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Nexamp

Develops and manages community solar projects

Senior Solar Project Engineer

Full-Time
$100k - $140k+ Performance incentives + Stock options
Senior
Bachelor's
Chicago, IL, USA
HybridHybrid role; candidates may work from the Boston, Chicago, or Washington, DC hub offices.
Electrical EngineeringPower Systems Engineering

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in engineering.
  • At least five years of solar or BESS design and/or project engineering experience.
  • Experience leading engineering for complex PV or BESS projects across the full project life cycle, including managing third-party engineering resources, reviewing design details and critical-equipment specifications, and driving project-level decisions.
  • Strong knowledge of PV and BESS engineering, design, and construction principles, including power engineering fundamentals, major system components, constructability considerations, utility interconnection and acceptance processes, and performance optimization principles.
  • Strong working knowledge of industry-standard PV and BESS design codes, engineering principles, and construction methods, including NEC, IBC, and IFC.
  • Ability to independently prioritize and manage multiple projects and tasks, identify critical-path schedule items, and anticipate and resolve construction challenges.
  • Strong understanding of the DG and community solar market, including utility, state, and regional nuances, and how project execution differs from C&I and utility-scale PV.
  • Proficiency reading and interpreting outputs from CAD and energy modeling tools, including AutoCAD and PVSYST or equivalent platforms, and using those outputs to support technical decisions.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office and common collaboration tools used to manage engineering deliverables and cross-functional coordination.
  • EIT certification, NABCEP certification, and/or PMP certification.
  • Ability to communicate information, ideas, and perspectives effectively with people inside and beyond the organization.
  • Experience improving work, processes, products, and services across the organization.
  • Ability to ask appropriate questions, analyze data, identify root causes, and present creative solutions.
  • Ability to build strong internal and external relationships with customers and stakeholders, instilling trust and loyalty across the industry.
  • Eagerness to develop an understanding of how Nexamp operates and apply that knowledge to inform business decisions.
  • Commitment to Nexamp's mission and passion for solving the climate crisis.
Responsibilities
  • Lead engineering and design execution across the full project life cycle for complex PV and BESS assets; coordinate internal teams, external engineers, and vendors to deliver optimized engineering packages that meet project requirements and business objectives.
  • Own project-level technical decision-making by identifying risks early and resolving ambiguous design and construction issues while balancing cost, schedule, constructability, and long-term asset performance.
  • Direct collaboration across Design, Development, Engineering, Estimation, Pre-Deployment, Deployment, Project Finance, and Grid Integration; ensure the project team understands the basis of design and plan of record for execution.
  • Lead development, maintenance, and interpretation of plant performance models and related technical analyses; use them to evaluate project- and portfolio-level tradeoffs, value engineering opportunities, and optimization priorities.
  • Review and approve engineering deliverables, equipment selections, procurement inputs, RFIs, submittals, construction drawing markups, and other project artifacts; verify technical accuracy, constructability, and code compliance and ensure design specifications support project objectives.
  • Mentor lower-level Project Engineering team members through technical coaching, design reviews, work shadowing, and practical feedback.
  • Own department-level process improvement initiatives, standards updates, and tooling enhancements; partner with the Technical Strategy Team to evaluate, pilot, and deploy technology and translate research into scalable solutions.
  • Develop and manage relationships with vendors and engineering consultants across the project life cycle.
  • Perform site visits during construction for project assessment.
  • Perform additional duties as assigned or directed.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience leading engineering for utility-scale solar and BESS projects from early development through commissioning and operational handoff.
  • Experience developing and managing contracts with engineering consulting partners and equipment suppliers.
  • Experience creating or leading testing programs to implement new technology, product features, or process launches.
  • Participation in formal workplace mentorship programs as a mentor or mentee.
  • A PE license.

About the company

Nexamp develops and operates solar projects in the United States, with a focus on Community Solar, where people subscribe to a share of a local solar farm to lower their electricity costs. It manages the full lifecycle of a project—from site acquisition and design to construction, operation, and maintenance—and also offers energy storage and related services. The company differentiates itself by providing a turnkey, land- and building-based solar solution that lets homeowners, small businesses, and property owners benefit from solar energy without installing rooftop panels, while handling project development and management for a diverse client base. Its goal is to expand access to clean energy, reduce customers’ electricity bills, and build a scalable portfolio of solar projects that supports a cleaner energy future.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Debt Financing

Total Funding

$3.5B

Headquarters

Boston, Massachusetts

Founded

2007

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • June 17, 2026 Minonk projects reached commissioning and 650 subscribers in Illinois.
  • July 6, 2026 brought $106 million financing for twenty operating projects across four states.
  • April 2026 equity and Nuveen debt gave Nexamp capital to expand community solar.

What critics are saying

  • Nexamp sued National Grid on August 7, 2025 over fourteen New York projects.
  • Maine's November 24, 2025 solar law blocks new community-solar contracts in 2026.
  • If state net-metering regimes tighten, Nexamp's subscription pipeline collapses in multiple core markets.

What makes Nexamp unique

  • Nexamp owns, builds, and operates community solar end-to-end across 2026 markets.
  • Its 2026 Minonk projects used 100% U.S.-manufactured modules and DERMS on ComEd.
  • Nexamp pairs paid workforce programs with City Colleges of Chicago, launched in 2024.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

Commuter Benefits

Phone/Internet Stipend

Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
Antlers American
Oct 13th, 2026
Captona backs Nexamp's 55MW community solar portfolio across four states with preferred equity

Captona, a North American energy investment firm, has made a preferred equity investment with solar developer Nexamp. The deal helps finance 55MW of solar generation and 5MWh of battery storage across 10 projects in Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York. The source gives no deal value. Captona has offered its preferred equity structure since 2023. Chief executive officer Izzet Bensusan said the firm is scaling its investments "to support our partners and the development of critical energy infrastructure" as power demand rises. Anjali Patel, vice president of capital markets and strategy at Nexamp, said the investment will help advance a diverse portfolio of solar and storage projects. Kirkland & Ellis advised Captona, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe advised Nexamp.

Nexamp
Jul 21st, 2026
Nexamp named #1 community solar company by Solar Power World for fourth consecutive year.

Nexamp named #1 community solar company by Solar Power World for fourth consecutive year. July 21, 2026 Updated on July 23, 2026 Nexamp has again been recognized by Solar Power World as the No. 1 community solar company in the United States, marking the fourth consecutive year the company has earned the top spot. The recognition reflects the continued growth of distributed solar and the increasing importance of energy resources that can be deployed quickly, closer to where power is needed, and with tangible benefits for customers and communities. Community solar is one part of Nexamp's overall approach to building distributed energy infrastructure that can serve customers and communities more effectively. Across its portfolio, the company is focused on solutions that can be deployed efficiently, support grid reliability, and expand access to meaningful energy savings. Community solar plays an important role in that strategy by making clean energy more accessible, including for people and organizations that cannot install solar on site. "Distributed solar is proving its value because it can be built quickly, placed where it's needed most, and help manage energy costs for customers," said Zaid Ashai, CEO of Nexamp. "Community solar is a critical part of that model, and part of Nexamp's broader commitment to delivering energy solutions that are affordable, resilient, efficient, and practical to deploy at scale." As electricity demand rises and affordability remains a top concern for households, businesses, and municipalities, distributed solar is playing a larger role in the nation's energy mix. In its Q2 2026 Solar Market Insight report, SEIA noted that the United States added 43 GW of new solar capacity in 2025, marking the fifth straight year that solar was the top source of new power added to the grid, and that solar and battery storage accounted for 91% of all new electricity-generating capacity added in the first quarter of 2026. "Despite policy and supply hurdles, the U.S. solar market shows no signs of slowing down," said Billy Ludt, Managing Editor of Solar Power World. "Well-run companies are those that can adapt to a changing industry, and we believe the 2026 Top Solar Contractors List features the strongest names in solar development, construction and installation." Founded in 2007, Nexamp has built one of the nation's largest distributed energy platforms, with integrated capabilities spanning project development, construction, operations, and customer experience. The company's continued recognition in community solar underscores both the strength of that platform and the role distributed energy can play in expanding access to affordable, reliable power. Was this helpful?

MVA Pulse
Jul 6th, 2026
Nexamp secures $106M financing for 20 community solar projects across four US states

Nexamp has secured a $106 million five-year financing facility led by First Citizens Bank to support 20 operating community solar projects across New York, Illinois, Maine, and Massachusetts. Huntington Bank and Siemens Financial Services also participated in the deal. The financing is backed by cash flows from Nexamp's existing community solar assets. This follows a $200 million credit facility Nexamp secured in April from Nuveen Energy Infrastructure Credit. The transaction highlights growing institutional confidence in distributed solar assets as stable, long-term investments. By securing debt against operating projects, developers can recycle capital to fund new developments. Nexamp plans to use the freed-up capital to reinvest in new solar projects, expanding its community solar footprint whilst providing cost savings to households, small businesses, and municipalities.

Mercom India
Jul 6th, 2026
Nexamp secures $106 million financing for community solar projects.

Nexamp secures $106 million financing for community solar projects. The five-year facility will fund operating projects across New York, Illinois, Maine, and Massachusetts July 6, 2026 Follow Mercom India on WhatsApp for exclusive updates on clean energy news and insights Nexamp, a developer of solar and battery storage projects, has closed a $106 million financing facility led by First Citizens Bank to support a portfolio of 20 operating community solar projects across New York, Illinois, Maine, and Massachusetts. MERCOM insider. Where clean energy's most influential leaders get their intelligence Exclusive reporting, market intelligence, and insider access that shapes billion-dollar decisions in renewable energy and clean technology.

pv magazine USA
Jun 26th, 2026
How Illinois is leading the country in the equitable energy transition.

How Illinois is leading the country in the equitable energy transition. At an event celebrating the opening of its new Chicago headquarters, leading community solar developer Nexamp highlighted how Illinois is setting a national benchmark by rapidly scaling renewable energy while deeply embedding equity, labor standards, and inclusive workforce development into the core of its clean energy transition. Jun 26 2026 On June 24, Nexamp, the nation's largest community solar developer (a consumer-forward IPP, as CEO Zaid Ashai recently calls them), opened its Chicago office, the company's second headquarters, for an evening co-hosted with the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI). Policymakers, regulators, and advocates filled the room alongside CELI fellows and students from the Nexamp and City Colleges of Chicago renewable energy fellowship. The stated theme was community investment and workforce development. The deeper story is the one worth making the case for: no state is doing more to prove you can build solar, wind, and batteries fast and do it equitably than Illinois. Plenty of states can deploy renewables. Illinois is deploying them while writing equity, labor standards, and consumer protection into the core of the program, and the results now show up in both megawatts and people. Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai set the tone, framing the transition as a choice. Disruption on this scale can build a more decentralized, equitable economy or produce a K-shaped outcome where the value accrues to the few who hold capital. Done right, he argued, clean energy and affordability are not at odds. Distributed solar and storage are the path to price stability for ordinary ratepayers, not a tax on them. The political backing was in the room. State Representative Marcus C. Evans Jr., Assistant Majority Leader and current president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, put it plainly: infrastructure gets built when government makes a clear decision and stops waffling, and Illinois has made its. Springfield, he said, is lockstep on building a clean energy economy. The numbers behind the claim. Brian Granahan, director of the Illinois Power Agency (IPA), brought the receipts. Illinois has more than 6,000 MW of solar energized, making it the Midwest leader, up from roughly 80 MW a decade ago. More than 13 GW of wind and solar have been developed under the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, and with the Illinois Commerce Commission approving a fresh round of roughly 800 MW of wind and 740 MW of solar, the pipeline pushes toward 14.5 GW. The qualitative point matters more. On the Institute for Local Self-Reliance Community Power Scorecard, Illinois is the only state to earn a B, ahead of New York, Massachusetts, and California. Other states now call Illinois for guidance on equity and consumer protection. Batteries, VPPs, and a real plan. The panel, moderated by Jess Collingsworth, Nexamp's central policy director, dug into the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA, SB 25), signed by Governor Pritzker in January and effective June 1. The people implementing it were on stage. Audrey Steinbach, the IPA's energy storage director, walked through utility-scale storage. Illinois is targeting 3,000 MW of cumulative storage by the end of 2030, beginning with an initial procurement this August and rounds in 2027 and 2028. The first uses an Indexed Storage Credit contract, conceptually similar to New York's. Policy certainty, she stressed, is not nice to have, it is the legislative mandate that lets the IPA work at all. Two more CRGA threads to watch. The residential virtual power plant opens enrollment for ComEd and Ameren customers around mid-July, paying homeowners with batteries for grid services. And the new statewide Integrated Resource Plan, Illinois' first real resource plan, has a draft due in November. JC Kibbey, climate advisor for the State of Illinois, called VPPs the fastest, cheapest way to bring supply online, and noted that 71 percent of Illinoisans want 100 percent clean energy by 2050. Kavi Chintam, Vote Solar's Illinois campaign manager, gave the honest federal counterpoint: with the investment tax credit phasing out, some Illinois Solar for All projects no longer pencil, though raised REC prices have kept Illinois more insulated than most. The picture would still be better with a federal partner than with tariffs and clawbacks. Equity as the through line. Illinois' minimum equity standard requires that 14 percent of a participating project's workforce be equity-eligible, a category that includes graduates of job training programs, formerly incarcerated individuals, foster care alumni, and residents of equity investment eligible communities. Kibbey was candid about the gap that remains: the industry cannot find enough workers while training programs can place only a fraction of their graduates. Closing that gap is what success looks like. Chintam made it concrete. A church in an environmental justice community near Carbondale went solar through Illinois Solar for All, and the savings let it keep a free Sunday breakfast running. That is the kind of impact that never shows up in a spreadsheet. The fellowship that ties it together. The night closed on the most replicable idea of all. Marion Jones, vice president of community engagement & workforce development, introduced Chancellor Juan Salgado of City Colleges of Chicago. Together they described the STEM-based renewable energy fellowship the two launched in 2024 at Olive-Harvey College on the South Side, on track to reach 80 students by year end, up from about 20. What makes it work, Jones explained, is that these are not unpaid interns but part-time paid employees doing real work across project management, grid integration, portfolio operations, policy, and procurement. Once their projects tied to business KPIs, Nexamp's own units went from being asked to take a fellow to requesting two or three. Salgado, whose system serves 73,000 students, used his "Chicago Moonshot" to grow paid apprenticeships to 500 a year within five years as a challenge to other companies: follow the model. Why it matters. Lots of places can put solar, wind, and batteries on the grid. Illinois is doing it while making sure the workforce, the savings, and the ownership reach the communities the old energy economy left behind, and it remains the fastest, cheapest path to a reliable grid. That is what an equitable transition looks like in practice: a procurement schedule, a workforce portal, and a paid fellowship on the South Side. Washington can make it harder. It cannot stop it. Tim Montague is the President of Clean Power Consulting Group, host of the Clean Power Hour podcast, and author of Wired for the Sun: The Commercial Solar Playbook. More about