ESCO Project Engineer at CrossBoundary

Job Description

• CrossBoundary Energy is recruiting an ESCo Project Engineer for the development and implementation of it Telecom Energy as a Service Company (TESCo) activities in Africa. We are actively pursuing opportunities to provide Energy Services to integrate solar PV and storage solutions with telecom customers who rely on diesel generators to provide power to their operations. Working with our engineering team, EHS team, operations team, business development team, finance team and external consultants and EPC contractors, the ESCo Project Engineer will be responsible for supporting technical development activities as well as contracting and management of EPC contractors and general oversight support for projects through development and implementation.
• Other activities could integrate support with the development of our ESCo product, from equipment sourcing to creation of an asset management tool, and technical support during operations.
• CBE is not an EPC or a pure developer, as we seek to build a portfolio of long-term, high-performing assets. CBE will look to you for practical insights on how to make discrete business decisions that will directly affect our financial outcomes.

Who We Are

• CrossBoundary operates in frontier markets that also hold immense investment opportunities.
• The chosen candidate will play an important role in a unique team with the opportunity to make a large impact on the renewable energy landscape in Africa.
• Team members come from diverse backgrounds, but share a number of qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action.

Who You Are

• Self-starter who is passionate about clean energy and its potential to transform fragile states and frontier markets in Africa
• Entrepreneurial mind who is not afraid of exploring how new technologies can be used to optimize our work and enable us to create robust products
• Capable of applying engineering principles to complex, bespoke problems that require creative thinking
• Comfortable with ambiguity; you are effective in a fast-moving and complex environment that does not have a fixed rule book.
• A practical thinker known for choosing the simple, robust solution where more complicated approaches would deliver the same results
• A open-minded learner who is not afraid to take on new challenges head on
• Eager and willing to train up contractors to consistently deliver excellent work
• A systematic and highly organized project manager; takes personal accountability for tracking numerous activities across workstreams and driving them all to successful conclusion
• Sound commercial judgement; independently assesses the most economical interventions
• Considers the long-term view when evaluating the costs and benefits of a potential solution
• A creative problem-solver not afraid to get their hands dirty to untangle a complex issue

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide engineering expertise during project design, construction, commissioning, representing the interests of CBE’s customer and our interests as the asset owner
• Conduct hybrid sizing, configuration and design including optimal configuration of solar, thermal and storage seeking to optimize for LCoE
• Produce preliminary design documentation including layouts, Interconnection strategy, SLD’s, BoQ’s, PVSyst analysis, etc.;
• Provide ongoing technical support and design review throughout project implementation, network integration and commissioning
• Carry out site and situation analysis of projects and effectively drive the technical development to address high risk and critical path workstreams.
• Support data gathering from customers and associated 3rd parties as required to effectively carry out studies and associated development activities
• Support or drive the development of an asset management tool
• Support the early-stage technical analysis of projects including the engagement with third party consultants and specialists as may be required to carry out specialist studies
• Support with the EPC engagement, contracting, configuration optimization and review of EPC detailed designs
• Support the business development team with technical inputs for pricing, proposal materials and customer engagement
• Provide technical support during Energy as a Service (EaaS) contract drafting and negotiations

Support with project management through implementation including:

• Support during Kickoff meeting and ongoing stakeholder engagement
• Project progress and quality reviews
• Support with EaaS and EPC contracts
• Support the CBE technical team on an adhoc basis on projects across the full CBE ESCo portfolio

Qualifications

Ideal candidate will have the following skills and qualifications:

• 3+ years relevant working experience
• 2+ year work experience in solar PV, SHS, minigrids or nanogrid construction with a top-tier firm
• Experience designing a small scale solar/storage/thermal hybrid project including minigrids and nanogrids
• Working knowledge of battery storage technologies and design of storage solutions
• Background in designing and implementing EHS policies for construction projects
• Undergone some project management training
• Experience working in Africa
• Good commercial understanding of the solar IPP model including an understanding of project finance
• Interest and understanding of the telecom world
• Experience with monitoring and control systems

Required skills and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s engineering degree (mechanical/electrical/electronic)
• 2+ years work experience in either power systems engineering, electrical transmission/distribution networks, building electrical engineering, or electrical generation
• Hybrid sizing, configuring and modelling experience – HOMER (or similar) and/or self-built models

Understanding of the key components that form part of a hybrid solution:

• Solar PV
• Battery storage (including understanding different storage technologies and the associated tradeoffs)
• Thermal/baseload generation – diesel generators
• Strong understanding of AC/DC Electrical Power Systems, Power Electronics, and/or Solar Energy
• Demonstrated interest in renewable energy systems
• Work experience or demonstrated familiarity with solar PV installations
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering field
• Demonstrated ability to independently supervise multi-stakeholder projects
• Clear effective communicator across diverse audiences
• Writes clearly, professionally, and without grammatical errors