Senior Electrical Test Engineer, Medium Voltage

Why Work at SMA America

Power the future. Build your career at SMA America.

As the U.S. subsidiary of SMA Solar Technology AG, we have been at the forefront of solar inverter technology since 1981, developing solutions that make photovoltaic power plants simpler, more reliable, safer, and more cost effective. Headquartered in Rocklin, California, SMA America has spent more than two decades helping homes, businesses, and utilities across the country generate clean, reliable power. We are the only inverter manufacturer in the world offering solutions for every system size, from residential rooftops to large scale utility plants, backed by more than 1,500 patents and a presence in over 190 countries.

Innovation is only part of the story. We invest in our people, create room to grow, challenge conventional thinking, and protect a culture where teammates genuinely care about each other and the work. We hire capable people and give them the space to do the job, with clear expectations, open door leadership, and real autonomy.

If you are passionate about driving positive change and want a career where you can take ownership of your work, we would love to meet you. Together, we are not just part of the energy transition, we are helping drive it forward.

Senior Electrical Test Engineer, Medium Voltage

If you have spent your career testing, commissioning or troubleshooting medium voltage transformers, switchgear, breakers or inverters in the field, as a NETA test engineer, an OEM field service engineer or a utility substation or apparatus test engineer, this role puts that experience at the center of the work.

LOCATION AND WORK MODEL

This position is remote within the United States, with travel of approximately 20 to 30% to customer sites, the Rocklin, CA office and tradeshows. Hybrid or in office presence is preferred for candidates within commuting distance of our Rocklin, CA headquarters.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Senior Electrical Test Engineer protects SMA’s customers and brand quality by personally testing, troubleshooting and investigating field failures on SMA’s medium voltage solutions, including transformers, switchgear and converters, and driving each one to an evidence based root cause. This is a hands on field engineering role focused on electrical testing and failure investigation at the equipment level. It is not a quality process or supplier quality position. Working with cross functional and international teams, including SMA’s global headquarters in Germany, the role drives sustainable corrective and preventive actions across the product lifecycle.

PRIMARY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead hands on field investigations of failed medium voltage transformers, switchgear and converters, including site inspection, electrical testing, teardown and evidence collection.

• Perform and interpret medium voltage electrical tests, and use the results with physical damage analysis to determine the failure mechanism and specific root cause.

• Document each investigation using SMA’s 8D process, supported by tools such as 5 Why, Ishikawa diagramming and Pareto analysis.

• Ensure analyses are evidence based, documented in compliance with standards and global processes, and aligned with the requirements of internal and external stakeholders.

• Conduct initial site analyses and on site technical evaluations, and provide technical consultation to customers and service teams.

• Create detailed failure descriptions and collaborate with headquarters to advise and support other functions.

• Recognize and document known failure patterns and provide technical expertise to resolve them.

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary and international teams to implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.

• Execute, monitor and evaluate corrective actions implemented by service teams and suppliers, and confirm their effectiveness.

• Collaborate closely with Customer Quality, Supplier Quality and regional functions.

• Maintain close collaboration with the analysis unit at SMA headquarters and the application engineering team in the U.S.

• Travel approximately 20 to 30% to customer sites for failure investigation and fact gathering, and to the Rocklin, CA office and tradeshows as needed.

• Other duties as may be required or assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience, such as NETA Level III or IV certification, military power generation training or a technical degree with progressive field test experience. Master’s degree preferred.

• Minimum 7 years of combined experience in electrical testing, commissioning, field service or failure investigation, including customer facing work.

• Hands on field experience testing, troubleshooting and investigating failures on medium voltage equipment, roughly 1 kV to 35 kV, such as transformers, switchgear or converters. This is the primary focus of the role and may come from the solar, utility, power generation or electrical testing industries, or from medium voltage work in another industry.

• Demonstrated ability to identify the failure mechanism and specific root cause of a medium voltage equipment failure using site evidence, electrical test results and physical damage analysis.

• Experience applying structured root cause methods such as 8D, 5 Why, Ishikawa diagramming and Pareto analysis.

• Ability to present findings and corrective actions to senior leadership.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across cross functional and international teams.

• Ability to travel approximately 20 to 30%, including to customer sites and the Rocklin, CA office.

• Availability for occasional early morning meetings with headquarters in Germany.

• Proficiency in written and verbal English. Proficiency in German is a plus.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience performing or interpreting medium voltage electrical tests, such as insulation resistance, power factor, turns ratio, dissolved gas analysis, contact resistance and breaker timing.

• NETA Level III or IV certification, or equivalent electrical testing credentials.

• Experience with an electrical testing services firm, a utility, or a transformer or switchgear OEM field service group.

• Experience with hermetically sealed equipment.

• Experience with solar PV inverters, battery energy storage or medium voltage power stations.

• Military power generation background, such as U.S. Army Prime Power or Navy electrical ratings.

• Working knowledge of SAP, Salesforce and JIRA.

WE OFFER

• Compensation: $120,000 to $150,000 per year, dependent on experience and qualifications, with flexibility above this range for a candidate who clearly exceeds the requirements.

• Eligibility for a discretionary annual profit sharing bonus.

• Medical plan options through Aetna, plus Kaiser in California, including a $0 premium option, with SMA covering about 90% or more of medical premiums and contributing up to $1,500 a year to your HSA on the high deductible plan.

• $0 employee only dental and vision options, plus short and long term disability and $50,000 in life and AD&D insurance at no cost.

• 16 days of PTO, increasing with tenure, plus 12 paid holidays.

• 401k plan with a 100% match up to 5%.

• Tuition reimbursement and opportunities for professional development.

• Work Model: Remote within the United States. Hybrid or in office presence is preferred for candidates within commuting distance of our Rocklin, CA headquarters.

• A collaborative and innovative work environment.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full time basis. SMA America does not offer employment visa sponsorship of any kind, including H-1B, OPT, CPT or TN visas. Candidates who currently require or will in the future require visa sponsorship are not eligible for this role. Candidates operating under a temporary work permit or any visa tied employment authorization are also not eligible.

AI ASSISTED APPLICATION MATERIALS

We welcome candidates who use AI tools to organize or polish their application materials. Your resume and responses must accurately reflect your own experience and be written in your own voice. Applications that include fabricated or exaggerated experience, hidden text or embedded instructions, or prescreen responses that do not reflect your own knowledge may be removed from consideration. We want to hear your story: the work you have done, the results you have delivered and the experience you would bring to SMA.

RECRUITMENT FRAUD NOTICE

All SMA America openings are posted on our official careers page and all recruiter communication comes from an @sma-america.com address. We never request payment, banking information or a Social Security number during the recruitment process. If you are contacted about an SMA America role from a personal email account, or asked for any of the above, please forward the message to [email protected].

Our EEO Policy

We are an equal opportunity employer and we make our employment decisions on the basis of merit and without regard to one's race, color, creed, sex (includes gender, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), gender identity, religion, marital status, age (over 40), national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability (includes HIV/Aids), medical condition (cancer, genetic characteristics), veteran's status, sexual orientation, or any other consideration made unlawful by law.

In accordance with applicable law protecting qualified individuals with known disabilities, SMA will attempt to reasonably accommodate qualified applicants with known disabilities, unless doing so would create an undue hardship on SMA. Any qualified applicant with a disability who believes he or she requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of the job for which he or she is applying should identify the accommodation(s) needed in the application.

Our Privacy Policy

During your job application or recruitment process with us: (a) SMA may collect your personal information directly from you, such as when you submit your application and resume on our online portal or when you have job interviews with us. We may also obtain your personal information from third parties, including but not limited to your former employers, background or employment check service providers or third-party recruiters; and, (b) SMA may use or process applicants' personal information for relevant purposes including but not limited to general communications with you, identity verification, background or employment checks, determination of eligibility, and making hiring decisions. For successful job applicants who become SMA's staff, we may retain and integrate your personal information collected during the recruitment process into your records at SMA.

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights regarding your personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended including by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, and its implementing regulations (the "CCPA"). This Company Personnel and Covered Individuals Privacy Notice for California Residents issued by SMA is applicable to you and explains your CCPA rights and our collection, use or disclosure of your personal information.

If you have any question regarding our privacy policy, please contact us at [email protected]