Senior Commercial Design Engineer, Remote within the U.S at GRID ALTERNATIVES – California, California

About GRID Alternatives

GRID Alternatives is a national leader in making clean, affordable solar power and solar jobs accessible to low-income communities and communities of color. GRID is an entrepreneurial, high-growth non-profit organization that provides direct solar installation and project development; clean mobility options; workforce training and service-learning opportunities; and low-income solar policy advocacy.

Our Vision: a rapid, equitable transition to a world powered by renewable energy that benefits everyone.

Our Mission: to build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy.

What it's like to work at GRID…

At GRID, we care about each other and know that each employee has a whole self that includes life outside of work. Our culture supports learning, growth and well-being of all of our team members.

Summary of the role:

The Senior Commercial Design Engineer is a senior individual contributor role within GRID Alternatives’ commercial design team, reporting to the Commercial Design Manager. This position plays an important role in delivering high-quality, code-compliant designs for multifamily and light commercial projects, with most systems in the 50 kW–500 kW range.

Rooftop solar is the core scope of this role, with additional opportunities to work on carport solar, battery-enabled microgrids, and EVSE infrastructure as GRID continues to diversify and expand its commercial portfolio.

In this role, you’ll collaborate closely with other senior designers, junior designers, project managers, construction staff, and development teams to support design development, costing and estimating, and project execution. You’ll contribute technical expertise throughout the project lifecycle while also helping improve design standards, tools, and processes as the program grows.

This role is ideal for an experienced commercial solar designer who enjoys solving complex technical problems, working collaboratively across teams, and contributing to a thoughtful, mission-driven organization.

Job Duties include, but are not limited:

• Produce complete design packages for utility and AHJ submittals for commercial solar and solar-plus-storage projects, generally ranging from 50 kW to 500 kW
• Develop CAD layouts, electrical diagrams, stringing plans, calculations, elevations, details, and bills of materials based on project requirements
• Support early-stage project development through technical input for project costing and estimating
• Serve as a key technical resource within the commercial design team, assisting with design questions, code interpretation, and troubleshooting
• Perform quality assurance reviews of colleagues’ work to ensure accuracy, constructability, and code compliance
• Clearly communicate design intent, assumptions, and constraints to internal teams and external partners, including project managers, construction teams, utilities, and AHJs
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior designers through reviews, feedback, and informal training
• Contribute ideas and feedback on design standards, templates, tools, and workflows in partnership with the Commercial Design Manager and peers
• Coordinate with external engineering vendors as needed to support project delivery

Technical experience

• 5+ years of experience designing grid-tied commercial and/or multifamily solar projects, including solar-plus-storage
• Deep understanding of commercial PV system design, component selection, and production modeling
• Strong proficiency in AutoCAD and Excel, with experience using tools such as HelioScope, Aurora, PV Watts, NREL SAM, PVsyst, or similar
• Experience producing utility- and AHJ-ready plansets, including calculations, details, and as-built documentation

Collaboration & communication

• Ability to clearly explain technical concepts and design decisions to a range of audiences
• A collaborative working style that values shared problem-solving, consensus-building, and alignment across disciplines
• Comfort giving and receiving feedback in service of team goals and project outcomes

Quality & judgment

• Strong attention to detail and a quality-focused mindset
• Ability to exercise sound technical judgment while working within established standards, processes, and decision frameworks
• Growth & mindset
• Curiosity and interest in improving tools, templates, and workflows
• Openness to feedback from peers, construction teams, and managers
• Interest in mentoring and supporting junior designers as part of a collaborative team

Compensation:

The compensation range for this fulltime, exempt position is $90,000-$100,000. The base pay that will actually be offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, location, experience and take into account internal equity.

Benefits:

Medical, Dental, Vision/Eye Care insurance, 5 weeks paid time off (PTO),13 paid holidays, Commuter Checks, 403b Retirement Plan, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA), STD, LTD, and AD&D insurance

Where you will sit & the places you may go…

The ideal candidate will sit in the United States (remote). This position may require up to 25% out-of-town travel to regional offices and special projects such as org-wide celebrations, team building exercises, etc. Availability to work nights and weekends may very rarely be required. GRID Alternatives may provide vehicles for work travel and/or travel reimbursement for personal vehicle use. In this instance, applicants must hold a valid driver’s license and have a good driving record.

Important to note for California applicants:

**Hired CA candidates must be able to pass a screening for drugs that are illegal in the state of California, including: amphetamine, cocaine metabolite, opiates, and PCP.

Reasonable Accommodation for Job Seekers with a Disability:

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to: RECRUITING@GRIDALTERNATIVES.ORG

Ready to Apply?

Submit a resume describing your interest. Due to the high volume of inquiries, mailed and emailed applications are not accepted.

GRID Alternatives provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetics. Because we value EID at GRID Alternatives, we encourage folks from all backgrounds to apply, even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications. Every member of GRID Alternatives must be dedicated to participating in the organization's equity, inclusion, and diversity (EID) work.