Senior/Staff Hardware Applications Engineer

Heron Power•Scotts Valley, CA

2d•$140,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Heron Power is a startup developing scalable, innovative, and lower-cost power electronics for the grid, with an initial focus on converters that connect 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 includes bringing up hardware in the lab and at pilot sites, developing scripts to operate test equipment and power converters, and debugging 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 engineer will lead end-to-end application testing of the SuperBBU battery pack with the SST; support SST and BESS integration and testing at pilot sites; test integration with commercial off-the-shelf DAS, SCADA, and EMS systems; and lead Heron’s initial pilot deployments. The role also develops Python-based test automation and safely operates and configures high-power test hardware, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems.

Requirements

At least 5 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 the ability to correlate test data with simulation results.
Strong scripting and test-automation skills for operating 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 communications 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 integration testing of the SST with commercial off-the-shelf DAS, SCADA, and EMS systems.
Own initial pilot deployments, review field performance, identify feature gaps, and work with software and firmware teams to translate 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.