Posting Title

Applied Integration and Power Systems Researcher - Flatirons Campus

.

Location

CO - Boulder

.

Position Type

Regular

.

Hours Per Week

40

.

Working at NREL

NREL’s 305-acre Flatirons Campus is the nation’s premier wind energy, water power, and grid integration research facility. Nestled south of Boulder, Colorado, and north of NREL’s main South Table Mountain campus, Flatirons sits adjacent to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and countless acres of open space and parks with stunning views of the Flatirons rock formations.

Join a team of world-class scientists, engineers, and visionaries dedicated to shaping the world’s energy future through cutting-edge research and innovation. From our vision to our NREL community, we are unique in the research community. We are focused on impact. From our work in basic sciences to systems engineering, analysis, demonstration, and deployment, we are focused on solving market-relevant problems that result in advanced, secure, reliable, and affordable energy systems. We are trusted clean energy leaders, developing cost-saving solutions that make U.S. industries more competitive, and support job creation and economic growth across rural and urban communities.

At NREL, we offer a unique, mission-driven work environment with cutting-edge facilities and multidisciplinary research teams. NREL's environment offers strong partnerships with industry, academia, and other national laboratories, as well as professional development opportunities and a competitive benefits package for employees.

Learn about NREL’s critical objectives: NREL's Mission and Vision.

Job Description

This position will be filled at the Researcher Level II or III based on the basic and required qualifications of the selected candidate.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency technologies, and energy systems integration. NREL’s Manufacturing and Characterization group is seeking two enthusiastic and innovative electrical engineers to join the grid integration team to operate and expand our cutting-edge research facilities and capabilities. The Flatirons Campus, located near Boulder, CO, (https://www.nrel.gov/flatirons-campus))operates a unique mix of multi-megawatt scale renewable resources for research purposes including wind turbines, photovoltaic plants, battery energy storage systems, and powertrain dynamometers . Team members work on a wide spectrum of research projects and activities ranging from complex instrumentation and control system design, to hands-on system integration.

Job responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Apply sound judgment, NREL/DOE and industry standards to conduct work in safe manner.
• Troubleshoot, operate, and expand capabilities of complex research systems through the use of modeling and simulation tools and hardware/software development:.
• Work with various cutting edge real-time control and power systems simulation platforms: RTDS, Opal-RT, Typhoon-HIL, Speedgoat, LabView, SEL RTAC.
• Development of new and enhancing of existing real-time models utilizing various programming languages: RSCAD, Matlab/Simulink, C, VHDL, Python, PLC.
• Configure and operate a power industry recognizable devices, e.g.: SEL RTAC, protective relays, power quality meters.
• Develop and enhance distributed control and data acquisition systems including use of communication protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, PMU, Modbus, DNP, GPS synchronization, etc.).
• With guidance, specify, design, and implement custom data acquisition and control systems based on various platforms.
• Work with senior research staff and industry partners to develop and execute research validation (test) plans.
• Collect, analyze, and report data from research projects. Contribute input for peer reviewed publications.
• Work within a team of engineers, technicians and electricians to configure, commission, characterize and demobilize a wide variety wind, solar, storage, and other renewable energy systems.
• Ability to work effectively in a large dynamic team environment with evolving requirements and schedules.

For the Researcher II position:

The Researcher II requires a skilled professional who applies, on a broad basis, existing theories, principles, and concepts, and is fully competent in all conventional applications of knowledge common to the specific discipline and function of work assigned.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities of the Researcher II:

• Perform some non-routine tasks requiring the exercising of independent judgement.
• Provide solutions to a variety of technical problems of moderate scope and complexity.
• Contributes to the completion of milestones on multiple projects and/or specific programmatic objectives.
• Receive long- range directions on new assignments and receive oversight on complex features or problems.
• Requires the ability to recommend and/or determine technical approaches for obtaining solutions.

For the Researcher III position:

A Researcher III will be expected to contribute to the activities with some supervision and be able to collaborate effectively with a broad group of interdisciplinary staff to achieve deliverables. Additionally, a Researcher III requires a seasoned, experienced professional in a broad discipline or narrow, specialized field and has the ability to develop advanced concepts, techniques, and standards for specialized, state-of- the-art technologies and concepts.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities of the Researcher III:

• Advanced understanding and wide application of concepts in the field.
• Frequently contributes to the development of new theories and methods.
• Displays a substantial and significant record of achievement through reports, publications, intellectual property, or technical products.
• Leads technical decision-making and direction at the project level.
• Works under nominal supervision and provides technical direction.
• Defines deliverables and leads projects for group or center initiatives and/or new technology strategies.
• Provide technical solutions to a wide range of difficult problems.
• Plan, document, and report results from research performed.
• Contribute to achieving NREL business development goals.
• Understanding of the interactions between energy systems, related challenges and engineering problem solving and investigation techniques.
• Experience with customer relations to understand needs and develop value-added solutions.

.

Basic Qualifications

For Researcher III Level
Relevant PhD . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 3 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5 or more years of experience . Demonstrates broad understanding and wide application of engineering technical procedures, principles, theories and concepts in the field. General knowledge of other related disciplines. Demonstrates leadership in one or more areas of team, task or project lead responsibilities. Demonstrated experience in management of projects. Very good writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

For Researcher II Level
Relevant Master's Degree . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 2 or more years of experience . General knowledge and application of engineering technical standards, principles, theories, concepts and techniques. Training in team, task or project leadership responsibilities. Intermediate abilities and knowledge of practices and techniques. Beginning experience in project management. Good writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• General knowledge of renewable energy power systems operation and application of real-time simulation tools to perform research studies, for example wind combined with PV and storage.
• Ability to acquire a security clearance.Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required. See DOE O 472.2A for additional information.
• This position requires a 5 day on site work arrangement and is not seeking remote or hybrid applicants.

Preferred Qualifications

.

Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: Researcher II / Annual Salary Range: $74,900 - $123,600

Job Profile: Researcher III / Annual Salary Range: $81,500 - $146,700

NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short*- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement*. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.

* Based on eligibility rules

Badging Requirement

NREL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.

Drug Free Workplace

NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Reasonable Accommodations

E-Verify www.dhs.gov/E-Verify For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.

E-Verify is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This business uses E-Verify in its hiring practices to achieve a lawful workforce.