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Director Power Systems

Job Description

Director of Power Systems

The Role

Sahana Energy is a high-growth business where the power system is the heartbeat of our operations. We are looking for an entrepreneurial, hands-on Director of Power Systems who is as comfortable troubleshooting a schematic as they are in a high-level stakeholder meeting.

You will be the lead technical authority, but in this phase of our growth, "authority" means "ownership". You will design, build, and eventually operate utility-scale, modular, hybrid energy systems—integrating fuel cells, BESS, solar, and thermal assets into a repeatable design that scales with demand. Most importantly, you will own the system architecture, ensuring our hardware is perfectly "tuned" to the optimization software being developed by our VP of Engineering.

Location: London (with site travel). Reports to: Executive Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities

1. Architectural Ownership & System Design

  • System Design Authority: Own the architecture for repeatable, modular hybrid systems (potentially including electrical, hydrogen, and thermal vectors) rather than just approving static designs.
  • Software-Hardware Integration: Work in lockstep with the VP of Engineering to design a system that is digitally transparent and responsive to software-driven optimization.
  • Telemetry & Control: Define the instrumentation, PLC/SCADA, and data requirements necessary for real-time software dispatch and remote monitoring.
  • Strategy: Define long-term power strategies that support rapid data centre load growth and grid instability resilience.
  • Site Development: Conduct technical viability assessments for new sites, including grid connection potential and initial schematics.
  • Transmission & Grid Strategy: Lead the strategy for dual-aspect grid connections (both and load), utilizing a transmission planning background to navigate network constraints and dictate system sizing.
  • Multi-Vector Thinking: Design beyond the SLD; think through the integration of energy generating/storing components to build a truly optimized energy "block.".

2. Hands-on Project Delivery (The "Builder" Phase)

  • Technical Leadership: Provide deep-dive expertise for gas , renewables, and battery energy storage systems (BESS).
  • Modular Execution: Personally manage the tendering, procurement, and commissioning of power systems (Gas Fuel Cells, BESS, Solar, Wind).
  • Infrastructure: Oversee the design of HV/MV substations, UPS systems, and standby , maintaining 2N/N+1 reliability standards.
  • Safety FirstSite Development: Explicitly assess grid connection potential for both and load growth at early-stage sites.
  • HSE Leadership: Undertake all responsibilities with an unswerving focus on world-class HSE and CDM (Construction Design and Management) requirements.
  • Team Growth: Recruit and develop a high-performing, multi-disciplinary engineering team as the portfolio expands.

3. Market-Driven Operations

  • Revenue-Focused Design: Ensure system designs are influenced by energy market opportunities, including capacity markets, ancillary services, and day-ahead/real-time markets.
  • Reliability Ownership: Maintain mission-critical power availability targets and lead root cause analysis for any technical incidents.
  • Regulatory: Ensure all sites remain compliant with grid codes, interconnection agreements, and emissions standards.

Qualifications & Experience

  • Commercial Support: Provide technical input into PPA structuring, fuel contracts (including hydrogen), and long-term energy cost modeling.

The Profile: The Entrepreneurial Engineer

  • Technical Roots: Degree-qualified in Electrical Engineering (or apprentice-trained with equivalent deep experience).
  • Sector Expertise: Minimum with a minimum of 15 years in the power sector.
  • Transmission Expertise: Significant experience in transmission planning and high-reliability distribution architectures.
  • Systems Thinker: Proven experience with at least one of: utility-scale , industrial power systems, or large-scale data centre infrastructure.
  • Startup Mindset: You are a self-motivated "fixer" who thrives in a fast-paced environment.
  • Management Style: Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and managing complex projects from concept to completion.
  • Commercial Acumen: Ability and is willing to engage in detailed technical problem-solving.
  • Market Literate: You combine technical skills with a sound commercial capability, understanding how design choices influence revenue.

Requirement: Have the right to work in the UK