Principal Electrical Engineer – Power Plant Integration Lead
$221k - $260k/yr
Expert
Bachelor's, Master's
Menlo Park, CA, USA
In PersonOnsite in Menlo Park, California.
Electrical EngineeringPower Systems Engineering
About the job
Requirements
- A Bachelor's or advanced degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field is required.
- At least 24 years of direct experience productizing complex, multidisciplinary industrial systems is required.
- Deep technical knowledge of power conversion systems is required, including medium-voltage step-up transformers (12.47 kV–35 kV), central inverters, switchgear, vacuum circuit breakers, protective relays, and high-current busbar and cabling systems.
- Demonstrated experience driving the engineering lifecycle of modular hardware systems is required, including knowledge of design-to-cost principles, supplier capacity scaling, field reliability, and configuration control.
- A track record of translating diverse technical requirements from electrical, mechanical, and operations teams into a cohesive, manufacturing-ready system design is required.
- Demonstrated success directing third-party design, engineering, or contract manufacturing partners from initial concept through sustained volume production is required.
- Strong working knowledge of grid interconnection standards, utility protection schemes, and safety and compliance frameworks is required, including IEEE 1547, UL 1741 SB/SA, NFPA 70/NEC, and NFPA 855.
Responsibilities
- Take full engineering ownership of next-generation modular power integration skids, translating high-level system architectures into commercialized, production-ready assets by driving design from initial concept through validation and final manufacturing release.
- Define and own the skid-level power topology for utility-scale and data center sites, ensuring electrical and physical integration between linear generators, central inverters, step-up transformers, switchgear, and energy storage systems (BESS).
- Own detailed skid engineering decisions, including hardware selection, spatial layout, thermal management, environmental protection, manufacturability, and field serviceability.
- Partner with internal electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, project delivery, operations, software controls, and supply chain teams to extract, synthesize, and freeze comprehensive system requirements.
- Direct and manage third-party design firms and external manufacturers as the primary technical point of contact, ensuring their engineering and manufacturing outputs align with technical specifications and quality standards.
- Drive scalability and production readiness of larger skid configurations with manufacturing suppliers, using standardized hardware, reducing site-level installation labor, and optimizing designs for high-volume replication.
- Own the skid's cost target and drive design-to-cost trade-offs across hardware selection, supplier strategy, and configuration options.
- Develop a site design configuration tool that specifies the optimal inverter and skid configuration based on customer site requirements.
Desired Qualifications
- Skill in SCADA integration, industrial networking, and designing or certifying control systems to UL 508/508A standards.
About the company
Onsite linear generators convert straight-line motion into electricity using a flameless, low-temperature air–fuel reaction that drives magnets through copper coils. With only two moving parts and an oil-free air-bearing, maintenance is reduced, and the system runs on multiple fuels (natural gas, biogas, hydrogen, ammonia, or propane) with seamless switching. Modules scale from about 250 kW to over 100 MW and produce near-zero NOx without after-treatment. The energy-as-a-service model lets customers install with no upfront cost and pay for the energy used, serving commercial and industrial customers, data centers, utilities, and microgrids, with financing and deployment partners like NextEra Energy Resources and Schneider Electric; the company has attracted major investors and is expanding manufacturing to support growth.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Series F
Total Funding
$726M
Headquarters
Menlo Park, California
Founded
2010
Get referred to Mainspring Energy
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- UMPA selected Mainspring for 48 MW in February 2026, validating utility demand.
- CalBio expanded to 5.3 MW across five California sites in February 2026.
- Chattanooga and Verdagy projects in 2025-2026 prove wastewater methane and hydrogen use cases.
What critics are saying
- Mainspring still depends on the 2027 Pittsburgh plant; permitting or construction slips delay volume.
- Data-center and utility wins stay project-based, so cancellations can crush forecasted revenue.
- A hydrogen commercialization miss would undercut its fuel-flexibility thesis against diesel and turbines.
What makes Mainspring Energy unique
- Tom Linebarger joined June 2026, giving Mainspring Cummins-scale utility and data-center credibility.
- Its linear generators run biogas, hydrogen, ammonia, propane, and natural gas without downtime.
- Pennsylvania factory plans target 1,000 generators yearly, supporting fast domestic supply scaling.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Unlimited Paid Time Off
- Flexible Work Hours
- Remote Work Options
- Paid Vacation
- 401(k) Retirement Plan
- Conference Attendance Budget
- Professional Development Budget
- Wellness Program
- Mental Health Support