Engineer- Technical Sales I IND

Job Description

First Solar reserves the right to offer you a role most applicable to your experience and skillset.

Basic Job Functions:

• The Technical Sales Engineer India manages the technical aspects of the sales cycle for photovoltaic modules and is the voice of the customer back to the Product Management and R&D teams. It is a client facing position.
• This role leads customer opportunities from early-stage origination through indicative analysis and final bidding. It includes supporting the contract execution team lead after a deal is won.
• The Technical Sales Engineer works as an integral member of the Sales and Product Management teams by leading which scope brings the most value to each type of customer and industry partner.
• This role is responsible for completing plant performance energy estimates, creating technology comparisons, building relationships with EPCs and other OEMs, modeling site layouts and optimizing for highest value results, and understanding capital cost estimates and O&M scope for a module sale or for a customer's RFP bid response.
• The role works with First Solar's commercial leads to address and remove any technical roadblocks that would prohibit a customer from executing a module transaction. This includes reviewing customer technical documents, teaching and explaining CdTe unique technology benefits, guiding Balance of System costs, and being an industry leader of plant performance estimates and performance tool knowledge.
• This ensures module customers and third-party partners are optimally designing, testing, and valuing First Solar module technology. This role also leads the coordination of the customer's deeper technical and business questions to the proper resource whether within First Solar or through collaboration with industry professionals.
• The Technical Sales Engineer reflects the First Solar tenet of customer intimacy and is the first person the customer will contact when technical concern arises.
  
  

Education/Experience:

• Must have a BS degree in an engineering discipline, (i.e., BSEE, BSME, BSCE, BSChE, etc.).
• Advanced degree in Business or Engineering preferred, but not required.
• 2-5 years power industry experience with knowledge of solar project design, equipment selection, energy modeling, and technical sales.
• Prior experience in the energy industry required.
• Project experience includes project development, conceptual and detailed design, engineering and optimization, cost estimating, and procurement.
• Battery Storage, inverter, PV structure, construction, field-testing, allocation, marketing, fulfillment, execution, commissioning, and data analysis experience a plus.
  
  

Required Skills/Competencies:

• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills required for relationship building.
• Ability to effectively communicate technical parameters and technology evaluation processes.
• Must possess technical knowledge of related engineering systems, equipment, engineering calculations, and construction methods/materials.
• Aptitude for and/or knowledge of product development, sales, project engineering, and procurement
• Strong computing skills including MS Office Suite; engineering programs like: PVsyst, CAD, Python etc.; CRM tools: Salesforce, Kinaxis, and Tableau.
• Organized with the ability to simultaneously manage customer relationships and close transactions.
  
  

Essential Responsibilities:

• Effectively engage in the consultative selling process to and communicate First Solar's technical value proposition to customers via phone calls, email, in-person meetings, and written proposals.
• Develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with clients and industry partners.
• Review and provide feedback to customers on plant energy estimates, site layouts, and capital cost estimates.
• Generate and manage internal creations of cost estimates, technology comparisons, technical sales decks, and technical marketing collateral.
• Review technical portions of written proposals including energy modeling tools, weather file selection, electrical and structural ecosystems and align with commercial offers.
• Represent First Solar at conferences for the PV industry, participate in engagements that advocate for First Solar's module technology.
• Stay informed of technical and economic trends within PV industry including offerings of key industry providers for structure, inverters, and wiring for the purpose of connecting customers to those that can enhance First Solar's module value.
• Develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with internal clients at both the senior management and staff level. Communicate technical risk on customer execution and fulfillment as needed.
• Other duties as assigned; job description subject to change at any time.
  
  

Reporting Relationships:

• Manager- Technical BD
• This position will have direct reports.
  
  

Travel:

• Up to 25% per year
  
  

Physical Requirements:

Hybrid Physical Requirements:

• Will sit, stand, or walk short distances for up to the entire duration of a shift.
• Will climb stairs on an occasional basis.
• Will lift, push, or pull up to 27 pounds on an occasional basis.
• Required to use hands to grasp, lift, handle, carry or feel objects on a frequent basis.
• 20/40 vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required.
• Must be able to comply with all safety standards and procedures.
• May reach above shoulder heights and below the waist on a frequent basis.
• May stoop, kneel, or bend, on an occasional basis.
• The ability to wear personal protective equipment is required (including but not limited to; steel toed shoes, gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection, protective jacket or apron and arm guards).
• All associates working on the production floor may be required to wear a respirator at any given time and thus, the ability to wear a respirator is a condition of employment and continued employment (requires little or no facial hair).
  
  

Office Physical Requirements:

All positions in our office require interaction with people and technology while either standing or sitting. To best service our customers, internal and external, all associates must be able to communicate face-to-face and on the phone with or without reasonable accommodation. First Solar is committed to compliance with its obligations under all applicable state and federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. In keeping with this commitment, it attempts to reasonably accommodate applicants and employees in accordance with the requirements of the disability discrimination laws. It also invites individuals with disabilities to participate in a good faith, interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations that can be made without imposing an undue hardship.

Potential candidates will meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role. All candidates receiving an offer of employment must successfully complete a background check and any other tests that may be required.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement: First Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company.