Job Title: Staff Electrical Engineer
Location: Danbury, CT or Mississauga, ON
This role is central to that effort. We are looking for a principal electrical and controls engineer who has done this kind of work before, someone who can help architect the path forward, raise the technical bar, and mentor a talented team through a meaningful technology transition.
Hybridization and Load-Following Architecture:
- Define the electrical and controls architecture for integrating BESS, supercapacitors, or other fast
- response assets with our MCFC power plants
- Develop strategies for dynamic load-following, transient response, and power smoothing, capabilities our
- current systems were not designed for
- Support grid-forming, islanding, black-start, and high-availability operating modes suited to data center
- and mission-critical applications
- Evaluate and select hybrid topologies, inverter interfaces, and energy management approaches that work
- within MCFC technology constraints
Controls Architecture and Modernization:
- Assess and improve our current PLC-based control architecture across ladder logic, structured text, and
- function block programs for reliability, maintainability, and scalability
- Establish controls standards and reusable frameworks that reduce the amount of custom tuning required
- at each customer site
- Work with the team to systematically reduce field debugging time through better upfront design,
- validation, and documentation practices
- Identify where controls architecture changes are needed to support hybridization, load-following, and
- higher uptime targets
- Develop and maintain control philosophies, functional specifications, and system-level architecture
- documentation
- Support SCADA and HMI integration across plant, module, EBOP, and grid interface applications
Simulation, Modeling and MIL/SIL/HIL:
- Help the organization build toward a simulation-first development culture; we understand this is a journey
- and are looking for someone who can lead it practically
- Develop or adapt dynamic system models using MATLAB/Simulink, Modelica, Python, or equivalent tools
- that allow controls logic to be tested before field deployment
- Lead or support model-in-the-loop (MIL), software-in-the-loop (SIL), and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)
- efforts as capability is built out
- Provide practical guidance on which modeling and simulation investments will have the highest near-term
- payoff in our product development cycle
Power Electronics and Electrical Equipment:
- Apply deep knowledge of power electronics used in distributed generation including inverters, rectifiers,
- DC-DC converters, UPS systems, and associated protection and switching equipment
- Lead electrical architecture for HV/MV/LV distribution systems including transformers, switchgear,
- electrical panels, VFDs, grounding, bonding, and auxiliary power systems
- Specify and oversee conduiting, cable tray, wiring, and electrical balance-of-plant (EBOP) systems from
- concept through installation
- Develop and review electrical drawing packages including one-line diagrams, schematics, panel schedules,
- conduit and cable schedules, grounding plans, and as-built documentation
- Lead or contribute to protection coordination studies, relay settings, arc-flash analysis, and fault current
- calculations
- Apply relevant certification and compliance frameworks including FC-1, UL, CE, NFPA, NEC, and IEEE
- standards across product and plant designs
EPC and Integrator Coordination:
- Support technical interface with EPCs, large-scale systems integrators, and equipment vendors across
- electrical and controls scope
- Define contractor deliverables and review EPC-produced drawings, specifications, and submittals for
- technical accuracy and compliance
- Support utility interconnection activities including coordination with utilities, EPCs, and permitting
- authorities
- Manage technical interfaces across multi-party projects, ensuring alignment between FuelCell Energy's
- engineering standards and contractor execution
- Provide technical input during procurement, bid evaluation, and vendor qualification processes
Commissioning and Field Support:
- Support FAT, SAT, commissioning, startup, energization, and field troubleshooting activities
- Develop commissioning plans, LOTO procedures, and customer acceptance protocols
- Support root cause analysis and corrective actions for controls and electrical field issues
- Coordinate with field service teams during installation, startup, and system integration at customer sites
Required:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related field
- 8+ or more years of relevant experience in industrial controls, distributed generation, or complex power
- systems
- Hands-on PLC programming experience across ladder logic, structured text, and function block, and a clear
- view of where that approach has limitations
- Experience with hybrid power systems, BESS integration, or fast-response storage paired with generation
- assets
- Deep working knowledge of power electronics including inverters, rectifiers, converters, and associated
- protection equipment used in distributed generation applications
- Experience with electrical drawing packages including one-lines, schematics, panel schedules, and conduit
- and cable schedules
- Familiarity with certification and compliance frameworks relevant to distributed power equipment: FC-1,
- UL, CE, NFPA, NEC, and IEEE standards
- Demonstrated experience working with EPCs and large-scale systems integrators as a technical owner,
- including drawing review, specification development, and contractor coordination
- Working knowledge of protection coordination, grounding, arc-flash analysis, and industrial electrical
- safety
- Experience supporting field commissioning and startup, with a practical understanding of what it looks like
- when controls are not right and why
- Experience with or genuine interest in advancing simulation-based controls development including MIL,
- SIL, and HIL methodologies
- Strong communicator, able to explain technical tradeoffs clearly and work across engineering, field, and
- commercial teams
- Hands-on experience with MIL/SIL/HIL environments or digital twin development using MATLAB/Simulink,
- Modelica, or equivalent
Preferred:
- Experience with fuel cells, electrochemical systems, or other slow-response generation assets that require
- hybridization for dynamic applications
- Experience with data center power infrastructure, UPS architectures, or high-availability power design
- Familiarity with grid-forming inverters, microgrid controllers, or utility-scale energy management systems
- Experience with DC power systems, high-voltage DC distribution, or insulation monitoring
- Experience with ETAP, AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, SolidWorks Electrical, or similar engineering tools
- PE license or EIT designation
Never miss an opportunity! Create an alert based on the job you applied for.
