Senior Electrical Engineer

BACKGROUND

ALWAYS PAMOJA: We are one global team with one dream!

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 true today. ZOLA doesn’t design and enable discrete products, we design network technology which is used across the globe in over 10 countries by our Integrator customers building, managing and optimizing distributed energy networks. ZOLA combines the power of a family of hardware products with an operating system, Vision, into the leading distributed energy platform on the planet.

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 over 3 billion people and hundreds of millions of 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 the technologies that will eradicate Energy Inequality.

ZOLA is partnered with the world’s leading energy companies and investors, including Tesla, EDF, Total, Lyndon and Pete Rive, DBL, Helios Partners and Electron Capital. Today we are proud to say that our network delivers reliable, affordable, clean and smart power to almost 3 million people and businesses across four continents….and this is only the beginning.

OPPORTUNITY

Zola provides distributed energy solutions to enable community-level electrification.

To support its mission, Zola is looking for a hands-on Senior Electrical Engineer to participate in the development of its next generation systems and support the existing product portfolio. The ideal candidate will have experience in designing electrical systems, in building prototypes, participating in EVT and DVT designs testing along the development. He/her will help the transition of the designs to high volume manufacturers in Asia. The candidate will work closely with cross-functional teams to review the electrical designs. The ideal candidate is passionate about renewable energy including solar generation, battery storage and power conversion.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Participate in design and development of digital and analog electronics to control high-power electronics systems.
• Product level electrical design including component selection, circuit design, subsystem design and schematic capture and PCB layout in Altium.
• Prototypes bring-up and debugging, hardware bug tracking, functional verification, and signal characterization.
• Work with product management to convert product requirements into engineering specifications.
• Generate electrical design specifications for subsystems and oversee end-to-end product introduction activities.
• Develop and execute hardware and system test plans and perform tests for pre-compliance, environmental and reliability.
• Collaborate with mechanical engineers to optimize system level electro-mechanical design including thermal management.
• Participate in DFMEAs, Design for Quality (DFQ) and Design for Reliability (DFR) and assist is defining process objectives.
• Prior experience in supporting factories to source and qualify production line test fixtures. Work directly with Contract Manufacturers in Asia and component suppliers to ensure quality deliverables.

Key Qualifications

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering or related technical field with relevant industry experience
• 5 years of Electrical design experience with digital and analog electronic and power electronic systems and architecture
• Prior experience with AC/DC power conversion, motor controllers, UPS, Solar & battery inverters and good understanding of embedded controllers for power and digital control theory
• Extensive hands-on experience with lab instruments such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analysers, electronic loads, and signal generators
• Experience in development of digital and analog interfaces for PC-based test systems, especially (Labview, Matlab, Python) and signal conditioning and conversion, Discrete semiconductor design and mixed-signal design
• Experience with wireless technologies, such as Cellular, WiFi or Bluetooth
• Familiarity with EMI/EMC design and mitigation techniques
• Familiar with international safety and EMC regulations, such as UL, ISO, IEC FCC, and NEC related to product safety
• Strong desire to be part of a start-up / high growth company with an entrepreneurial spirit and a fast-paced, results oriented culture
• Excellent written and verbal communication

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to lift and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to stand, walk, and move around for extended periods.
• Ability to climb ladders or stairs and work at heights.

Working Conditions (office bound/on-site/travel)

• Hybrid (4 days in office, 1 day remote)

What we offer:

Zola Electric’s compensation and benefits package includes:

• Competitive compensation structure that includes performance bonus and generous equity
• Health benefits designed to fit the needs of you and your family — including medical, dental, and vision plans. Zola contributes 90% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
• FSA/HSA plans
• Generous Flexible Time Off policy to log off and recharge
• 12 Paid Company Holidays
• 401(k)
• Company Sponsored Life Insurance and AD&D
• Company Sponsored Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Commuter Benefits

Perks:

• Paid office lunches, unlimited snacks and beverages
• Office happy hours and engagement activities
• The opportunity to directly improve millions of lives by bringing sustainable energy to a part of the world where 80% of people have no grid access
• An informal culture which is always open to new ideas