Field Service Technician - Utility Solar Inverters

Field Service Technician, Utility Solar Inverters, Minneapolis MN

LOCATION AND WORK MODEL

This position is field based and covers the Midwest region. Candidates must currently reside in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metropolitan area. This position requires significant regional travel, with occasional travel elsewhere in the United States.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Field Service Technician commissions, troubleshoots and repairs SMA utility inverters in the field, and performs warranty repairs across assigned sites in the Midwest region. The role also covers operation and maintenance activity, performance data analysis, and building working knowledge of utility inverter applications.

Candidates new to field service are welcome. We are looking for trainable, motivated people with backgrounds as electricians, electronics or test technicians, wind technicians, battery storage commissioning technicians, utility or substation technicians, I&E technicians, VFD or drive technicians, data center critical facilities technicians, military electricians, or electrical engineering graduates who want hands on field work. Full inverter training is provided at SMA headquarters.

PRIMARY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assists with commissioning, troubleshoots, repairs and analyzes SMA America’s utility inverters in the field, by email, telephone and site visits.
• Works regularly with high voltage DC electricity, three phase power, and the relevant software and firmware of the inverters.
• Assists with, performs and maintains maintenance activities in accordance with the SMA product maintenance manual on assigned sites, consistent with SMA customer contractual obligations.
• Develops a detailed knowledge of SMA’s utility inverter products, associated SMA accessories, and third party accessories sold by SMA for use with the inverters.
• Maintains an accurate inventory count of spare parts provided by SMA.
• Maintains a high level of customer satisfaction while striving to lower the costs of field service.
• Other duties as may be required or assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Current residence in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metropolitan area.
• At least 3 years of experience in electrical, electronic and/or network communications.
• A bachelor’s degree in a technical field, or equivalent hands on electrical experience in renewables, wind, battery storage, utility, industrial or military settings.
• Ability to work nonstandard business hours and a nonstandard schedule as needed to support service customer contracts.
• Ability to meet the travel requirements of the role.
• No prior field service experience required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior experience in the renewable energy industry.
• Experience with inverters, VFDs, battery storage systems, PLCs or SCADA.
• Knowledge of solar and alternative energy markets.
• Knowledge of the National Electrical Code.
• Ability to analyze and solve problems effectively.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is constantly required to travel, stand, walk, talk, hear, look, smell and see. The employee is occasionally required to sit, reach above the shoulder, stoop, bend, squat and kneel, and must routinely lift up to 50 pounds. The work environment is constrained to a field service environment, with occasional functions in a corporate office. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is occasionally exposed to electrical hazards and to weather of extreme temperatures. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

WE OFFER

• Compensation: $33.00 to $35.50 per hour, set by job level and experience, with overtime paid after eight hours in a day. Candidates new to field service typically start near the beginning of the range, and the top of the range is reserved for extensive utility inverter experience. Pay above $35.50 is not available for this role.
• Field Service Allowance: $120 each pay period, about $3,120 a year.
• Vehicle: Company truck with fuel card, insurance and maintenance, so no personal vehicle or mileage is required.
• Equipment: Company provided tools, PPE, work clothing and safety footwear.
• Travel: Company credit card, with per diem and hotel covered on overnight travel.
• Training: Paid inverter training at SMA headquarters in Rocklin, CA.
• Benefits: Medical plan options through Aetna, plus Kaiser in California, including a $0 premium option, with SMA covering about 90% or more of medical premiums and contributing up to $1,500 a year to your HSA on the high deductible plan.
• Coverage: $0 employee only dental and vision options, plus short and long term disability and $50,000 in life and AD&D insurance at no cost.
• Time Off: 16 days of PTO, increasing with tenure, plus 12 paid holidays.
• Retirement: 401k plan with a 100% match up to 5%.
• Education: Tuition reimbursement and opportunities for professional development.
• Work Model: Field based, with a home office in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metropolitan area.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full time basis. SMA America does not offer employment visa sponsorship of any kind, including H-1B, OPT, CPT or TN visas. Candidates who currently require or will in the future require visa sponsorship are not eligible for this role. Candidates operating under a temporary work permit or any visa tied employment authorization are also not eligible.

AI ASSISTED APPLICATION MATERIALS

We welcome candidates who use AI tools to organize or polish their application materials. Your resume and responses must accurately reflect your own experience and be written in your own voice. Applications that include fabricated or exaggerated experience, hidden text or embedded instructions, or prescreen responses that do not reflect your own knowledge may be removed from consideration.

RECRUITMENT FRAUD NOTICE

All SMA America openings are posted on our official careers page and all recruiter communication comes from an @sma-america.com address. We never request payment, banking information or a Social Security number during the recruitment process. If you are contacted about an SMA America role from a personal email account, or asked for any of the above, please forward the message to [email protected].