Performance Engineer III

Radian Generation

11d•Remote

About The Position

The Performance Engineer III supports a portfolio of solar and battery storage system (BESS) assets, providing advanced technical analysis, performance monitoring, and engineering consulting to optimize system reliability, availability, and contractual compliance. This role blends PV performance engineering with specialized BESS analytics, focusing on remote monitoring, performance reporting, and interpretation of key energy storage metrics. LTSA-driven availability requirements, and system level diagnostics. The engineer will work cross-functionally with Portfolio Management, Technical Asset Management, Onboarding, and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) partners to identify issues, drive root-cause analysis, develop standardized BESS process, and ensure assets operate in alignment with technical, commercial, regulatory, and contractual requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering discipline; advanced degree preferred but not required.
~5+ years of experience in renewable energy with a BESS experience preferred.
Proven experience evaluating PV and/or BESS system performance, interpreting operational data, and performing root-cause analysis.
Strong understanding of BESS metrics (throughput, cycles, SOC, DoD), availability calculations, degradation factors, and LTSA frameworks.
Familiarity with BMS/EMS behavior, PCS interactions, system alarms, and operational modes.
Excellent (interpersonal, verbal, and written) communication skills.
Experience in collaborating with field service, electrical, or controls engineering teams on diagnosing system-level behaviors.
Strong PV and BESS performance analysis capabilities, including interpretation of key operational metrics.
Understanding of BESS system functionality, components, control logic, and common fault behaviors.
Knowledge of power generation systems, substations, medium-voltage (MV) equipment, and electrical schematics.
Ability to analyze high-resolution SCADA, EMS/BMS, and historian data and interpret performance impacts.
Proficiency in technical data analysis and performance reporting.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions.
Ability to simplify complex technical topics and communicate actionable insights to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Experience coaching or mentoring team members and contributing to process and documentation improvements.
Ability to identify operational risks, performance degradations, or system vulnerabilities and recommend mitigation strategies.
Demonstrated experience conducting root-cause analysis and developing clear, accurate technical reports.
MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Adobe PDF.
Database and data processing tool proficiency.

Nice To Haves

PV simulation experience (e.g., PVSyst); BESS modeling experience is a plus.
Exposure to commissioning, functional testing (FAT/SAT), or site acceptance of utility-scale BESS assets.
Awareness of ISO/RTO operational frameworks (e.g., ERCOT) and how grid or interconnection requirements influence BESS operating behavior.
Experience working within utility, energy storage, or U.S.-based renewable energy environments.
Experience delivering engineering or process improvement projects; Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt is a plus.
Familiarity with data visualization or analytics tools (Power BI, Tableau, Python, or SQL) is a plus

Responsibilities

Evaluate technical performance of solar and battery storage sites; identify performance deviations, data anomalies, and root causes.
Monitor day-to-day performance through SCADA, EMS/BMS dashboards, historian systems, and asset management platforms.
Analyze BESS-specific metrics including energy import/export, throughput, cycle count, state of charge (SOC), depth of discharge (DoD), roundtrip efficiency, and degradation indicators.
Assess battery availability in accordance with Long-Term Service Agreements (LTSAs), recognizing variations in client contractual requirements.
Interpret BMS/EMS alarms, PCS events, state transitions, and system operating modes; collaborate with controls, field service, and electrical engineers to diagnose issues.
Track equipment, data, and communications outages and collaborate with O&M/OEM partners to minimize duration and frequency.
Manage and maintain technical tickets and validate corrective actions.
Lead high-complexity root cause investigations and cross-functional issue resolution.
Identify operational risks, performance degradations, and vulnerabilities and recommend mitigation strategies.
Produce high-quality monthly reports for PV and BESS assets for client management teams and other stakeholders.
Maintain and update performance and expected energy models for PV and BESS sites.
Support multiple clients with continuous analysis, insights, and performance interpretations.
Communicate technical findings to diverse audiences, including non-technical stakeholders.
Perform technical reviews of drawings, system designs, commissioning documentation, and BESS controls configuration, and PV system configurations.
Conduct performance analysis for underperforming assets and provide recommendations for corrective actions.
Support technical onboarding of new PV and BESS sites, including validating PVSyst models, expected energy assumptions, BESS contractual models, and design-to-forecast alignment.
Ensure understanding of utility-interconnection protocols, EMS behavior, and system integration considerations.
Provide engineering support during commissioning, functional testing, or SAT/FAT review processes where required.
Review onboarding documentation for new PV/BESS sites.
Validate energy models and compare design assumptions to forecasts.
Collaborate with commercial teams to ensure alignment between technical performance assumptions and commercial modeling.
Apply knowledge of electrical system architecture including substations, transformers, switchgear, MV equipment, inverters, PCS, battery racks, BMS, and thermal management systems.
Support fault diagnosis using logs, protective relay data, event files, EMS/BMS alarms, and field service notes.
General awareness of grid requirements, utility interconnection, ISO/RTO operations (e.g., ERCOT), and NERC reliability concepts relevant to BESS.
Work with communication protocols including TCP/IP, DNP3, MODBUS for diagnosing data and supervisory control issues.
Lead engineering initiatives and cross-functional continuous improvement projects focused on data quality, reporting consistency, and asset performance.
Provide deep technical expertise to the organization and mentor junior team members.
Create and deliver internal training content related to BESS fundamentals, metrics, availability calculations, and diagnostics.
Develop and standardize BESS performance processes, availability methodologies, reporting frameworks, and diagnostic procedures across the portfolio.
Help develop and standardize BESS performance processes, availability calculations, and reporting methodologies across the portfolio.