How to apply for (Senior) Solution Architect & Bid Manager (m/w/d) – Commercial Solutions

About 1KOMMA5°

1KOMMA5° combines regional skilled trades with scalable software to build integrated energy systems. The company controls solar, storage, heat pumps, and e-mobility as one system in a virtual power plant connected to the electricity market in real time. It aims to convert 1.5 million households to renewable energy by 2030 and has over 3,000 employees across more than 80 locations worldwide.

About the role

This role is the central bridge between go-to-market (sales) and execution. You translate customer-specific requirements into technically feasible, legally sound, and highly profitable offers for the commercial and industrial segment. You manage the creation of complex bids and drive the continued development of deal architecture.

A typical day

You might start by reviewing a new C&I customer requirement with the sales team, then work with technical and legal colleagues to shape a solution. Later you coordinate bid timelines, cost calculations, and risk assessments, and finally present the offer to internal stakeholders before it goes to the customer. Ask the hiring manager how the team divides time between new bids and improving existing deal templates.

Who 1KOMMA5° is looking for

• Experience designing technical solutions and managing bids for commercial and industrial energy projects, such as solar, storage, heat pumps, or e-mobility systems.
• Ability to read and interpret technical requirements, then convert them into costed, legally compliant, and profitable proposals.
• Strong coordination skills to work between sales teams and execution teams, ensuring offers are both sellable and deliverable.
• Familiarity with German energy market regulations, grid connection rules, or virtual power plant operations is a plus.

Tips for this application

• In your CV or cover letter, list specific bids or solution architectures you have managed for C&I customers, including deal size and technical scope.
• Show that you understand the difference between a technical solution and a profitable, legally binding offer. Give one example where you improved profitability or reduced risk in a bid.
• Mention any experience with virtual power plants, decentralized energy systems, or Heartbeat AI-like software platforms, even if only from a bid management perspective.
• Since the role is remote but the company has German roots, state your German language level and your ability to work with German contracts and regulations.
• Apply through the company career page and address your letter to the Solutions Offering department. Avoid generic greetings.

What to cover in your cover letter

Explain how you have bridged sales and execution in previous roles. Describe a complex bid you managed from customer requirement to signed contract, including technical, legal, and commercial challenges. State why you want to work specifically on C&I energy solutions at 1KOMMA5° and how you would structure deal architecture for their virtual power plant. Mention your familiarity with German energy law or willingness to learn it quickly.

Research before applying

• Study 1KOMMA5°'s virtual power plant and Heartbeat AI. Understand how they connect to the electricity market in real time.
• Review the company's commercial and industrial offerings, if published. Look for case studies or press releases about C&I projects.
• Check German regulations for decentralized energy systems, such as EEG, EnWG, or grid connection rules, since the role likely involves German contracts.
• Look up the backgrounds of the Solutions Offering team or the Go-to-Market leadership on LinkedIn to understand their priorities.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk us through a complex bid you managed for a C&I energy project. What was your role, and how did you ensure it was both technically feasible and profitable?
• How do you translate a customer's technical requirements into a solution architecture that fits a virtual power plant?
• Describe a time you had to balance sales pressure with legal or operational constraints. What did you do?
• What do you know about 1KOMMA5°'s Heartbeat AI and how it controls solar, storage, heat pumps, and e-mobility as one system?
• How would you structure a bid management process for commercial solutions across multiple countries?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic application that does not mention C&I energy solutions, bid management, or the bridge between sales and execution.
• Focusing only on technical architecture without showing how you ensure legal soundness and profitability in offers.
• Ignoring the German market context. If you do not speak German or know German energy law, do not pretend otherwise. State your plan to learn.