Sr. Supply Base Engineer

Sr. Supply Base Engineer

Location: Bay Area- Remote Team: Engineering

The Impact You’ll Make:

The Senior Supply Base Engineer (SBE) will be the primary technical lead at our supplier sites, responsible for the technical health of our global supply chain, serving as the bridge between 1 st Avenue Power’s R&D team and ourmanufacturing partners. In this role, you will partner closely with the Global Supply Manager to identify, assess and select suppliers that will define our global supply footprint. You will be responsible for establishing and scaling our manufacturing partnerships, ensuring that designs move seamlessly from low volume prototyping through EVT, DVT and PVT into high volume mass production. Your work will be essential to delivering our solar and energy storage solutions at scale.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define best-in-class processes to meet all design and operational requirements  
• Work with Global Supply Managers to define and establish supply chain requirements utilizing selected equipment and manufacturing suppliers
• Lead technical assessment of new and existing suppliers to evaluate their manufacturing capabilities, quality systems and technical risks
• Set up manufacturing processes for near-term scaling of v1 products and parallel R&D pathways for future products 
• Partner with suppliers to provide critical feedback to the R&D team, to ensure designs are optimized for high volume manufacturing without sacrificing performance and costs.
• Provide leadership at manufacturing sites during development and product production ramp, and drive engineering issues to resolution
• Own the technical ramp of new products, including process flow, quality and reliability standards, and QC systems
• Support the design, qualification and maintenance of custom jigs, fixtures and test equipment
• Develop and implement SOPs and quality control protocols
• Drive fast resolution of manufacturing issues for on-time production delivery
• Other duties as assigned

The Skills You Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing or relatedfields
• 7 years of experience in manufacturing operations, with at least 3 years in the clean energy, energy storage, solar, or advanced hardware space
• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes relevant to BESS/Solar
• Experience supporting full New Product Introduction (NPI) process from prototype through EVT, DVT, and PVT phases to ensure successful product launch
• Proven expertise in designing and implementing quality control processes
• Strong understanding of both mechanical and electrical systems
• Experience working with engineering and manufacturers to refine designs for manufacturability, and timely and cost-effective execution
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels across the organization
• Proven ability to operate in early-stage environments and scale processes rapidly
• Ability to thrive in a incredibly fast-paced environment with excellent attention to detail
• Willingness to travel up to 40% domestically and internationally

Nice to Have:

• Master’s degree in engineering Electrical/Mechanical/Industrial Engineering, Manufacturingor related fields
• Experience with manufacturing operations in the U.S., Mexico, and Asia
• Familiarity with international standards (UL, IEC, CE) and supply chain traceabilityrequirements for clean energy
• Strong background in factory automation, robotics, and end of line testing for complexelectromechanical systems

Benefits and Perks:

• Competitive Compensation Package

• Remote Flexibility with 5-15% travel to sites as needed

• Health Insurance: We offer 100% coverage of employee premiums under a Gold-level PPO plan. Dental & Vision Insurance: 50% of employee premiums are covered.

• Retirement Plan: A 401(k) plan with a 6% employer match.

Additional Information:

Minimum salary of $176,000 to maximum salary of $220,000 + equity + benefits.

The range provided is 1AP’s reasonable estimate of the base compensation for this role. The actual amount will be based on job-related and non-discriminatory factors such as location, experience, training, skills, and abilities. Consult with your Recruiter during the initial call to determine a more targeted range based on these job-related factors.

About 1st Avenue Power:

At 1st Avenue Power, we are on a mission to deliver simple, fast-to-deploy, customer-centric and intelligent power systems leveraging the abundance of solar to provide inexpensive and reliable clean energy to global customers from data centers to energy starved communities around the world. We envision a future where every community, business, and nation thrives on the limitless potential of clean energy, united in a shared commitment to a sustainable and equitable world.

You will be working with Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, one of the most successful clean energy technology innovators and entrepreneurs who has been a driving force in making solar-based energy solutions the cheapest and most reliable energy option. Tom founded and led Avantus (formerly known as “8minute Solar Energy“), to become one of the largest and most profitable solar and energy storage companies in the United States and the largest in California, including delivering over 17% of Los Angeles’ power.  

When Tom sold his interest in Avantus’ development business  to KKR in mid-2024, it had delivered over $1 billion in profit and secured over $10 Billion in power purchase agreements and project financings with a pipeline of over 30 GW of solar and 90 GWh of energy storage, capable of powering the homes of more than 20 million Americans day and night. 

Tom’s family office investment firm, 1st Avenue Capital, is building teams for the next generation of advanced solar power system architecture and AI to aggressively drive down the cost of and equitable access to clean and reliable energy.[1] 1st Avenue’s advanced large scale power systems are addressing the increasing inadequacy of the grid to meet the massively growing power demands of the digital economy, while its intelligent distributed solar utilities are leapfrogging the grid to provide equitable access to inexpensive, clean and reliable power to underserved communities around the world.

1AI Energy, the employing entity for 1st Avenue Power, and 1st Avenue Power are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee based on race (inclusive of traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), age, veteran or military status, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, reproductive decision-making, or any other legally recognized protected class under federal, state, or local law.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on 1AI Energy or 1st Avenue Power. Please inform the company's personnel representative if you need assistance completing an application or to otherwise participate in the application process. 

Join our team and make a real difference in the world.

[1: Additionally, 1st Avenue is in the business of acquiring projects where there has been a final notice-to-proceed or financial close.]