Energy Systems Architect - Remote || W2 only

About the Role

Cerebra Consulting Inc is seeking an Energy Systems Architect for a 5-month remote contract. In this role, you will act as the technical lead for the energy and microgrid layer of a Virtual Building Automation System (VBAS) program. You will design and validate the microgrid simulation platform, define the digital twin architecture, and lead the AWS-hosted platform architecture.

This is a senior individual contributor role requiring deep power systems engineering knowledge paired with AWS IoT, digital twin, and modern data engineering skills. While the role is remote, there is a preference for candidates local to the NJ, NYC, MD, DE, VA, or CT areas for occasional onsite meetings in Philadelphia.

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years in power systems engineering, energy storage, or microgrid design
• Hands-on experience with SCADA/BMS protocols: BACnet/IP, BACnet MS/TP, Modbus TCP/RTU, OPC-UA, DNP3, or IEC 61850
• Experience with digital twin or simulation platforms: GridLAB-D, HOMER Pro, MATLAB/Simulink, or AWS IoT TwinMaker
• Familiarity with DER assets: UPS systems, battery storage, generators, demand response programs, and curtailment programs
• AWS IoT services depth: SiteWise, IoT Core, IoT Greengrass, IoT TwinMaker (or equivalent cloud IoT platform experience with willingness to adopt AWS)
• Ability to produce IEEE/ANSI-aligned architecture documentation and one-line diagrams
• Experience integrating with cloud data pipelines: REST APIs, MQTT (mTLS with X.509 device certificates), and managed time-series storage (Amazon Timestream, InfluxDB, or Historian)
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or related; PE license a strong plus

Bonus Experience

• Experience with critical facility, large-scale datacenter, or telecom headend infrastructure
• Knowledge of ASHRAE A2 thermal thresholds and critical facility cooling systems
• Familiarity with Amazon Managed Grafana or operational dashboarding tools
• Experience with California 72-hour battery backup mandate or similar utility resiliency requirements
• Familiarity with NERC CIP or NIST SP 800-82 (Operational Technology security)
• NABCEP, CEM, or LEED credentials

What You'll Do

• Design and document the microgrid simulation architecture: DER topology, BMS/SCADA integration points, data flows, and AWS service mapping
• Define simulation parameters: charge/discharge cycles, depth of discharge, curtailment triggers, peak-load dispatch logic, and AI-load surge thresholds
• Lead the digital twin calibration process against historical actuals; own the +/-5% accuracy validation target across six scenarios
• Establish the shared data lake schema in coordination with Data Engineers
• Design the national three-tier platform architecture and CMDB baseline
• Serve as platform architecture authority for VBAS national operations, SLA governance, and use case registry growth
• Provide BMS/SCADA API advisory to the HVAC/BAS Integration Engineer
• Coordinate with the AWS Solutions Architect on AWS service selection and landing zone validation
• Produce architecture documentation, topology diagrams, one-line electrical diagrams, and integration specifications for review