Senior Power Systems Engineer
📆 Full-time
🚀 Senior
🇵🇹 Porto, Portugal
🔁 Hybrid
USD $41,000 - $60,610
Role Overview
We're looking for a Senior Power Systems Engineer to join as a core technical authority on our mesh-grid and mini-grid projects, adding a second experienced engineer who can independently assess, approve, and advance system designs.
You'll split your time between two modes: acting as the go-to technical resource for our commercial team (advising on feasibility, cost-performance tradeoffs, and risk at proposal stage), and driving the detailed engineering behind our next-generation mesh-grid architectures. You should be equally comfortable sizing an LV solar-storage system as you are explaining a design tradeoff to a non-technical stakeholder.
The ideal candidate brings practical experience in low-voltage electrical design across a range of projects, ideally in an off-grid African context. You’ve seen things go wrong, you’ve figured out fixes under pressure, and you’re excited to apply your engineering skillset to this problem space and help deliver clean, affordable and reliable energy to those who currently lack it, by making sure that systems are safe, fit-for-purpose, and on-budget.
Responsibilities
- Own technical review and sign-off on power system designs for mesh-grid projects, acting as a second qualified authority alongside existing engineering leadership to unblock the commercial pipeline.
- Be the embedded technical resource for the commercial team, advising on design feasibility, cost-performance tradeoffs, and risk flags at proposal and pre-contract stages.
- Contribute to the design of next-generation mesh-grid architectures, from concept through to detailed engineering specification.
- Conduct system sizing for mini-grid and mesh-grid projects across LV renewable energy configurations, including generation, storage, and distribution components
- Ensure all designs comply with applicable electrical safety standards and regulatory frameworks, and proactively track regulatory changes relevant to project geographies
- Identify and document key design tradeoffs (topology, protection schemes, voltage levels, equipment selection) and communicate decisions clearly to non-technical stakeholders
- Develop and maintain internal design standards, templates, and review checklists to improve consistency and speed of technical approvals
- Support commissioning and post-installation performance review, feeding lessons learned back into design processes.
Hard Skills
- Solar PV system design - sizing, component selection, procurement
- Low Voltage AC/DC system design - Cable sizing, protection, distribution (particularly overhead), earthing, lightning protection
- Tools and Documentation - familiarity with relevant software tools (e.g. PVSyst, AutoCAD/Revit), ability to prepare standard engineering documentation (schematics, layouts, specifications, BOQs)
- Technical communication: Able to translate complex decisions into clear, confident recommendations for commercial, project, and executive audiences
Soft Skills
- Cross-functional collaboration: Works proactively with commercial, project management, and procurement teams, not waiting to be consulted but inserting technical input at the right moments.
- Pragmatic approach: Weighs design decisions and their tradeoffs holistically (risk/time/money/complexity), preference for pragmatism over perfectionism
- Structured thinking under ambiguity: Capable of making well-reasoned design calls on novel mesh-grid configurations where no precedent or standard fully applies
- Knowledge sharing: Actively documents and shares expertise to build internal capability rather than becoming a single point of failure
- Curiosity: Interest in working across cultural divides, learning about Okra’s customers and end users
- Transparency and openness: Open to sharing and receiving ideas and feedback candidly.
- Integrity and respect: Ability to make ethical decisions even during challenges, acting with honesty and respect.
- Self-reliance: Be comfortable making decisions independently in a small organisation.
Required Experience
- Degree in Electrical Engineering (or in a related field with demonstrably equivalent practical experience)
- 5+ years of professional engineering experience, with a meaningful portion focused on off-grid, mini-grid, Solar PV, or technically similar projects
- Demonstrated experience designing Low Voltage and Extra-Low Voltage (AC and DC) systems, including generation, energy storage, distribution, and protection components
- Experience through the entire project lifecycle, from feasibility assessment, to design, procurement, construction, commissioning and operation
- Proven ability to conduct system sizing studies and document the technical rationale behind key design choices.
- Experience working within or alongside commercial teams responding to technical queries, supporting proposals, or advising on design feasibility at early project stages.
- Familiarity with IEC electrical safety and product standards relevant to Low Voltage off-grid solar installation (and/or local African equivalents).
DEI Statement
At Okra we are dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected, supported and empowered. Our workplace is an interconnected network, where each individual contributes to the energy that drives innovation, fosters collaboration, and illuminates new possibilities. We are committed to recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse team of talented professionals, and we welcome candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to join us in our mission. Diversity brings power to our teams so we can bring #PowerToThePeople.
Benefits At Okra
🕒 Flexible Location & Hours
We’re an output-focused organisation, which means that for the most part, you can choose where and when you work as long as your team has been communicated to and is on board with it. Most commonly, we ask everyone to be in the office at least 2 to 3 days a week to foster connections.
📈 Professional Growth
With mentorship from our investors (At One Ventures, Schneider Electric) and a range of experienced leaders and change-makers in our network, you get the opportunity to take on leadership responsibilities.
🛡️ We’ve Got You Covered
Cover for work travel, health insurance, sick leave, and equipment.
🌴 Unlimited Paid Time Off
We burn bright, not out – we offer unlimited paid time off so you can rest, recharge, support your loved ones, and bring your best self to work.
🌈 Dynamic & Diverse Workplace
You’ll work in a fast-paced startup environment with multinational staff – expect to learn a lot while finding creative solutions to complex problems, all while enjoying a great office vibe.
🍼 Flexible Parental Leave
At Okra, we support parents with fully paid, flexible leave: +60 days in Portugal, 120 in Nigeria, up to 178 in China. Take it your way - before or after birth, in blocks or part-time. Your career won’t stall; we make sure family and growth go hand in hand.
Process Timeline
More About Okra
At Okra Solar, we’re on a mission to bring Power to the People by unlocking opportunities through energy access for everyone in the world.
Over 650 million people still live without electricity. At a time where technology such as mobile devices, productive agritech and AI are becoming more accessible than ever, we believe that access to energy is the first step toward opportunity and growth.
That’s why we built Mesh-Grid technology that energizes off-grid households at a fraction of the cost of traditional off-grid energy solutions. We supply the tech we specialize in to local energy companies, who go out and deliver affordable, reliable energy to last mile communities.
Okra is currently in its high-growth phase, after raising over $11M for our Series A in 2023 from our investors At One Ventures, FMO, Autodesk, King Philanthropies and Susquehanna. We have rolled out multiple Mesh Grid projects across Africa, Southeast Asia and Central America, but in order for us to achieve our mission of 100% electrification, we need to continue engineering and deploying disruptive energy access technology at scale, so this is an exciting time for everyone!
Over 650 million people still live without electricity. At a time where technology such as mobile devices, productive agritech and AI are becoming more accessible than ever, we believe that access to energy is the first step toward opportunity and growth.
That’s why we built Mesh-Grid technology that energizes off-grid households at a fraction of the cost of traditional off-grid energy solutions. We supply the tech we specialize in to local energy companies, who go out and deliver affordable, reliable energy to last mile communities.
Okra is currently in its high-growth phase, after raising over $11M for our Series A in 2023 from our investors At One Ventures, FMO, Autodesk, King Philanthropies and Susquehanna. We have rolled out multiple Mesh Grid projects across Africa, Southeast Asia and Central America, but in order for us to achieve our mission of 100% electrification, we need to continue engineering and deploying disruptive energy access technology at scale, so this is an exciting time for everyone!
