Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Software Engineer, Computation
at Aurora Solar
🏢 About Aurora Solar
Aurora Solar is a mission-driven company whose AI-powered platform has designed millions of solar projects, directly accelerating the world's transition to renewable energy. Named one of the Best Remote Companies by BuiltIn.com and a Certified Green Business, Aurora offers a fully remote, impact-focused work environment where cutting-edge software meets climate action. Working here means your code contributes to making solar adoption simple and predictable for professionals worldwide.
About This Role
As a Senior Software Engineer on the System Design Pod, you'll build the core computation engines that power load and utility bill modeling, whole-home electrification, PV and battery electrical design, and system performance simulation. This highly technical role sits at the intersection of software engineering and applied math, and your work will directly determine the accuracy and fidelity of every solar project designed on Aurora's platform. You'll collaborate closely with product managers, designers, research engineers, and QA to turn complex physical models into scalable, production-grade systems.
💡 A Day in the Life
You might start your day with a stand-up with the System Design Pod, discussing progress on a new load modeling algorithm. Later, you could dive into optimizing a simulation that runs millions of times daily, collaborating with a research engineer to validate results against field data. In the afternoon, you might review a pull request from a teammate or pair with a product manager to refine requirements for a battery design feature. Expect a mix of deep technical work and cross-functional collaboration, all in a remote-first environment.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Aurora Solar Is Looking For
- 5+ years of software engineering experience, with a strong track record of building and scaling complex computational systems in production.
- Deep expertise in applied mathematics, numerical methods, or scientific computing, ideally applied to physical modeling, simulation, or optimization problems.
- Proficiency in a modern programming language (e.g., Python, C++, or Go) and experience with performance optimization, algorithm design, and data structures.
- Familiarity with solar energy, electrical engineering, or energy modeling is a plus, but a strong aptitude for learning domain-specific physics and math is essential.
- Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, and research teams to translate business needs into robust technical solutions.
📝 Tips for Applying to Aurora Solar
Highlight any experience with simulation, numerical optimization, or physical modeling in your resume—Aurora's core platform relies on these skills daily.
Showcase projects where you improved the accuracy or performance of a computational system, quantifying impact (e.g., reduced computation time by X%, improved model accuracy by Y%).
Mention any exposure to solar, renewable energy, or electrical systems, even if from a hobby or side project, to demonstrate genuine interest in Aurora's mission.
Tailor your cover letter to the System Design Pod by referencing specific challenges in solar design, such as load modeling or battery performance simulation.
Emphasize remote work success and asynchronous communication skills, as Aurora is a fully remote company recognized for its remote culture.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your passion for renewable energy and how Aurora's mission aligns with your career goals, ideally with a personal anecdote or project.", 'Specific examples of building or optimizing computation engines, especially those involving applied math, simulation, or large-scale data processing.', 'Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (product, design, research) to deliver technical solutions that meet user needs.', 'Your approach to solving ambiguous, deeply technical problems and how you balance accuracy with performance in production systems.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore Aurora Solar's product features, especially the design and simulation tools, to understand the computational challenges they solve.
- → Read about the solar design process, including load calculations, utility bill modeling, and PV system sizing, to speak the domain language.
- → Look into Aurora's engineering blog or tech talks to learn about their tech stack and how they approach computation at scale.
- → Research the System Design Pod's impact by reading customer case studies or press releases about Aurora's accuracy and performance improvements.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic software engineering resume that doesn't highlight computational or mathematical depth—this role requires specialized skills.
- Ignoring the renewable energy context; candidates who show no interest in solar or sustainability may be seen as a poor culture fit.
- Overemphasizing pure frontend or mobile experience without connecting it to backend computation or algorithm design.
📅 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:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!