Catalyzing a cleaner future 

At ESS (NYSE: GWH), our mission is to accelerate global decarbonization by providing safe, sustainable, long-duration energy storage that powers people, communities, and businesses with clean, renewable energy anytime and anywhere it’s needed. As more renewable energy is added to the grid, long- duration energy storage is essential to providing the reliability and resiliency we need when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. 

Our technology uses earth-abundant iron, salt, and water to deliver environmentally safe solutions capable of providing up to 12 hours of flexible energy capacity for commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications. Established in 2011, ESS Inc. enables project developers, independent power producers, utilities, and other large energy users to deploy reliable, sustainable long-duration energy storage solutions.

Position Profile

ESS is seeking a Technical Program Manager II, BESS Mechanical & Electrical (NPD / NPI) to drive strategic planning and program execution across mechanical and electrical systems product development initiatives. This role drives detailed program planning, coordination, and delivery for complex, cross-functional development efforts, ensuring that timelines are realistic, dependencies are understood, and teams remain aligned to product roadmaps and company commitments as we deliver next-generation energy storage products.
 

You will act as a key execution leader, integrating internal teams of engineers, architects, product leaders, and third-party partners into a cohesive program, proactively managing dependencies, resolving risks, optimizing costs, and synchronizing timelines to ensure business objectives are realized effectively and with emphasis on comprehensive quality.  This role operates with moderate autonomy and emphasizes hands-on coordination, schedule integration, and risk management, serving as a bridge between domain execution and enterprise program objectives.  

The ideal candidate is proactive, highly organized, technologically fluent, and comfortable navigating competing priorities with support from leadership.

What you’ll do

• Ownend-to-endstrategicplanning and execution ofmechanical and electrical system developmentprograms
• Develop andmaintainintegrated program plans, including milestones, dependencies, and risks
• Proactively engagewith mechanical and electrical engineering teams to ensure progress against milestones,leveragingsprint methodologies to keep teams focused and organized

• Partner with technical SMEs to define, scope, and manage subcontractor engagements, including development of SoW and deliverable expectations
• Serve as the primary coordination point for third-party development vendors, ensuring alignment to program timelines and deliverables
• Identify, escalate, and resolve cross-team risks, blockers, and execution gapswith support from leadership 
• Synthesize program status into clear, actionable insights for leadership and PMO stakeholders
• Run program reviews, standups, and status communications with a focus on accuracy and consistency
• Supportmaintainedalignmentof programscope against evolvingcustomer commitments, internal roadmaps, and enterprise milestones
• Support translation of product and technical strategy into executable plans
• Implement and reinforce program management tools, processes, and governance standards
• Develop andmaintainresource planning, forecasting, and program-level budgeting as needed
• Drive continuous improvement in program execution, coordination, and reporting practices

What you bring

• Business mindset and the ability to developandmaintainan effective program strategy aligned to enterprise objectives
• 5-8+ years of experience in technical program management, project management, or engineeringwithin a physical product development environment
• Experienceorchestratingcomplex, multi-teamprojects &programoutputsinintegrated systemNPD /NPIor product evolutionapplications– relevantindustriesinclude automotive, aerospace, energy, or similar technical products
• Strong working knowledge ofproductdevelopment+NPIlifecyclesandPMI processes
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional dependencies and external partners
• Excellent organizational, communication, and stakeholdercoordinationskills
• Ability tooperateindependently in fast-paced, evolving environments

• Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail and follow-through
• Ability to engage deeplyand motivatetechnical teams without direct authorityand understand complex integrated system design strategies / development interplay toidentifyassociated effort, risks, & challenges
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and dynamic priorities

Key Attributes

• Execution-focused with the ability tooperate‘in thedetails’whilemaintainingprogram alignment
• Proactivelyidentifiesrisks anddrives mitigation in partnership with engineering and program leadership
• Drives clarity, accountability, and alignment across complex programs
• Buildsstrong cross-functional relationships and fosters collaboration
• Drives impactthroughdata-driven communication
• Balancesstructure and flexibility to enable execution in dynamic environments
• Maintainshigh standardsfor communication quality, consistency, and transparency

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in energy storage, power systems, EV, utilities, or similar industries
• Background in hardware-focusedNPI and integrated systemsproduct development
• Experience with mechanical / electrical subcontractors, consultants,andequipmentsuppliers
• Familiarity and / or experience navigatingproductsafetyand regulatorycompliance requirementsand certification
• Familiarity withinformation managementtools such asSmartsheet,MS Project,Jira, Confluence,Oracle Cloud, Fusion PLM
• Proficiencywith Excel and / orPowerBI

Education

• Bachelor’s degree inengineering orarelatedfield,or equivalent experience
• PgMP, PMP, Scrum, or similar certification (stronglypreferred)

Benefits of working at ESS

In addition to the value of working with and helping grow a global reaching clean technology, ESS offers Company assisted medical, dental and vision, 401k with Company match, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), generous flexible time off (FTO), and 8 paid holidays.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are open to considering every qualified candidate who is eligible and legally authorized to work in the United States on a full or part-time basis, without need for sponsorship.