Application Guide

How to Apply for Functional Systems Lead

at Peak Energy

🏢 About Peak Energy

Peak Energy is a pioneering American company advancing sodium-ion battery technology for renewable energy storage and grid applications. Unlike lithium-ion, sodium-ion offers abundant, low-cost materials and enhanced safety, positioning Peak Energy at the forefront of sustainable energy innovation. Working here means contributing to a mission-critical technology that could redefine grid-scale energy storage.

About This Role

As the Functional Systems Lead, you'll own the system-level architecture and functional definition for energy storage systems, from cell to grid. This role is impactful because you'll define requirements, interfaces, and safety strategies that ensure reliable, safe operation of sodium-ion battery systems, directly enabling the transition to renewable energy.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve reviewing system requirements with the software and hardware teams, leading a design review for a new protection algorithm, and running simulation models to validate fault response. You'll also collaborate with the thermal team on cooling strategies and present architecture decisions to senior leadership, ensuring alignment across all subsystems.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Peak Energy Is Looking For

  • A seasoned systems engineer with 10+ years of experience, including 3–5+ years in technical leadership, ideally in battery systems, automotive, aerospace, or industrial safety-critical systems.
  • Deep expertise in embedded systems and real-time controls, with hands-on experience defining architecture for BMS, protections, and EMS integration.
  • Proficient in system modeling and simulation using MATLAB/Simulink or Python, with a track record of managing requirements traceability from cell to grid.
  • A strategic thinker who can drive cross-functional integration across software, power electronics, thermal, and mechanical subsystems, with a focus on functional safety (e.g., ISO 26262, IEC 61508).

📝 Tips for Applying to Peak Energy

1

Highlight specific experience with sodium-ion or other non-lithium battery chemistries; show understanding of their unique safety and performance characteristics.

2

Provide concrete examples of leading system architecture for grid-scale energy storage systems, including BMS, EMS, and protection strategies.

3

Emphasize your technical leadership in cross-functional teams, with metrics on how your architecture improved safety or performance.

4

Tailor your resume to show traceability management: use terms like 'requirements flow-down', 'interface control documents', and 'functional safety case'.

5

Include a portfolio or summary of a complex system you architected, detailing how you balanced trade-offs between cost, safety, and performance.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your passion for sustainable energy and specifically sodium-ion technology's potential to democratize grid storage.", "Your experience with safety-critical systems and how you've applied functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262) to battery or similar systems.", 'Your ability to own system-level architecture and drive integration across multiple engineering disciplines.', "A specific example of how you've defined and managed requirements from concept through validation in a complex system."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Study Peak Energy's technology roadmap and sodium-ion chemistry advantages (e.g., safety, cost, cycle life) versus lithium-ion.
  • → Review their recent press releases or funding announcements to understand company growth and strategic focus.
  • → Look into their team composition on LinkedIn to understand the engineering culture and key players.
  • → Familiarize yourself with grid-scale energy storage regulations and standards (e.g., UL 9540, NFPA 855) that may impact system design.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk me through how you would define the system architecture for a sodium-ion BMS, including safety strategies and fault detection.
2 Describe a time you resolved a critical integration issue between embedded software and power electronics in a battery system.
3 How do you approach requirements traceability from cell-level to grid-level, and what tools do you use?
4 Explain your experience with functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262) and how you've applied them to energy storage.
5 How would you model and simulate a sodium-ion battery system's behavior under various fault conditions using MATLAB/Simulink?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't focus solely on lithium-ion experience without showing transferable skills to sodium-ion or other chemistries.
  • Avoid vague descriptions of leadership; instead, quantify your impact (e.g., 'led a team of 8 engineers to deliver a 10 MWh system').
  • Don't neglect to mention specific safety standards or certifications you've worked with; generic safety talk is insufficient.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Peak Energy!

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