Battery energy storage has grown from a niche to a core part of many developers' portfolios. The teams behind it have had to grow just as fast, and many companies are now hiring for BESS-specific roles for the first time. Here is a practical view of the people a storage business needs at each stage.
Development
- Development managers who originate sites, manage land and permitting, and understand how storage projects earn revenue in their market.
- Interconnection specialists, since standalone and co-located storage both depend on a workable grid position.
- Permitting and community engagement specialists who can address local questions about safety and fire codes, which come up on most storage projects.
Engineering
- Electrical engineers with battery, inverter and medium- or high-voltage design experience.
- Controls and SCADA engineers who make sure the system dispatches as intended and integrates with the market operator.
- Owner's engineers who can review supplier designs, warranties and performance guarantees.
Construction and commissioning
- Project managers and site managers experienced with containerized battery systems.
- Commissioning engineers and managers, one of the most in-demand profiles. Bringing a battery system online safely needs both electrical and controls expertise.
- EHS professionals familiar with the specific hazards of large battery installations.
Operations and asset management
- Asset managers who track performance, availability and degradation against the business case.
- O&M technicians and managers, often shared with solar portfolios but needing battery-specific training.
- Trading and optimization roles, in-house or with a partner, to make the most of market revenues.
Senior leadership
As storage portfolios scale, companies increasingly appoint a dedicated head of storage or VP of energy storage to bring development, engineering and commercial strategy together. These hires usually come from other storage developers and IPPs, from battery integrators, or from utilities with storage programs.
Where companies struggle
The hardest gaps to fill are usually commissioning, controls and experienced storage engineering, because the pool of people who have delivered several large projects is still relatively small. Transferable experience from solar, utilities or adjacent industries can work well, but it pays to be clear about which skills are essential and which can be learned.
We recruit across development, engineering, commissioning and operations for storage companies in the US. See our energy storage recruitment or tell us about your team.