Senior Project Manager - BESS

Richardson Electronics Ltd•Blackberry Township, IL

2d•$120,000 - $130,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Project Manager - BESS combines technical project management, design engineering, and cross-functional leadership for new and existing Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) product lines and customer installations. The position helps complete the BESS Demo Center installation in LaFox and supports customer installation requirements from planning through commissioning and final handover. The role is accountable for supporting project schedules, project and product costs, technical quality, safety, and clear stakeholder communication. The position leads assigned projects through planning, design, installation, commissioning, and handover, while coordinating product-development and engineering activities, procurement, permitting, utility interconnection, construction, testing, and customer requirements. It provides leadership across internal teams and external project participants without direct supervisory responsibility unless assigned. Work is primarily based in LaFox, Illinois, with activity in office, engineering, manufacturing, construction, customer-site, and BESS installation environments. Travel to customers, vendors, projects, and installation sites is required as business needs dictate. The role may involve active construction areas, electrical equipment, varying temperatures, noise, and other site conditions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or a related field from an accredited institution; equivalent practical field experience may be considered.
At least five years of relevant project engineering or project management experience in general construction, energy, electrical systems, or a closely related field, including at least three years leading or supporting solar PV, ESS/BESS, or comparable complex electro-mechanical projects.
At least one year of prior project engineering or equivalent technical project management experience in BESS or a similar engineering field.
Experience coordinating projects across design, procurement, manufacturing, installation, testing, commissioning, and customer handover.
Strong understanding of medium- and high-voltage electrical systems, civil site work, utility interconnection, applicable NEC requirements, and energy storage safety standards, including NFPA 855.
Ability to develop and manage schedules, budgets, resource plans, risks, change orders, requests for information, submittals, and project reporting.
Strong customer communication, problem-solving, leadership, organization, and cross-functional coordination skills.
Ability to communicate technical and project information clearly to executive leadership, customers, contractors, and internal teams.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Project or equivalent project management software.
Must be authorized to work in the US.
Ability to move through active project and construction areas; stand, walk, climb stairs or ladders, and inspect equipment and installations.
Must be able to use required personal protective equipment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Procore, Primavera P6, and AutoCAD viewing or markup.
PMP, OSHA 30-Hour Construction, NABCEP, or Professional Engineer certification.

Responsibilities

Lead assigned BESS projects from initial planning and design through installation, commissioning, and handover.
Facilitate the BESS Demo Center installation in LaFox and apply lessons learned to future customer projects.
Work directly with customers to define installation requirements, site needs, technical interfaces, schedules, and project deliverables.
Provide cross-functional project leadership among Engineering, Product Management, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Service, contractors, utilities, and outside partners.
Manage and continuously improve Phase-Gate product development activities for new and existing BESS product lines.
Improve estimating of project cost, product cost, resource requirements, schedules, and key milestones within the Phase-Gate process.
Work with Product Management to understand and refine product requirements.
Manage project engineering, procurement, and permitting workflows, utility interconnection, and commissioning in alignment with local codes, authorities having jurisdiction, and customer requirements.
Obtain or coordinate required permits and regulatory approvals and ensure projects remain aligned with approved plans.
Develop and maintain project plans, milestones, budgets, resource estimates, product cost estimates, and status reporting.
Review contracts, scopes of work, engineered drawings, bills of materials, and technical requirements to identify risks, constructability concerns, and value-engineering opportunities.
Participate in vendor and subcontractor procurement, including negotiating contracts, scope boundaries, schedules, and deliverables.
Coordinate site superintendents, vendors, subcontractors, third-party inspectors, commissioning agents, and controls engineers to maintain project momentum and resolve technical or schedule issues.
Track project financials, manage billing schedules, and control budget variances.
Monitor schedules, change orders, requests for information, and submittal approvals; escalate risks, delays, or unavailable resources with options and recommendations.
Prepare concise presentations and weekly and monthly progress reports for customers, internal leadership, project sponsors, and executive leadership.
Define project milestones and report progress from concept through production.
Perform hands-on design and development of complex electro-mechanical assemblies and bills of materials with Sales and Product Management.
Coordinate engineering tasks, design reviews, agency requirements, testing, mitigations, prototype and Alpha/Beta builds, and all phases of product development.
Direct day-to-day project operations across civil, structural, electrical, controls, and battery storage workstreams associated with BESS installations.
Coordinate long-lead equipment deliveries and system components, including inverters, solar modules, transformers, battery enclosures or ESS containers, and related electrical equipment.
Oversee installation, integration, and commissioning of BESS, including battery management systems, thermal management, fire suppression, system testing, capacity testing, and final grid interconnection.
Maintain quality control and ensure compliance with company safety requirements, OSHA requirements, approved plans, and applicable codes and standards.
Read and interpret electrical schematics, blueprints, floor plans, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing drawings.
Use technical knowledge of DC/DC, AC/DC, and DC/AC conversion, schematic and PCB design, analog and digital circuits, and mechanical design to evaluate and resolve project issues.
Identify project or product risks early, define issues clearly, and recommend practical solutions that protect schedule, cost, quality, and customer commitments.
Plan all phases of the construction lifecycle from initiation through completion.
Lead and coordinate construction workers and collaborate with other contractors and project participants.
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.