Design Engineer; Mechanical Engineering

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.

We will be working with Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, one of the most successful clean energy technology innovators and entrepreneur 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.

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 leap‑frogging the grid to provide equitable access to inexpensive, clean and reliable power to underserved communities around the world.

Join a groundbreaking team of proven leaders at the forefront of the clean energy transition. We are building a future where sustainable energy is accessible to all. The Design Engineer will serve as the Lead Engineer on multiple product development initiatives, combining technical precision with creative problem‑solving to deliver reliable, bankable, and innovative solar energy solutions. This role will oversee design, validation, and certification of solar PV systems and related products, ensuring compliance with codes and standards while optimizing performance, constructability, and cost‑effectiveness.

• Leadership Impact: As Design Engineer you will have significant influence on key strategic decisions and play a vital role in shaping the future of 1st Avenue Power’s energy strategy.
• Growth Potential: 1st Avenue Power and the project pipeline is in high growth mode, offering excellent opportunities for career growth and professional development.
• Co‑Founder Mindset: This is an opportunity for a passionate and driven individual to join a groundbreaking team and contribute significantly to our mission. We encourage candidates who bring a co‑founder mindset, with a focus on ownership, innovation, and a deep commitment to building a sustainable and equitable energy future.

• Define and apply structural product load requirements, including data interpretation from wind tunnel testing.
• Provide structural engineering support or act as a technical resource for internal projects.
• Support full product development lifecycle, including:
  • Prepare preliminary and detailed site layouts, system designs, and electrical schematics for utility‑scale PV projects.
  • Collaborate with cross‑functional teams across development, finance, procurement, and EPC.
  • Stay current with industry standards, regulations, and certification practices including UL‑2703.
  • Product load testing and production of testing reports as needed.
  • Field testing on construction sites.
  • Perform other engineering‑related tasks as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Civil, Structural, Electrical, Mechanical, or Renewable Energy…