Director, Engineering and Design

• Lead and scale Highland's project engineering function — drafting, design engineering, and utility interconnection — with end-to-end accountability for taking a large portfolio of EV charging, BESS, and edge compute sites from qualified site to permit-ready and construction-ready.
• Own the engineering function's throughput and quality: define the design package content and the internal approval gates for every stage — conceptual, 30%, Issued-for-Permit (IFP), and Issued for Construction (IFC) — and keep packages moving on an aggressive, portfolio-wide timeline.
• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing team of internal engineering resources
• Own Highland's external engineering-partner strategy — select, contract, scale, and manage the performance of engineering design and interconnection consultants so that internal and external capacity flex with portfolio volume.
• Set and enforce Highland's engineering, CAD, and design specifications and standards, and own the repositories of utility and AHJ requirements that make design compliant, consistent, and repeatable across the portfolio.
• Serve as Highland's senior technical authority on utility interconnection and AHJ permitting across EV charging, BESS, and edge compute; resolve the most complex technical and jurisdictional issues and represent Highland's engineering position externally.
• Own the engineering inputs to project schedule and budget — sequence and resource design, interconnection, and permitting milestones so each site is build-ready when construction needs it, and contribute to Highland's repeatable unit-cost installation model.
• Partner cross-functionally with Development, Execution, Origination, Procurement, and Fleet Operations to align engineering with portfolio priorities and continuously improve the site-to-energized process.
• Drive continuous improvement through tooling and process automation (e.g., Procore, Bluebeam, template- and data-driven design) to increase design velocity and improve unit economics as the portfolio scales.
• Provide engineering leadership on technical due diligence, estimating, and risk for new opportunities, supporting Origination and Development on feasibility, buildability, and cost.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related engineering discipline, or 12+ years of directly related professional experience.
• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience in EV charging, renewable energy, power/electrical infrastructure, or utility-scale development, including design management from concept through construction.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams, including managing managers and building or scaling a design organization.
• Demonstrated ownership of engineering standards, design package content, and QA/QC across a portfolio of concurrent projects.
• Proven experience selecting, contracting, and managing external engineering consultants at scale.
• Deep working knowledge of utility interconnection, new electrical service, and AHJ permitting requirements.
• Familiarity with interconnection standards and processes (e.g., IEEE 1547, utility tariffs, and interconnection rules).
• Expertise with CAD-based design delivery (AutoCAD) and design/review tooling (Procore, Bluebeam).

Preferred

• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience delivering EV charging infrastructure, BESS, and/or edge compute / data-center power projects.
• Experience building repeatable, unit-cost-driven design programs in a high-growth environment.
• Master's degree in engineering or an MBA.