLL dynamics, and weak-grid and small-signal stability. You can explain why a model behaves the way it does, not just that it passes. Nice-to-Haves - Experience with grid-forming inverter models and requirements, such as virtual synchronous machine (VSM) or droop-based controls. - Real-code EMT model development, such as wrapping C or Fortran controller code as a PSCAD DLL using the IEEE/CIGRE DLL interface. - Experience with utility-scale BESS or PV plants, including PPC tuning and grid-code compliance testing. If you are passionate about the energy transition and enjoy working at the frontier of power electronics and grid integration, we would love to hear from you. Join us in accelerating the electrification of everything at Heron Power. Heron Power provides competitive compensation (salary and equity) and benefits. The salary for this role ranges from $160,000 to $200,000 per year ## About Heron Power ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Heron Power develops next-generation medium-voltage power electronics, including solid-state transformers, to modernize the electrical grid for AI data centers, renewable energy, and surging electricity demand. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: Scotts Valley, California, United States - **Founded**: 2024 - **Founders**: Drew Baglino ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution; Industrial Power Electronics; Energy Infrastructure - **Target customers**: B2B — hyperscale data center operators, solar and storage developers, utility-scale energy project developers, and the broader electricity sector. - **Mission or purpose statement**: To build power electronics purpose-built for the 21st-century grid, helping the electricity sector grow faster and more affordably with scalable, reliable, and software-integrated infrastructure. ## Products & Services - **Heron Link for Data Centers**: An integrated solid-state transformer + SuperBBU (battery backup unit) solution purpose-built for AI and hyperscale power needs, enabling more efficient, scalable, and reliable power delivery. - **Heron Link for Solar & Storage**: An integrated solid-state transformer and inverter in one infinitely scalable platform, designed to streamline the connection of renewable generation and battery storage to the grid. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Total Funding of **$178 million** across two rounds (Series A: $38M led by Capricorn Investment Group in June 2025; Series B: $140M led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz in February 2026). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: - **Investors**: Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz (American Dynamism Fund), Capricorn Investment Group, Gigascale Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Energy Impact Partners, Powerhouse. - **Advisors**: JB Straubel (Tesla Co-Founder), Zach Kirkhorn (Former Tesla CFO). - **Strategic Partner**: LG Energy Solution Vertech (collaboration to integrate Heron Link with U.S.-manufactured battery energy storage systems). - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount has grown **975% year-over-year** to 72 employees, with 58 active job postings. - Awarded **$26.375 million** in tax credit incentives from the state of California to build a 40-gigawatt manufacturing facility and create 600+ advanced manufacturing jobs. - Rapidly scaling from engineering prototypes to early customer deployments with major industry partners. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep technical moat**: Heron’s core technology is an integrated solid-state transformer (SST) — a fundamental re-architecture of medium-voltage power electronics that is more scalable, software-integrated, and efficient than traditional copper-and-iron transformers. - **Founder pedigree**: CEO Drew Baglino was a 18-year veteran and SVP of Powertrain and Energy at Tesla, where he led development of the 4680 battery cell, Megapack, and built multi-billion-dollar energy and charging businesses. - **Strategic backing**: Backed by a world-class syndicate of climate-tech and deep-tech investors (Breakthrough Energy, a16z, Valor) and advised by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel and former Tesla CFO Zach Kirkhorn. - **Manufacturing-first approach**: Already planning a 40 GW U.S. manufacturing facility with state incentives secured, signaling a focus on high-volume, cost-competitive production from the start. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale manufacturing**: Building out a large-scale U.S. factory to meet demand from AI data centers and renewable energy projects. - **Commercial deployment**: Moving from engineering prototypes to delivering integrated solutions with strategic partners like LG Energy Solution Vertech. - **Debottleneck the grid**: Targeting the critical infrastructure bottleneck where traditional transformers and grid equipment cannot keep pace with surging electricity demand from AI, electrification, and renewables. ## Why Work Here - **High-impact mission**: Work on foundational hardware that directly enables the energy transition and AI infrastructure — systems that will be deployed and operated for decades. - **Engineering culture**: Values rapid iteration ("build, test, learn"), first-principles reasoning, and cross-functional collaboration across hardware, software, manufacturing, and operations. - **Ownership and autonomy**: Strong emphasis on taking accountability for outcomes, not just tasks, and working across team boundaries to deliver an impeccable product. - **Transparent and direct**: Culture prizes clear communication, honest feedback, and progress over posturing — "no defensiveness, no ego." - **Location and flexibility**: Based in Scotts Valley, California (near Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley), with a presence in Canada. The work is highly hands-on (hardware, lab, factory), so on-site presence is expected for engineering roles. - **Growth trajectory**: Explosive headcount growth (975% YoY) and 58 open roles across electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, software, and supply chain disciplines — offering significant career acceleration for early hires. - **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work alongside a team with deep expertise from Tesla, Meta, and KKR, with direct mentorship from a proven founder. ## Sources 1. [heronpower.com](https://heronpower.com/) 2. [heronpower.com/about](https://heronpower.com/about) 3. [heronpower.com/careers](https://heronpower.com/careers) 4. [linkedin.com/company/heron-power-electronics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/heron-power-electronics) 5. 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