Director of Operations

Nextpower•San Jose, CA

12d

About The Position

Nextpower is an integrated clean energy technology company that supplies equipment and technology solutions to EPCs, developers, owners, and operators in utility scale solar, energy storage, and critical power infrastructure. The Director of Operations leads the cross functional operating process that converts qualified opportunities into accurate, buildable, and execution ready product solutions before contract signature and through the transition into Project Execution. This leader aligns Project Engineering, Sales and Estimating, and Material Sourcing with Product Management. The role ensures designs match quotes, products are within approved guidelines and can be built and supported, pricing and cost inputs are current, tariffs and logistics are captured, and project risks are visible before Nextpower commits to the work.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing, industrial engineering, supply chain, business, or a related discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.
Ten or more years of progressive experience in renewable energy technology, utility scale solar, electrical equipment, eBOS, wire management, power systems, industrial manufacturing technology, or a related equipment supplier environment.
At least five years leading cross functional teams in pre-award operations, project coordination, estimating, sourcing, commercial operations, or a related function.
Experience supporting productized equipment or technology solutions sold to EPCs, developers, owners, or operators, with accountability for the technical and commercial baseline.
Demonstrated experience aligning designs, bills of material, cost estimates, supplier inputs, customer requirements, and delivery assumptions before contract award.
Working knowledge of utility scale solar and electrical balance of system applications, including combiner and disconnect boxes, harnesses, trunk or IPC systems, and wire management solutions.
Experience managing supplier, material, lead time, logistics, tariff, trade compliance, buildability, and project risks.
Strong analytical, written, verbal, and executive communication skills, with the ability to influence in a matrixed organization.

Nice To Haves

Experience with utility scale photovoltaic, battery energy storage, power conversion, critical power, electrical infrastructure, or related clean energy systems.
Experience with contract manufacturers, OEM or ODM partners, international suppliers, cross border sourcing, or supplier transfers.
Experience establishing readiness gates, bid review processes, cost databases, product rosters, standardized pricing files, or project handoff standards.
Experience with ERP, PLM, CRM, configure price quote, estimating, sourcing, or product data systems.
Professional certification such as PMP, PE, CPSM, Lean Six Sigma, or a related credential.

Responsibilities

Own the standard operating model from qualified opportunity through contract award and accepted handoff to Project Execution.
Establish readiness gates, review cadence, templates, decision rights, and escalation paths for bids and customer opportunities.
Lead bid and readiness reviews across Project Engineering, Sales, Sourcing, Product, Compliance, Logistics, and Finance.
Run bid or no bid and conditional approval reviews when technical, commercial, supply, compliance, or delivery risks remain unresolved.
Ensure PJE designs, configurations, bills of material, quantities, and customer deliverables match requirements, approved product guidelines, and contract scope.
Confirm that proposed eBOS and wire management products can be built, documented, supported, and delivered within current manufacturing and supplier capabilities.
Maintain alignment with Product Management and Product Engineering on product availability, product roster, technical data, documentation, certifications, and approved deviations.
Identify capability or product gaps early and ensure required development, qualification, documentation, or approval work is explicitly planned.
Ensure estimates use current and traceable inputs for material, direct labor, manufacturing overhead, tariffs, freight, logistics, and other material cost drivers.
Coordinate with Material Sourcing and Supply Chain to validate supplier assignments, standardized pricing files, availability, lead times, capacity, and known constraints.
Validate that the proposed source and allocation or build path support the project schedule, customer delivery requirements, quality expectations, and cost target.
Ensure country of origin, trade routes, tariffs, packaging, shipping lanes, delivery timing, and site requirements are reflected in the commercial baseline.
Escalate risks that require a design, source, commercial, schedule, or customer commitment change.
Lead the formal transition to the Senior Director of Project Execution and project manager at contract signature or the defined award point.
Deliver an accepted handoff package containing the approved scope and bid baseline, final design and bill of material, product configuration, sourcing plan, cost and logistics assumptions, build path, delivery milestones, revenue related timing inputs, and open risks with owners.
Remain available to clarify pre signature assumptions during the initial execution phase and use post award corrections to improve the process at the source.
Set clear ownership, priorities, staffing, and accountability across Project Engineering, Sales and Estimating, and Material Sourcing.
Improve the quality and governance of ERP, PLM, CRM, configure price quote, estimating, sourcing, and pricing data used in commercial decisions.
Track practical measures such as quote cycle time, readiness completion, handoff completeness, post award change rate, bid to actual variance, and avoidable margin leakage.
Create a culture of fact based review, timely escalation, cross functional accountability, and continuous improvement.