Sr. Director, V&V Engineering

Nextpower•Fremont, CA

1d•$265,000 - $285,000

About The Position

The Senior Director, Verification and Validation (V&V) Engineering leads the strategy, organization, and execution of end-to-end testing across Nextpower products, systems, and integrated solutions. This leader connects requirements and design intent to objective evidence, from component and product verification through system integration, qualification, and field validation. In close partnership with engineering and business teams, the role ensures solutions are safe, reliable, performant, and ready for customer use.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical field
15 or more years of relevant engineering experience, including substantial responsibility for verification, validation, test, or reliability
Seven or more years leading multidisciplinary engineering or test teams, including responsibility for managers, organizational capability, or major cross-functional programs
Demonstrated success leading end-to-end V&V for complex hardware and software products, system-level integration, and customer-facing integrated solutions
Strong command of requirements-based testing, risk analysis, design of experiments, reliability and qualification methods, failure analysis, and evidence-based release decisions
Experience designing and operating lab, test-yard, field, or customer-pilot programs, with sound judgment about test coverage, safety, data quality, and schedule trade-offs
Ability to build trust across technical and business teams and communicate test evidence, technical risk, and recommendations clearly to executives and customers

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in engineering or a related technical field
Experience in utility-scale solar, renewable energy, power electronics, eBOS, electromechanical products, industrial automation, or other complex energy systems
Familiarity with product certification and compliance programs, including relevant UL, IEC, IEEE, NRTL, or grid-interconnection requirements
Experience with test automation, requirements or test-management platforms, simulation, data analytics, software-in-the-loop, or hardware-in-the-loop environments
Experience leading globally distributed teams and working with contract manufacturers, suppliers, independent laboratories, and field partners

Responsibilities

Set the end-to-end V&V strategy, including establishing a risk-based V&V strategy, standards, methods, and lifecycle gates that span requirements, design, development, qualification, launch, and field learning.
Translate product requirements, system use cases, hazards, and design inputs into test plans, requirement traceability, coverage goals, acceptance criteria, and clear ownership; engage early enough to influence architecture and design.
Lead product verification and qualification by directing component, subsystem, and product testing for functional and performance behavior, reliability and durability, environmental exposure, mechanical and structural integrity, electrical and thermal behavior, controls and software, and safety or EMC needs as applicable.
Ensure test methods reflect intended use, operating limits, foreseeable misuse, and appropriate margins; use analysis and simulation alongside physical testing where each adds useful evidence.
Own system integration and integrated-solution validation by defining and leading integration testing for solutions that combine Nextpower products and interfaces, including mechanical structures, eBOS, power conversion, controls, software, and third-party equipment as applicable.
Validate interfaces, interoperability, system performance, safety, resilience, and customer workflows across normal, fault, boundary, and recovery conditions, progressing from simulation and bench testing through labs, test yards, pilots, and field deployments.
Confirm that system configurations and test environments represent installation, operating, and service conditions customers will encounter.
Build scalable test capability by developing a high-performing, globally connected V&V organization and the lab, test-yard, instrumentation, test-rig, and field-validation capabilities needed to support the product roadmap.
Expand automation, data capture and analysis, requirements-to-test traceability, reusable test assets, and simulation, software-in-the-loop, and hardware-in-the-loop methods where appropriate.
Maintain safe test practices, calibrated equipment, repeatable procedures, and reliable data.
Guide release decisions and continuous learning by setting evidence-based readiness reviews and communicating coverage, test results, open issues, residual risks, and release recommendations clearly to engineering and executive leaders.
Lead failure triage, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and regression testing; turn test, pilot, customer, and field findings into design and process improvements.
Partner across Product, Systems, Engineering, Quality, Certification, Software, NPI, Operations, Service, suppliers, and customers to resolve cross-functional risks.
Lead people, planning, and partnerships by setting organization priorities, staffing plans, budgets, equipment investments, and external lab or supplier partnerships; align test capacity to program timing and business needs.
Coach leaders and technical staff, strengthen engineering judgment, and create clear accountability for test quality, execution, and timely escalation.