The Director of Designs and Permitting is responsible for ensuring all projects associated with Swell meet or exceed industry standards for quality, accuracy and innovation while ensuring prompt throughput of designs and permits to facilitate rapid growth of operating assets under Swell’s management. As Director, they will manage an internal staff and third parties to support sales and partners pre-contract, create designs, perform quality assurance audits, obtain permits, perform design reviews for VPP systems and ensure projects are approved by AHJ’s and utilities without delay. They will optimize the design and permitting processes to maximize throughput without sacrificing quality and will stay current with all the latest technological innovations, codes, and interconnection policies and share the updates broadly through training and knowledge base development They will communicate organizational needs to their direct reports as well as their managers, and help solve complicated and challenging issues and are responsible for creating a long term vision and growth plan for the department in alignment and to support company goals and objectives.
Has primary responsibility overseeing the collection of site surveys, submitting and acquiring permits, creating designs that are safe and easy to install while meeting customer requirements/expectations
Engage with local agencies and building department authorities to help promote rapid adoption of designs through permitting processes
Serve as the technical design and permitting leader and technical subject matter within Swell serving multiple business units
Develop and implement best design guidelines, trainings and documentation
Participates in the development of the organization’s strategic growth planning sessions representing the department
Search for ways to improve designs, eliminate waste and increase cost-efficiency.
Research and integrate new building products into designs.
Creates detailed SOPSs for staff to delineate roles and responsibilities and help organize project design and permitting related tasks to increase efficiency and speed in the fulfillment process
Create and oversee department budgets.
Conduct routine quality assurance checks to verify designs met or exceeded customer expectations.
Hire, train, and supervise design and permitting staff members as needed.
Help identify opportunities for improving designs and the design process.
Collaborate with other managers and directors throughout the organization with respect to designs and permitting issues and concerns
Prepare and deliver various design and permit related presentations, including but not limited installer training and onboarding, internal training, and possibly external audiences upon request
Spend time scoping/specing out long term department goals and requirements in collaboration with other department heads and IT.
Work alongside Residential and Commercial Sales Managers to ensure design and permitting costs are accurately reflected in current pricing.
Ensure timelines for site surveys and permit applications are on on track-month over month reduction goals- determine the resources required to achieve growth forecasts and review with managers
Develop plan to minimize designs corrections (as-builts, customer change requests and AHJ revisions) over time to achieve more predictable timelines for project completion
Lead efforts to reduce cycle times in key areas such as:
Deal approved to initial site survey completed
Site survey to designs completed
Designs completed to technical design review completed
Designs completed to customer approval
Customer approval to permit submitted,
Permit submitted to permit approval.
Help reduce and/or avoid change orders that lead to increased administrative costs
Establish tracking of change order reasons (examples: layout, equipment, customer initiated, shade modeling, pricing)
Assist with researching design and permitting in states Swell may elect to expand into
Help develop and foster third party vendors network/contractors that support designs and permitting
Review and approve direct costs by third parties for design services and permitting
Develop code compliant designs based on NEC and applicable utility requirements in all jurisdictions
Generate project design takeoffs and help create a Bill of Material for projects to assist procurement
Attend webinars and research solar and battery storage solutions whenever possible
Develop departments key objectives, KPIs and benchmarks for the departments short and long term performance goals
Manages the recruitment and retention of talent to support business unit growth
Maintains at all-times a view on year end financial outcomes
Considers long term decommissioning of systems and recycling and/or service replacement parts in all designs.
5+ years of experience in residential and commercial Battery Energy Storage and Photovoltaic system design, permitting and interconnection.
Experience with implementing solar and energy storage with new home developments
Experience working with third party owned system (Lease/PPA) design requirements and reporting
Interest and experience in design and interconnection system requirements for DERMS connected devices.
Strong knowledge of NEC and system regulatory codes for PV and energy storage installations, including but not limited to the NFPA 70: National Electrical Code, PV Power System installation, IEEE1547, UL9540, UL1741, Title 24 and Rule 21 for the interconnection of distributed resources with power systems.
Proficient with Salesforce including report building and maintenance
Bachelor's degree and/or advanced training required in designs and permitting alternative energy solutions and products
Preference to individuals with experience or history interacting with residential and commercial sales staff as well communicating directly with customers
Ability to interpret single line electrical diagrams and construction documents required
Understanding of advanced structural and electrical engineering concepts and calculations
Strong written and verbal communication
Experience and skills with Salesforce, Google Suite
Experience and skills with storage and pv design software including but not limited to Aurora, Energy Toolbase and Sighten
Motivated team player, positive attitude, dedicated
Strong time-management and organizational skills
High attention to detail
Safety minded
Ability to work remotely and in person
Strong desire to be part of a start-up / high growth company with an entrepreneurial spirit and a fast-paced, results oriented culture
Ability to drive a vehicle during the normal course of business. Must maintain a clean driving record with the ability to pass a driving background check. Must be 21 years of age and possess a valid driver’s license
Willing to travel if necessary
Swell Energy, Inc is an Equal Employment Opportunity
Swell Energy, Inc. does not discriminate based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.