01/22/2025
Now Hiring!
Junior Engineer Job Description
$60k-$72k DOE, plus benefits and advancement opportunity
The Junior Design Engineer is responsible for inventing and shepherding design concepts into viable product offerings. The candidate should demonstrate a passion for innovation, technical prowess, prototyping skills, a strong work ethic, and an ability to work cross functionally. The R&D Lab’s Design Engineering Team develops novel roofing and solar systems for the purpose of accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy . This small group is focused on design conception, prototyping, and testing for The R&D Lab. New concepts are evaluated based upon first principles, rigorous cost analysis, and feasibility testing.
You are a hands-on problem solver, bringing your experience designing and prototyping mechanical and/or electrical systems to develop solutions to improve the Solar Roof installation process. You will collaborate with the broader team to set-up and perform tests to facilitate ongoing product improvement.
An ideal candidate will be a creative, dynamic out-of-the-box thinker who loves challenges and can apply solid engineering fundamentals. Excellent written and verbal communication are a must. Members of our team display a rock-solid work ethic, are team oriented, creative, passionate, and desire to drive the adoption of sustainable energy at scale.
We are looking for an exceptional Engineer who will focus on Component and System Testing activities. You will work hands-on with components and systems to confirm that they meet performance and durability requirements. You will be engaged in the full product lifecycle, from inception to final product.
You will work with a cross-functional team to design and establish test setups and methodologies with procedural rigor that allow you to reliably identify product weaknesses, ensuring methods exceed industry standards. You will gain experience in leading and owning projects from conception to completion and take responsibility for a successful outcome.
You must have a genuine passion for engineering products that will fundamentally change the world’s energy infrastructure and must want to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
Responsibilities
Design electro-mechanical solutions for novel photovoltaic systems
Technical concept development / CAD creation of concepts
Functional analysis by calculation/FEA
Analyze resultant data
Work with Manufacturing Engineering on product design for manufacturing
Support pilot rollout for product launch
Collaborate with legal team to secure patents for new ideas
Research and develop new installation solutions (tools, jigs, parts) to be used to improve the Solar Roof and Retrofit Solar installation processes.
Work with internal or external prototyping facilities to develop functional prototypes of these solutions and test them in a lab and/or field setting.
Evaluate prototype parts and products for fit, form, function and real-world applications.
Design, prioritize, set-up and perform tests to evaluate new products, parts or processes.
Create new standard operating procedures to be implemented into the field.
Act as a subject matter expert and technical resources for other teammates such as sales, training, product management and service.
Work with technical writers/illustrator to develop technical documentation including Work Instructions, manuals, component level instructions and beta and pilot installations
Occasionally address any critical field issues and assist with hands-on full scale system builds
Apply first principles thinking and scientific methodologies to product design in order to identify risks and failure modes. Based on this analysis, design and build mechanical test setups and develop adequate test methodologies.
Collect test data, analyze test results, and guide failure analysis.
Startup mentality- pitch in where needed
Requirements
A positive attitude
Must be proficient in Solidworks or similar CAD software, 3-D modeling and 3-D prototyping
Creative problem solving skills
Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills
Self-Driven, self-motivated, and able to make responsible decisions
Familiarity with tools.(impact gun, drill, mill, lathe, force sensors, load cells, thermocouples, accelerometers, etc.)Proficiency with data analysis software such as Excel or Google Sheets.
Excellent teamwork/interpersonal skills, willingness to gain and share new knowledge and the ability to communicate effectively.
Positive attitude, eager to learn and ability to change direction quickly
Evidence of exceptional ability
Familiarity with designing and building working prototypes of mechanical products
Familiarity with engineering process and fundamentals
Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems with minimal resources
Deep passion for changing the way we build and use energy
Willingness to spend up to 15% of your time at customer installations, suppliers, or other travel
Preferred Skills / Experience
BS or MS in related field; mechanical engineering; civil engineering; electrical engineering or similar
Understanding of rooftop PV systems, roofing systems and/or general building construction
PV Installation experience, residential retrofit, ground mount, commercial, off grid, etc.
General roofing experience; pitched, flat single ply, membrane, standing seam, etc.
Familiarity with applicable industry codes; electrical, roofing, construction, etc
Experience with microcontrollers such as STM32, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone.
Familiarity with program languages such as C/C++, Labview, Python or Matlab.
