Director of Engineering

Phocos is a global manufacturer of solar components and Energy Storage solutions for off-grid and edge-of-grid power supplies. With over 20-years of experience, Phocos designs and supplies high-quality power conversion and energy storage solutions that provide reliable power Anywhere, Anytime, Any-GridTM. With over 3 billion people in the world living without access to reliable power, we have work to do, and we want you to join our team to help us provide world-class solutions to meet the world’s growing power demands while contributing to a decarbonized planet.

Phocos is currently seeking to add to our professional team a Director of Engineeringto lead, coach, manage and develop our talented teams of R & D Engineers in both our US and European offices.  Ideally, the Director of Engineering will reside in Tucson, AZ. Relocation assistance will be considered for the right candidate, as will the possibility of working remotely with frequents visit to Tucson, AZ, and 2-3 annual visits to our Ulm, Germany office.

Reporting to the CEO, the Director of Engineering is an experienced, strategic, culturally sensitive, direct, and entrepreneurial engineering professional with expert level Switch Mode Power Supply Design and solid experience leading engineering teams. Exposure to Power Conversion topologies (Switch Mode Power Supplies) and/or Energy Storage.  Experience in both Agile/SCRUM and Waterfall methodologies a definite plus.

 Responsibilities will include leading a team of 6-8 engineers both in Germany and in US. The ability and willingness to travel within US and internationally up to 20% of the time is a must, as is demonstrated experience managing remote teams.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies: 

• Entrepreneurial drive and motivation to lead remote teams
• Previous experience in AC-DC, DC-AC, DC-DC power conversion, solar power, energy storage or other related technical field a PLUS
• Excellent verbal communication skills and strong attention to detail. 
• Proven ability to develop and deliver effective presentations and proposals.
• Ability to influence internal and external decision makers at the highest level.
• Self-motivated, team player, who is disciplined and able to remain corporately focused.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines. 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 
• Strong leadership skills. 

Required Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management, or Electrical Engineering from a major university
• 10+ years’ experience in an R&D and/or product management role in a related field OR 5+ years’ experience plus Master’s degree in a relevant Engineering or Business discipline. 
• Safety Standards including exposure to UL1741 SA, CA Rule 21, Sunspec, Rapid Shutdown
• Design Review Leadership
• Process Management
• Jira, Confluence, Slack, Trello, MS Project, OpenProject
• Risk Management
• Energy Storage (BMS, cell balancing, lithium, LFP, LiFePO4, NMC, Lead Acid)
• Experience working in multinational business environment preferred. 
• Fluent in English with a working knowledge of German a definite plus

Competitive pay, exceptional benefits package, generous time off policy (including an entire paid week off for company closure in December), continuous learning opportunities, and a work environment that is known for its flexibility, collaboration, wellness, and work life balance, as well as paid maternity and paternity leave, and other perks.