Senior Applications Engineer - Advanced Module Frames

Nextpower • Nashville, TN

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Applications Engineer for Advanced Module Frames serves as a technical resource for customers and works with Sales, Product Marketing, Engineering, Quality, and Operations to support commercialization and adoption of advanced PV module frames. The role investigates customer inquiries and product issues, provides engineering guidance, and coordinates specialized engineering and testing projects with internal teams and external partners. It also maintains organized records of customer requests, actions, qualification results, technical documentation, and lessons learned.

The position supports module manufacturers, framing equipment suppliers, testing laboratories, developers, independent engineers, lenders, and investors. The engineer is expected to anticipate emerging challenges, communicate technical information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, and help resolve issues while considering safety, quality, customer requirements, manufacturability, schedule, cost, and product performance. Frequent domestic and international travel may be required, up to 80%.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline.
• At least 5 years of experience in applications engineering, product engineering, mechanical engineering, or technical customer support.
• Strong understanding of mechanical design, materials, structural performance, manufacturing processes, and testing.
• Demonstrated ability to independently investigate and resolve complex technical problems.
• Experience working directly with customers and communicating technical information effectively.
• Strong project management, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate across commercial and engineering functions.
• Self-directed, proactive approach with strong ownership and accountability.
• Ability to work with global teams and travel domestically or internationally as needed.
• Ability to work safely in outdoor construction, industrial, manufacturing, and customer-site environments.
• Ability to safely and legally operate a motor vehicle.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and perform frequent standing, walking, bending, climbing, and movement across active project sites.
• Ability to tolerate exposure to noise, heavy equipment, variable weather, and outdoor construction conditions, wear required PPE, and follow site-specific safety requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree.
• Experience with PV module manufacturing equipment and factory operations.
• Familiarity with PV module mechanical design, structural loading, reliability testing, and qualification.
• Knowledge of IEC 61215, IEC 61730, UL 61730, PQP, and relevant testing standards.
• Experience with external engineering firms, laboratories, or certification organizations.
• Experience supporting technical due diligence for developers, independent engineers, lenders, or investors.

Responsibilities

• Lead investigations and resolution of customer technical inquiries related to Advanced Module Frames.
• Provide guidance on product applications, mechanical performance, manufacturing integration, testing, qualification, and installation.
• Coordinate technical analyses and test results and deliver clear recommendations.
• Serve as a technical contact for module manufacturers, laboratories, third-party engineering groups, developers, and other stakeholders.
• Support the global Sales organization through customer meetings, technical presentations, and resolution of product-adoption barriers.
• Support Product Marketing with technical presentations, application notes, white papers, FAQs, competitive comparisons, and supporting data.
• Communicate customer requirements to Engineering, investigate technical challenges, and recommend product improvements.
• Coordinate specialized projects involving external engineering consultants, testing laboratories, and technical partners.
• Help define project scopes, requirements, schedules, deliverables, and acceptance criteria; participate in technical reviews and evaluate results.
• Track project milestones and risks, coordinate internal and external activities, and communicate project status.
• Maintain organized tracking of customer inquiries, engineering action items, and outstanding commitments; prioritize work by urgency, customer impact, and commercial importance.
• Build and maintain an accessible knowledge base of technical documentation, qualification results, and lessons learned.
• Communicate critical technical issues and project status to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Identify recurring issues and contribute to improvements in tools, documentation, and workflows.
• Follow applicable standards and escalate risks or exceptions as appropriate.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior