About the RoleWe are hiring a Director, Generation Electrical Engineering to own the electrical power system design of Nscale's generation facilities, from generator terminals to the data center boundary.
Nscale's Power and Energy group develops behind-the-meter generation colocated with our data center campuses: large reciprocating engine fleets, battery energy storage systems, and medium- and high-voltage distribution operating as islanded microgrids. Building gigawatts of island-mode generation that is safe, buildable, and operable for decades demands owner's engineering of a kind that cannot be outsourced, and this role owns that engineering.
This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will set the electrical design basis for our generation facilities, drive the engineering through one-line development, equipment specification, power system studies, and construction, and manage the specialist engineers, consultants, and OEM technical teams doing the work. You will be the owner's technical authority on the electrical scope, directing the work of EPC partners rather than simply accepting it, and resolving the design questions where island-mode generation at this scale has no off-the-shelf answer.
You will work alongside a peer Director, Generation Controls, Protection, and Automation. The split is deliberate: this role owns the power system itself - the equipment, its configuration, and its design basis. Your peer owns how that system is controlled and protected. The two scopes succeed or fail together, and close partnership is part of the job.
Location: Houston, TX (remote considered within the US, with regular site and vendor travel)
What You'll Be DoingElectrical system design
- Own the electrical design basis for generation facilities: one-line diagrams, system architecture, voltage selection, redundancy philosophy, and expansion provisions across generation, BESS, and distribution scopes.
- Direct the power system studies that drive the design - load flow, short circuit, motor starting, harmonics, insulation coordination, and grounding - performed in-house or through consultants, and own the study models as living engineering assets.
- Resolve island-mode design questions where standard utility and data center practice does not directly apply: fault levels dominated by machine and inverter sources, neutral grounding strategy, and equipment duty under sustained islanded operation.
- Engineer the plant auxiliary electrical systems that keep generation available: station power architecture, black start auxiliary supply, motor and heater loads, and essential DC systems.
Equipment engineering and vendor packages
- Own technical specifications, bid evaluations, and vendor drawing reviews for major electrical equipment: generators and generator breakers, step-up and auxiliary transformers, medium- and high-voltage switchgear, BESS electrical integration, cable systems, and DC and UPS systems.
- Manage the technical interface with equipment OEMs through design, factory acceptance testing, and delivery, holding vendors to specification and flagging deviations early.
- Own hazardous area classification and electrical design in classified areas around fuel gas systems, applying process-industry rigor to electrical installations where it matters most.
Design for safety, constructability, and operations
- Embed electrical safety into the design: arc flash mitigation by design, safe isolation and maintenance access, working clearances, and equipment selection that operators and technicians can live with for decades.
- Drive constructability and installation quality: cable and raceway design standards, grounding and lightning protection, physical layouts, and interface coordination with civil, mechanical, and controls scopes.
- Review EPC electrical deliverables with an owner's eye: challenge sizing, verify studies, catch interface gaps, and approve only what is right.
Delivery, commissioning, and operations support
- Carry the electrical scope through the project lifecycle: design reviews, FAT witnessing, energization readiness reviews, site queries, and as-built reconciliation, in partnership with the commissioning and startup organization.
- Support root cause analysis of electrical and power quality events during startup and operations, and drive corrective actions back into designs and standards.
- Develop Nscale's engineering standards, specifications, and reference designs for generation electrical systems, so each campus builds on the last instead of starting over.
Team and vendor leadership
- Build and lead a small team of electrical engineers, and direct specialist consultants and studies firms.
- Manage the technical relationship with generator, transformer, switchgear, and BESS OEMs, holding them to disciplined engineering, testing, and documentation.
- Partner closely with the Director, Generation Controls, Protection, and Automation so that power system design, protection, and controls are engineered as one coherent system.
- Coordinate with data center electrical teams on the interface between generation and campus distribution, and with fuel gas, mechanical, and civil disciplines on multidiscipline design decisions.
- Communicate complex power systems issues clearly to project leadership, commissioning teams, and executives, with honest assessments of risk and readiness.
About You- 10+ years of electrical engineering experience on power generation, heavy industrial, or mission-critical facilities, with significant time in a lead or owner's engineer role.
- Deep design expertise in medium- and high-voltage power systems: switchgear, transformers, generators, cable systems, grounding, and auxiliary power, from concept through issued-for-construction.
- Hands-on experience specifying and integrating major generation equipment, including reciprocating or turbine generator packages and BESS electrical scopes.
- Working fluency with power systems studies and models: load flow, short circuit, arc flash, motor starting, and harmonics, in ETAP, SKM, or equivalent platforms.
- Solid grounding in the governing codes and standards: NEC, NESC, and the relevant IEEE and IEC standards for generation, switchgear, and grounding, including hazardous area classification practice.
- Experience taking electrical scopes through factory testing, construction, and energization on major projects, and comfort in the field when systems misbehave.
- Proven ability to direct OEMs, consultants, and EPC engineering teams, and to make technically defensible decisions under schedule pressure.
- Exposure to islanded, behind-the-meter, or high inverter-penetration systems is a strong advantage.
- Proven ability to build standards, processes, and small teams in a fast-scaling environment.
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field; PE license preferred.
- Willing and able to travel to project sites and vendor facilities regularly (typically 25%, higher during factory testing and energization campaigns).
What We Can Offer YouAt Nscale, you'll find a collaborative, supportive, and innovative environment where your contributions spark real impact. We're building something extraordinary, and our people are driving it.
- Highly competitive US compensation package (base + bonus + equity), with performance reviews every 12 months
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) retirement plan with company match
- Generous PTO plus US federal holidays
- A career-defining opportunity to be an early member of one of the fastest growing AI infrastructure companies in the world
- A human-first approach: We treat you as humans first. Our flexible workplace trusts Nscalers to deliver, giving you the autonomy needed to get the job done.
