The posting
Sr. HW Design Engineer
The Impact You’ll Make:
We are looking for a talented, hands-on Hardware Design Engineer to join our Power Systems team. In this role, you will design, build, and validate analog and digital circuitry for precision measurement and diagnostic instruments used in renewable energy applications, including solar PV, wind, and battery energy storage systems (BESS). You will work alongside a senior hardware engineer on our Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) program and contribute across the full hardware development lifecycle, from schematic design and high-speed layout through prototyping, lab testing, and production handover.
This is a great fit for an engineer with a few years of solid circuit design experience who wants to grow their technical depth in high-speed analog, signal processing, and test & measurement hardware at a fast-moving clean energy company. Prior TDR experience is a plus, not a requirement.
Key Responsibilities:
Hardware Design & Development
- Design analog and digital circuits including high-speed analog front ends, pulse generation, sampling, and signal conditioning stages
- Create schematics and high-speed, low-noise PCB layouts using Altium Designer, Cadence, or similar tools
- Design and support copper-based communication interfaces and transmission line connections for a range of cable types (coax, twisted pair, MV power cables)
- Select and evaluate components such as ADCs, DACs, op-amps, FPGAs, and microcontrollers
- Support power supply and protection circuit design with guidance from senior engineers
Signal Processing
- Work with firmware and embedded engineers on waveform acquisition, averaging, and fault-distance calculation
- Help develop calibration routines to keep measurements accurate across temperature and load conditions
- Contribute to signal processing approaches that support sub-nanosecond pulse resolution
Prototyping & Validation
- Build, bring up, and debug hardware prototypes in the lab using oscilloscopes, VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators
- Execute design verification tests and document results against electrical and environmental specifications
- Support EMI/EMC pre-compliance testing and design fixes (roughly 10% of the role)
- Validate measurement accuracy against reference cables and known fault conditions
- Support field trials at renewable energy sites as needed
Documentation & Collaboration
- Produce clear design documentation including schematics, BOMs, design notes, and test reports
- Maintain version-controlled design files
- Support production engineering during design transfer to manufacturing
- Work closely with firmware, software, mechanical, and product teams in an agile environment
- Participate in design reviews and learn from experienced engineers across the team
The Skills You Bring:
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a closely related discipline
- 3+ years of hands-on experience designing analog and digital circuits
- Working knowledge of signal processing concepts and how they apply to hardware design
- Experience with high-speed PCB layout, including signal integrity, transmission lines, and impedance matching
- Experience with copper (wired) communication interfaces, as opposed to optical
- Schematic capture and layout experience in Altium Designer or an equivalent tool
- Comfort working at the bench with oscilloscopes, VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators
- Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and eagerness to learn
Nice to Have:
- Experience with TDR, OTDR, or other reflectometry-based instrumentation
- EMI/EMC design experience or familiarity with IEC 61000 / FCC Part 15 testing
- FPGA experience (Xilinx / Intel) for data acquisition
- SPICE simulation experience (LTspice or similar)
- Familiarity with renewable energy cabling such as DC string cables, MV AC feeders, or armored underground cables
- Exposure to IEC 61010 or ISO 9001 requirements
- Master’s degree in a relevant field
Benefits and Perks:
- Competitive Compensation Package
- Health Insurance: We offer 100% coverage of employee premiums under a Gold-level PPO plan. Dental & Vision Insurance: 50% of employee premiums are covered.
- Retirement Plan: A 401(k) plan with a 6% employer match.
Additional Information:
Minimum salary of $190,000 to maximum salary of $250,000 + equity + benefits.
The range provided is 1AP’s reasonable estimate of the base compensation for this role. The actual amount will be based on job-related and non-discriminatory factors such as location, experience, training, skills, and abilities. Consult with your Recruiter during the initial call to determine a more targeted range based on these job-related factors.
About 1st Avenue Power:
At 1st Avenue Power, we are on a mission to deliver simple, fast-to-deploy, customer-centric and intelligent power systems leveraging the abundance of solar to provide inexpensive and reliable clean energy to global customers from data centers to energy starved communities around the world. We envision a future where every community, business, and nation thrives on the limitless potential of clean energy, united in a shared commitment to a sustainable and equitable world.
You will be working with Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, one of the most successful clean energy technology innovators and entrepreneurs who has been a driving force in making solar-based energy solutions the cheapest and most reliable energy option. Tom founded and led Avantus (formerly known as “8minute Solar Energy“), to become one of the largest and most profitable solar and energy storage companies in the United States and the largest in California, including delivering over 17% of Los Angeles’ power.
When Tom sold his interest in Avantus’ development business to KKR in mid-2024, it had delivered over $1 billion in profit and secured over $10 Billion in power purchase agreements and project financings with a pipeline of over 30 GW of solar and 90 GWh of energy storage, capable of powering the homes of more than 20 million Americans day and night.
Tom’s family office investment firm, 1st Avenue Capital, is building teams for the next generation of advanced solar power system architecture and AI to aggressively drive down the cost of and equitable access to clean and reliable energy.[1] 1st Avenue’s advanced large scale power systems are addressing the increasing inadequacy of the grid to meet the massively growing power demands of the digital economy, while its intelligent distributed solar utilities are leapfrogging the grid to provide equitable access to inexpensive, clean and reliable power to underserved communities around the world.
1AI Energy, the employing entity for 1st Avenue Power, and 1st Avenue Power are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee based on race (inclusive of traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), age, veteran or military status, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, reproductive decision-making, or any other legally recognized protected class under federal, state, or local law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on 1AI Energy or 1st Avenue Power. Please inform the company's personnel representative if you need assistance completing an application or to otherwise participate in the application process.
Join our team and make a real difference in the world.
[1: Additionally, 1st Avenue is in the business of acquiring projects where there has been a final notice-to-proceed or financial close.]
California Pay Range
$190,000—$250,000 USD
