Hil Validation Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

We're a team of friends bound together by a mission to preserve our planet for future generations through innovative energy solutions and modern infrastructure. Intersect develops, constructs, and operates the most ambitious power and data center infrastructure in the country by co-locating industrial demand with dedicated gas and renewable power generation.

Intersect was acquired by Google in March 2026 and operates as an independent subsidiary. We are developing and constructing multiple gigawatts of energy and data center projects in the U.S., enabling more data center and generation capacity to come online faster. We're on an aggressive growth trajectory and looking for people hungry to tackle the largest energy challenges on the planet.

Location & Team Gatherings

We are currently looking for candidates located within 60 miles of any of the listed location.

We connect as a team at our Team Week experiences four times a year and at our recently established Hub locations - SF Bay Area, NYC Metro Area, NY; Denver, CO; Austin, TX; Calgary, AB; and Toronto, ON.

Microgrid Validation Engineer

About This Role

As part of Intersect's Microgrid Engineering team, you'll define and implement the validation framework that ensures microgrid control software performs safely and reliably before deployment. You'll help build the simulation environments, validation tools, and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing capabilities that verify system stability, controller performance, and operational readiness across a wide range of real-world scenarios. Working closely with controls engineers, power systems engineers, utilities, and external partners, you'll play a key role in ensuring microgrid systems meet performance, compliance, and reliability expectations at scale.

Team Overview

This team plays a critical role in advancing Intersect's mission to accelerate the clean energy transition, designing and operating systems that deliver reliable power at massive scale. The Microgrid Engineering team works across software, hardware, operations, and external stakeholders to validate complex systems under realistic conditions, ensuring safety, performance, and long-term operability. Joining this team offers hands-on exposure to advanced validation techniques and large-scale energy systems while contributing to work that has real-world impact.

What You'll Do

Build Validation Frameworks and Test Automation

• Develop software validation tools and simulation frameworks that exercise control algorithms across a full range of operating conditions, including failure modes, communication delays, and equipment faults.

• Design and maintain automated test execution workflows that improve validation efficiency, repeatability, and reporting.

• Create scalable validation processes that support the continued growth and deployment of microgrid systems.

Define Test Cases and Performance Criteria

• Partner with controls engineers, power systems engineers, utilities, and external stakeholders to define validation scenarios, test cases, and performance requirements.

• Verify controller behavior under both normal operating conditions and abnormal system events.

• Establish objective performance metrics and acceptance criteria to evaluate system readiness.

Integrate Field Learnings into Validation

• Analyze field operating data to improve simulation fidelity and identify previously untested edge cases.

• Incorporate operational insights into regression test suites to continuously strengthen validation coverage.

• Support root-cause investigations and validation efforts for system performance issues.

Maintain Validation Assets and Traceability

• Expand and maintain laboratory validation capabilities, including HIL environments and supporting test infrastructure.

• Troubleshoot issues related to test equipment, simulation platforms, and validation workflows.

• Maintain organized repositories of validation assets, test artifacts, requirements traceability, and technical documentation.

What You'll Bring

The following qualifications will help you succeed in this role:

• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

• 2-5+ years of experience in real-time system HIL validation, SIL testing, power system model verification, or related validation disciplines.

• Experience designing automated test pipelines, verification methodologies, and performance metrics for real-time or embedded systems.

• Hands-on experience with real-time simulators and validation platforms, including SIL, HIL, or comparable testing environments.

• Familiarity with simulation and modeling tools such as Simulink, Modelica, or similar platforms.

• Experience supporting commissioning, troubleshooting, or operational validation of laboratory or utility-scale power systems.

• Familiarity with industrial control and embedded programming languages such as C++, IEC 61131-3 Structured Text, SEL RTAC logic, CODESYS, Lua, Rust, or C.

• Experience using modern software development practices, including version control, automated testing, and validation workflows.

• Understanding of utility interconnection requirements, grid operations, and energy market participation; ERCOT experience is preferred.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams and external stakeholders.

• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to safety, quality, and system reliability.

• A proactive, curious, and solutions-oriented approach that supports continuous learning and improvement.

Total Rewards

Total Compensation: $118,750 - $137,500 (total compensation includes base salary + bonus in USD)

Equity: Beyond your salary, you'll receive an Equity Grant, giving you a meaningful stake in our parent company. 

Health & wellness: 100% premium coverage for you and your dependents on medical, dental, and vision

Time to recharge: Unlimited PTO, plus two company-wide breaks (Fourth of July & end of year)

Family support: Up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, plus 6 additional weeks for birth parents; access to family planning and family care support through Carrot and Maven

Mental health: Free access to Spring Health, including 5 free therapy and psychiatry sessions, plus a Headspace account for mindfulness and meditation through our physical health vendor, Wellhub+

Perks & extras: $150 monthly food stipend, $150 monthly reimbursement for cell phone and internet, pet insurance allowance, full home office setup, free access to UrbanSitter with $625 in quarterly company-paid credits, ActiveHero, and One Medical

Intersect maintains a work environment free from discrimination, one where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. All employees share in the responsibility for fulfilling Intersect's commitment to equal employment opportunity. Intersect does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by and consistent with applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. We adhere to these principles in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, benefits, social and recreational programs, and discipline.