Contract Machine Learning Startup Jobs in Raleigh, NC

The Company

The energy industry is entering one of the most significant periods of growth and transformation in its history. Meeting the nation's growing demand for reliable electricity will require new ideas, new infrastructure, and talented people committed to building for the future. 

At Cypress Creek Energy, we're meeting that challenge by developing and operating the energy infrastructure needed to power communities, support economic opportunity, and strengthen resilience. We believe our responsibility extends beyond the grid and that how we build matters just as much as what we build. 

That same commitment extends to our employees. We invest in professional growth, encourage collaboration across teams, and provide opportunities to take ownership, expand your expertise, and advance your career. Our culture is grounded in safety, accountability, respect, and a shared commitment to deliver results. Join us and help meet one of the most important energy challenges of our time while building a rewarding career. 

Overview

Cypress Creek Energy is seeking an experienced AI Product Manager / Engineer to drive the development and deployment of artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions across our solar project development lifecycle. This is a high-impact, cross-functional role sitting at the intersection of renewable energy domain expertise and advanced technology. Reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer, you will own the product roadmap for AI-powered tools that streamline site selection, EPC procurement and management, interconnection analysis, and construction oversight.

The ideal candidate brings a rare combination of hands-on experience in solar development-including navigating EPC contracts, interconnection queues, and greenfield site assessment-and proven ability to translate complex business problems into scalable AI/ML products. You will partner closely with project development, engineering, and operations teams to identify high-value automation and intelligence opportunities, then lead end-to-end delivery.

Responsibilities

AI Product Strategy & Roadmap

• Define and own the AI product roadmap aligned with CCRenew's solar development pipeline strategy and CTO vision.
• Identify opportunities to apply machine learning, computer vision, geospatial AI, and predictive analytics across the development lifecycle.
• Translate domain pain points in site selection, EPC management, interconnects, and construction into structured, prioritized product requirements.
• Build and maintain stakeholder alignment across development, engineering, finance, and legal teams.

Site Selection & Geospatial Intelligence

• Lead development of AI-driven site screening and scoring tools that evaluate land availability, solar irradiance, transmission proximity, environmental constraints, and permitting risk.
• Integrate geospatial data sources (LiDAR, satellite imagery, GIS layers) into automated site analysis workflows.
• Build predictive models for site feasibility scoring that reduce manual assessment time and improve go/no-go decision quality.

Interconnection & Transmission

• Develop AI tools to model and forecast interconnection queue positions, study timelines, and upgrade cost scenarios across MISO, PJM, CAISO, ERCOT, and other ISOs/RTOs.
• Build automated monitoring systems for regulatory queue changes, FERC Order compliance, and interconnection agreement milestones.
• Apply NLP and document intelligence to process study results, interconnection agreements, and utility correspondence at scale.

EPC & Procurement Intelligence

• Design AI-powered tools for EPC bid analysis, contract risk scoring, and subcontractor performance benchmarking.
• Develop cost estimation and variance prediction models informed by equipment pricing trends, labor markets, and project-specific variables.
• Automate review of EPC contracts, change orders, and scope documents using large language model (LLM) pipelines.

Construction Monitoring & Project Controls

• Build AI solutions for real-time construction progress tracking using drone imagery, IoT sensor data, and project management integrations.
• Develop schedule risk and delay prediction models that surface issues early and recommend mitigation actions.
• Create automated reporting and alerting systems that consolidate field data, RFI logs, inspection records, and milestone tracking.

Engineering & Technical Leadership

• Architect and, where required, directly engineer ML pipelines, data ingestion systems, and model deployment infrastructure.
• Partner with data engineering and software engineering to ensure production-grade reliability, scalability, and security of AI systems.
• Establish model monitoring, drift detection, and retraining workflows for deployed models.
• Evaluate and integrate third-party AI tools, APIs, and vendor platforms relevant to the solar development stack.

Required Qualifications

Renewable Energy Domain Expertise

• 7+ years of direct experience in solar energy, with significant time spent in the development phase of utility-scale projects.
• Deep familiarity with the full solar development lifecycle: site control, permitting, interconnection, EPC procurement, construction, and commercial operations.
• Hands-on experience navigating interconnection processes with one or more ISOs/RTOs (MISO, PJM, CAISO, SPP, ERCOT, NYISO, or Southeast utilities).
• Working knowledge of EPC contract structures, lump-sum vs. cost-plus arrangements, LD provisions, and construction risk allocation.
• Understanding of solar site selection criteria including GHI/DNI analysis, land use constraints, transmission access, and environmental review processes.

AI / Technology Skills

• Proven track record delivering AI or ML products from concept through production deployment.
• Proficiency in Python and familiarity with core ML frameworks (scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, XGBoost, or similar).
• Experience with geospatial data analysis (GeoPandas, QGIS, ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with LLM application development, prompt engineering, and RAG architectures for document intelligence use cases.
• Comfort working with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and modern data infrastructure (Snowflake, dbt, Spark, Airflow).

Product & Leadership Skills

• Demonstrated ability to own a product roadmap and drive delivery in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, including C-suite.
• Experience working in or alongside development, engineering, or project finance teams at an IPP, developer, or EPC firm.
• Embrace and live by the mission and values of Cypress Creek Renewables.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, or a related field.
• Prior experience in a product manager or technical product lead role at a renewable energy company, energy tech startup, or utility.
• Familiarity with FERC regulations, NERC standards, and state-level renewable energy policy frameworks.
• Experience with computer vision or remote sensing applications (e.g., aerial/satellite image analysis for construction progress or land assessment).
• Knowledge of energy storage (BESS) co-location development and its impact on interconnection and site planning.
• Background in power flow modeling or transmission planning tools (PSS/E, PowerWorld, PSCAD).
• Experience with project management platforms such as Procore, Oracle Primavera, or similar construction management tools.

Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a resume and a brief cover letter describing their solar development experience and vision for AI in the energy sector. 

Location: The preferred location for this role is Durham, NC. Our team operates on a hybrid schedule, with in-office schedule of three days per week.

Benefits:

• 15 days of Paid Time Off, accrual up to 20 days, 11 observed holidays.
• 401(k) Match
• Comprehensive package including medical, dental, vision and health insurance
• Wellness stipend, family planning stipend, and generous parental leave
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Phone Bill Reimbursement
• Company Swag

A note to Recruiting Agencies, Cypress Creek Energy Human Resources team does not accept unsolicited resumes from third party recruiters, staffing firms, or related agencies. The Human Resources team coordinates all recruiting and hiring at our company. We do not accept resumes from third-party recruiters unless authorized by the Human Resources team and if a signed agreement is in place. Any unsolicited resumes will be considered property of CCR and we are not responsible for any related fees. All communication related to recruiting partnerships should ONLY be directed to the Human Resources team. 

Cypress Creek Energy is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status. We are committed to providing a workplace that is inclusive and values diversity, and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

Please be aware of recruiting scams-official communications will only come from @cypresscreekenergy.com, we will never request personal or financial information, and any suspicious activity should be reported to HR@ccrenew.com.