BESS Project Engineer

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.

Redwood Materials is deploying large-scale battery energy storage systems that power data centers and the grid, including North America's largest microgrid (63 MWh) for Crusoe, a stationary storage partnership with GM using new and second-life EV batteries, and a new deployment at Rivian's Normal, Illinois manufacturing plant. The Senior or Staff BESS Project Engineer joins as an early member of a new engineering team working on our Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) product line. You will own the full project lifecycle, from commercial scoping and Business Development handoff through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and a structured handoff to Operations and Maintenance, for a growing portfolio of front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter energy storage and microgrid projects. You are the connective tissue between Business Development, Product Engineering, our internal engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) team, external EPC partners, and customers, and you drive the schedule, manage risk, and make sure every project lands on time, on budget, and to spec. The work rewards people who are comfortable operating where processes are still being built and who want to shape how Redwood delivers energy storage at scale.

Responsibilities will include:

• Drive end-to-end project execution from requirements scoping and Business Development handoff through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and Operations and Maintenance handoff
• Own the integrated schedule, budget tracker, and risk register for each assigned project, and proactively identify and escalate schedule or cost risks
• Serve as the primary interface between Business Development, Product Engineering, internal and external EPC partners, and customers across all project phases
• Track RFI and submittal workflows, change order logs, permitting, interconnection coordination, and all contractual project deliverables
• Partner with Product Engineering on equipment selection, bill of materials alignment, and technical scope definition, and retain change control over the Basis of Design across the project lifecycle
• Oversee commissioning readiness and test plan execution, and manage structured handoff documentation to Operations and Maintenance
• Maintain project data in project management tooling, provide planning inputs and deployment forecasting to leadership, and capture lessons learned into repeatable delivery templates, checklists, and execution standards

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Program Management, Business, or a related discipline
• Deep program management experience in battery energy storage, renewable energy, or utility-scale power infrastructure such as peaker plants, combined-cycle generation, and substations; Staff level reflects a broader track record leading a portfolio of projects
• Demonstrated experience managing projects from scoping through commissioning and Operations and Maintenance handoff, with ownership of schedule, budget, and risk
• Strong cross-functional communication skills, comfortable managing up, down, and across internal and external EPC, customer, and internal engineering teams
• Familiarity with key BESS-related standards such as UL 9540, UL 9540A, UL 1973, UL 1741, IEEE, NEC (NFPA 70), NFPA 855, and IEC
• Willingness to travel to project sites as needed
• A Passion for sustainability and making the world a better place!

Physical Requirements:

• Climbing, standing, and stooping during project site visits
• Typing and extended computer work in an office setting

Working Conditions:

• Office environment in San Francisco, CA, with regular travel to project sites
• Site visits involve varying conditions, including noise, dust, and temperature extremes at active BESS construction and commissioning sites
• Occasional weekend or after-hours work to meet project milestones
• Travel up to 25%, primarily to project sites across the U.S.

In accordance with California pay transparency laws, the salary range for this position is listed below. Actual compensation may vary based on a variety of factors, including experience, education, and skills. 

California Pay Range:$160,000—$252,000 USD

The position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

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