Director Software Platform & Applications

What We Do 

Terabase Energy, was founded with the mission to accelerate decarbonization of large-scale energy generation beyond intermittent renewable power.  Our proprietary software, solutions and engineering capabilities will enable the deployment of revolutionary, hybrid projects that produce 24/7 renewable energy.  We serve our global clients using technology we develop and are already working on some of the largest and most impactful solar powerplant projects in the world.  

Terabase is at the forefront of applying innovative techniques that will remove 70-80% of solar power plant assembly works from the field using a combination of advanced pre-assembly and construction techniques, factory methods, customized equipment, and automation.    The technology is the cornerstone of Terabase’ mission to lower the cost of solar electricity to $0.01/kWh by 2025. 

The Role 

Do you approach the world with curiosity and ask the question “What if?”  Do you enjoy solving interesting engineering problems that no one has solved before through using your creativity to quickly design, build, and test solutions? Terabase’s Director Software Platform is a member of the software + digital product development team, reporting to the VP Software/Digital. As a member of this team you will work, learn, and grow in Terabase’s unique operating environment and culture: high-growth, innovative, lean, and values-driven. Successful candidates will be highly capable in each of the following dimensions (among others): adaptability, curiosity, resourcefulness, problem solving, pro-activity, collaboration, operating in a dynamic environment and dedicated to the mission of accelerating the decarbonization of the global economy by utilizing digital and automation technology to further reduce the cost of utility-scale solar.  

This role will be a fully remote position with partial in-person work opportunities depending on the candidate’s location (we have R&D facilities in Davis, CA and Berkeley, CA). 

We are looking for an experienced leader that is also comfortable being a hands-on developer with the expectation that a significant portion of time is spent coding as well as managing/leading. All current software/digital team leaders operate in this mode and we are looking for another like-minded colleague. 

The primary challenge that our new Director Software Platform will be asked to address is the coming need to evolve the Terabase software/digital into an enterprise-quality scalable, secure, robust ecosystem. This will involve architectural review and leadership as well as clear communication and advocating for alignment across multiple internal and external teams. We have a highly collaborative team and culture, but we need someone to lead on these very important topics. 

Responsibilities 

• Work closely with VP Software to plan/guide/execute key Terabase software platform team activities 

• Work closely with other key software/digital team leaders: Director Construction Technologies (Pete May-Ostendorp), Director IoT Technologies (Devin Smith), Director Operations Software (open position) 

• Lead a team of up to 6 staff direct reports including software engineers and QA engineers 

• Guide and assist with the oversight and review of two remote/outsourced software & hardware development teams 

• Design, develop, build, test, deploy software to improve Terabase platform that enables product deployments and operation that ‘digitalize’ the full lifecycle (development, design, construction, and operation) of solar power plants. 

• Communicate with and support users of developed tools & products 

• Develop quality plans and unit testing approaches for your and the team’s code 

Minimum Qualifications 

• 7+ years experience with architecture, technologies, and approaches relevant to the Terabase product vision 

• BS in Computer Science or equivalent industry and/or academic experience/training 

• Significant design/development/testing experience delivering complex software/digital product solutions into commercial/industrial projects 

• Experience with web stacks and cloud-based managed services 

• Experience with cloud-hosted software environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) – we are primarily and AWS shop 

• Experience with various database technologies, including relational (SQL), non-relational (no-SQL), and time-series data optimized (e.g., InfluxDB) 

• Experience with and understanding of Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) concepts and techniques 

• Ability to work remotely and to work with distributed teams in various time zones 

• Proficient written and verbal English communication skills 

• Solid programming skills, with exposure to object oriented and functional programming techniques 

• Understanding of and experience in unit testing and test driven development. 

• Solid understanding of agile workflow management process and software product lifecycle 

• Good understanding of ‘gitflow’ source code management development techniques and process 

Technologies We Use 

• Cloud-hosted software environments (e.g., AWS, Azure) 

• Relational (SQL), non-relational (no-SQL), and time-series data optimized (e.g., InfluxDB) 

• The following languages: Python, C++, JavaScript/Node.js and C#.  We are not strictly looking for these languages, but a successful applicant will demonstrate an ability to learn and apply knowledge in new domains. 

• IoT architectures, technologies, and applications 

Preferred Qualifications 

• MS in Computer Science or equivalent academic/industry experience/training 

• Experience with mobile application development (React Native, expo, iOS, Android) and product lifecycle 

• Experience with Python-based web framework Django 

• Experience with Angular frontend web framework 

• Experience with software product design and software product management 

• Experience with large-scale GIS datasets 

• Experience building ETL pipelines for large and frequently changing datasets 

• Experience with solar power plant simulation software 

• Understanding of large-scale renewable energy project development lifecycle, including operations phase 

• Experience commissioning complex software/hardware products 

Likely Projects/Programs 

The following are likely projects that the Director Software Platform will lead and/or be actively involved with in the first 12-24 months at Terabase. The intent of this section is to give a concrete sense of the kind of work that the Director of Software Platform will undertake. 

• Product architecture review and follow-on roadmap development/execution of changes needed for robustness, scalability, security 

• SSO integration across entire product ecosystem (using AWS Cognito as identity provider) 

• QA program design/implementation including unit, manual, and automated testing approaches 

• Key data synchronization across product portfolio 

• Building/executing a roadmap to augment and roll out front-end component library across product portfolio 

• Security review/recommendations and follow-on roadmap development/execution of needed programs 

• Involvement in ISO 27001 certification program participation (led by others/external consultant) 

• Async task framework (we use Celery now) & websockets architecture and deployment roadmap 

• Learning and extending our PlantPredict solar plant simulation engine to be more modular, flexible, powerful, and faster 

• Designing and implementing general purpose simulation and optimization frameworks for use across the Terabase product ecosystem 

• Architectural review/design/re-design for hybrid on-premises / cloud-based systems 

• Collaboration/alignment/guidance for activities of our two outsources software development partners 

Compensation And Benefits 
 
 
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within each posted range individual pay is determined (and may be greater or higher) dependent on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.  Terabase offers competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package including: 
  
•    Generous time off and holiday policy 
•    Remote flexibility 
•    Flexible time off 
•    Comprehensive benefits package 
•    Career progression 
•    401k match 
•    Stock options 
•    Home office set up allowance 
•    And much more! 
  
Terabase is an equal opportunity employer. We recruit, hire, employ, train, promote, and compensate individuals based on job-related qualifications and abilities.  We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. 
  
 We do not discriminate for any reason including race, color, sex, gender, age, religion or religious creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military/ veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 
We offer a welcoming and inclusive environment in service to one another, our products, the diverse consumers we represent, and the communities we call home. 
  
Principles only. This role is not open to receiving agency candidates and any contingent submissions will not be considered. Terabase Energy does not utilize third party recruitment agencies. Please contact our Recruiting team at careers@terabase.energy with any staffing related inquires.