Hardware Applications Engineer

Heron Power•Scotts Valley, CA

1d•$120,000 - $160,000

About The Position

Heron Power is a startup developing power electronics for the electricity grid, with an initial focus on converters that connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads. The Hardware Applications Engineer owns application-specific testing of Heron’s solid state transformer (SST) across AI data centers, utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), and photovoltaic plants. The role brings up hardware in the lab and at pilot sites, develops scripts to operate test equipment and power converters, and debugs performance against application requirements. The engineer works closely with the Systems Integration team, which owns the SST platform, while this role owns its applications. The position includes end-to-end testing of a high C-rate battery pack with the SST, supporting integration tests at pilot sites, and integrating the SST with commercial off-the-shelf DAS, SCADA, and EMS systems. It also owns Heron’s first pilot deployments, reviews field performance, identifies feature gaps, and collaborates with software and firmware teams on product improvements. The engineer writes and maintains Python-based test automation and safely operates high-power test hardware while preparing cabling, instrumentation, and data acquisition. Heron describes its environment as dynamic and collaborative, grounded in first-principles engineering and focused on solving difficult problems. The company emphasizes learning together and supporting personal, technical, and career growth.

Requirements

At least 2 years of hands-on experience in power electronics, energy storage, EV, grid, or a comparable hardware-intensive environment.
Strong understanding of DC circuit fundamentals, including resonances, parasitics, slew rates, and inductive spikes, and ability to correlate test data with simulation results.
Strong scripting and test-automation skills for driving instruments and power converters and logging and analyzing data.
Working knowledge of power conversion and battery systems, including inverters and converters, BMS, DC pre-charge, contactors and protection, and thermal and cooling loops.
Comfort using lab instrumentation such as oscilloscopes, power analyzers, and DAQ systems, and working with communication protocols such as CAN and Modbus TCP.
A scrappy, initiative-driven approach to getting work done despite obstacles.

Nice To Haves

Experience with solid state transformers or grid-forming inverters.
Familiarity with utility-scale BESS commissioning, grid-support functions, or EMS integration.
Prior experience in systems-level testing of power electronics or energy storage products.
Hands-on experience with circuit and system simulation tools such as LTspice, Simscape, or PLECS.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end application testing of the SuperBBU high C-rate battery pack with Heron’s SST, validating ripple mitigation, backup capability, slew rates, and power-loss profiles.
Support SST and utility-scale BESS integration testing at pilot sites, including EMS-to-SST communication, black-start and grid-forming coordination, charge/discharge cycling, and round-trip efficiency.
Support SST integration testing with commercial off-the-shelf DAS, SCADA, and EMS systems.
Own Heron’s first pilot deployments by reviewing field performance, identifying feature gaps, and working with software and firmware teams to turn findings into product improvements.
Write and maintain Python-based test automation to command power converters, sequence tests, log data, and convert manual procedures into repeatable automated loops.
Safely operate power converters, chillers, contactors, and protection hardware; set up cabling, instrumentation, and data acquisition for high-power test runs.
Bring up hardware in the lab and at pilot sites, and debug performance against application requirements.