Head of Hardware

Peak Energy•Burlingame, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Peak Energy is seeking a Head of Hardware to lead all aspects of hardware development for their ESS platform, encompassing mechanical, structural, thermal, reliability, and test domains. This role involves setting direction, driving execution across subsystem design, integration, validation, and reliability, and ensuring hardware is safe, reliable, and ready for scale. The Head of Hardware will report to the CTO and will be responsible for the hardware roadmap from B2 through the first year of commercial production, aiming for Q1 2027 production at their Sacramento factory. This is a key leadership position for a technical leader aiming to take a hardware product from prototype through production at scale, working on a novel, fully passive megawatt-hour-scale battery storage system.

Requirements

10+ years of hardware engineering experience with at least 5 years in leadership roles.
Proven track record of delivering high-voltage, high-power systems at scale — energy storage, utility-scale renewables, EV traction, or comparable large-scale industrial or automotive hardware.
Expertise across mechanical/structural design and thermal management, with strong working knowledge of HV/LV electrical systems, bussing, and protections.
Prior experience taking a hardware product from prototype through production ramp at scale.
Skilled with CAD (Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or CATIA) and analysis tools (FEA, CFD), plus hands-on prototyping and validation experience.
Strong understanding of certification and safety requirements for grid-scale storage or comparable high-reliability hardware.
Excellent communicator and team builder with the ability to align across disciplines.
Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Experience scaling hardware teams in startups or high-growth environments (10+ to 30+ engineers).
Familiarity with manufacturing processes for BESS enclosures, interconnects, and cooling systems.
Exposure to sodium-ion, lithium-ion, or other advanced battery technologies.
Prior experience partnering with contract manufacturers OR standing up in-house factory production.
Experience navigating certification bodies (UL, TÜV, Intertek) end-to-end on a shipping product.
Background in grid-scale energy storage, EV traction, or utility-scale renewables specifically.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical lead for all ESS hardware.
Lead system design and ensure successful integration across electrical, mechanical, structural, and thermal systems.
Define and maintain subsystem hardware requirements for HV/LV distribution, enclosures, interconnects, cooling, and protections.
Own the reliability function: design for reliability, DFMEA, accelerated life testing, and lifetime prediction for high-voltage electronics.
Own verification testing: mechanical reliability, thermal cycling, HV insulation, seismic and structural performance.
Oversee design-for-manufacturability and partner with Manufacturing Engineering and supply chain to scale production at our Sacramento factory.
Ensure compliance with the certification and safety standards that matter for grid-scale storage — UL 9540, IEC 62933, IEEE 693, NEC Article 706 — and represent Peak with certification bodies.
Partner with the Product, Software, Systems, and Cell functions to deliver tight end-to-end product integration.
Recruit, mentor, and grow a multidisciplinary hardware team spanning mechanical, structural, thermal, reliability, and test engineering.
Own the team's technical bar and career growth.