Microgrid Validation Lead at Intersect in San Francisco, CA

Job description

We’re a team of friends bound together by a mission to preserve our planet for future generations through innovative energy solutions and modern infrastructure. Intersect develops, constructs, and operates the most ambitious power and data center infrastructure in the country by co-locating industrial demand with dedicated gas and renewable power generation. Intersect was acquired by Google in March 2026 and operates as an independent subsidiary. We are developing and constructing multiple gigawatts of energy and data center projects in the U.S., enabling more data center and generation capacity to come online faster. We’re on an aggressive growth trajectory and looking for people hungry to tackle the largest energy challenges on the planet. Location & Team Gatherings We are currently looking for candidates located within 60 miles of the listed location above. We connect as a team at our Team Week experiences four times a year and at our recently established Hub locations - SF Bay Area, NYC Metro Area, NY; Denver, CO; Austin, TX; Calgary, AB; and Toronto, ON. Microgrid Validation Lead About This Role As part of Intersect’s Microgrid Engineering team, you’ll lead the development of the validation strategy, infrastructure, and testing methodologies that ensure microgrid control systems perform safely and reliably before deployment. You’ll build and scale Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing environments, simulation frameworks, and automated validation workflows that verify controller performance across a broad range of operating conditions. Working closely with controls engineers, power systems engineers, utilities, and external partners, you’ll help establish the standards, tools, and processes that enable reliable operation of complex microgrid systems while supporting compliance, safety, and long-term performance. Team Overview This team plays a critical role in advancing Intersect’s mission to accelerate the clean energy transition, designing and operating systems that deliver reliable power at massive scale. The Microgrid Engineering team works across software, hardware, operations, and external stakeholders to validate complex systems under realistic conditions, ensuring safety, performance, and long-term operability. Joining this team offers hands-on exposure to advanced validation techniques and large-scale energy systems while contributing to work that has real-world impact. What You’ll Do Own Validation Strategy and Architecture Develop testing capabilities that exercise microgrid control algorithms across a full range of operating conditions, including failure modes, communication delays, and equipment faults. Design and evolve the laboratory infrastructure roadmap for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing using controller hardware and representative power system equipment. Lead the evaluation and selection of simulation platforms, validation tools, and testing approaches to support system performance and regulatory compliance. Establish scalable validation capabilities that support the deployment of increasingly complex microgrid systems. Establish Verification Methodology and Standards Design and implement automated test execution workflows that improve validation efficiency, repeatability, and reporting. Develop verification metrics that demonstrate controller performance, operational safety, and compliance with technical requirements. Define validation standards, best practices, and documentation processes that support consistent testing across projects. Drive continuous improvement of validation methodologies as technologies and system requirements evolve. Define Test Cases and Performance Criteria Partner with engineering teams, utilities, and external stakeholders to define laboratory requirements, test plans, and performance criteria. Validate controller behavior under both steady-state and abnormal operating conditions. Develop comprehensive test scenarios that assess system performance across realistic grid and a