Director of Hardware Engineering - Power Systems - Zola Electric : Job Details

Company Introduction

ALWAYS PAMOJA: We are one global team with one mission - Energy Equality through Enterprise Technology

Our diverse team at ZOLA Electric dispersed across 4 continents and 13+ different nationalities, share a common vision and commitment to solving the Energy Access challenge that afflicts almost 3 billion people and businesses globally. This is one of the world's great problems, impacting our most vulnerable and driving inequality across income, healthcare, education and climate change. As one of us, you are equally passionate about making an impact as you are creating and promoting the technologies that drive Energy Equality across the globe.

ZOLA Electric was born in and around the Serengeti in Tanzania, initially installing smart, connected devices (batteries and solar) that powered basic energy needs such as lighting for rural communities. Our theory that thousands of networked, connected devices will form the basic architecture of energy provision in emerging markets holds today. ZOLA doesn't design discrete hardware products sold to end users, we design an enterprise technology platform that combines the power of a family of hardware devices all controlled and managed by one operating system, ZOLA iNTELLIGENCE. Our customers are regional and global integrators who are building and managing distributed grids and delivering community level electrification (homes, businesses, healthcare, schools, etc.) across the 80 Energy Access countries of the world. We design, implement, and help them manage and support these grids with our comprehensive platform consisting of hardware, software, and services. In short, our PURPOSE is to enable our customers to launch, scale, drive efficiency, sustainability and ultimately electrify their countries. Today we are proud to say that our technology platform delivers reliable, affordable, and smart power in over 10 countries, and four continents, to almost 3 million people, schools, clinics, and businesses. This is just the beginning.

Job Role Overview:

The Director of Hardware Engineering (Power Systems) is a senior level role with view on the underlying technology - inverters, batteries, comms (both today and where it's going) and can provide significant input on future products that can be implemented into our platform. They have had experience launching products and have some commercial expertise that can connect with our customers when needed. They bring a strong energy hardware background and mindset to the team.

This leader will have strong operational mindset and thinks about the balance between higher levels of production and quality of code. They are methodical, process-oriented, and laser-focused on KPIs. They establish focus for the engineering team as its leader and make sure that deadlines are met. They build systems and processes that are appropriate for the size of their team and are always considering how to evolve them as the team scales.

Responsibilities

• Execute to product roadmap with accountability in HW development through pre-commit, product launch and into sustaining, while providing architecture guidance, deciding technical solutions and helping engineering team.
• Provide inputs to strategic decisions that affect products, resources, and budget.
• Provide detailed cost breakdown and timelines with optimal approach to new product development.
• Lead activities with cross-functional teams in product design, build, upgrades and sustaining.
• Identify and work with external suppliers to build prototypes. Take the prototype and build it for commercial use (design a product that lasts versus one that must be rebuilt three years down the road). Own the solution and make sure it works and scales.
• Lead and coordinate projects, initiatives and continuous improvement activities that drives equipment OEE, cost and safety.
• Drive all aspects of the hardware engineering activities and oversee performance of the hardware engineering team in alignment with corporate goals and strategy.
• Establish policies and procedures that produce high quality hardware products in conformance with organizations established policies and objectives.
• Promote our platform and vision for solving energy inequality by providing CFT leadership with answers to questions and ideas, primarily in solution engineering and customer success. Understand the customer and their pain points and provide solutions through technology innovation.
• Provide oversight in conducting testing and validation of hardware designs, ensuring quality, reliability, and compliance with industry regulations and standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or related field; Advanced degree preferred.
• At least 8 years of relevant experience, with a minimum of 5 years in a management role.
• Proven experience with building hardware, firmware, and software in power systems applications.
• Familiarity with IoT platforms and applications with connected devices
• Passionate about Zola Electric's mission of energy equality and technological innovation.
• Prior role as Director of Engineering, or a similar senior position in engineering.
• Background in power conversion integration, including storage, inverters, solar, and distributed generation.
• Knowledge of product safety standards and certification processes.
• Comprehensive understanding of the product development lifecycle and New Product Introduction (NPI) process.
• Comfortable working in a startup environment and adept at managing rapid scaling.

What We Offer

• A role with meaningful impact on global energy challenges.
• Inclusive, innovative culture in a diverse, global team.
• Competitive compensation and growth opportunities in a mission-driven company.