Remote Solar Physics Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Description

The Director, Commercial AVL Products will drive Qcells product adoption onto Approved Vendor Lists (AVLs) nationwide across Residential, Commercial, and Utility/Data Center segments. This role sits at the intersection of product management, technical sales, and commercial strategy — aligning product readiness, third-party validation, and commercial positioning ahead of each product launch to ensure Qcells modules and systems clear the due-diligence gates that matter most to our customers. This position reports to the Head of Solutions Engineering Department, or another member of senior management that the President of the Company may designate.  This position will be based out of Santa Clara, CA or remote.

• Map AVL acceptance criteria and key deliverables across Residential TPOs, Commercial sponsors, and Utility/Data Center/hyperscale procurement programs. 
• Maintain a current-state inventory of Qcells products against each target AVL's due diligence gates; identify and own gap-closure paths. 
• Prioritize target AVLs by strategic and revenue impact; build a forward-looking adoption roadmap tied to the Qcells product launch calendar. 
• Translate AVL trends into actionable intelligence for Product, Engineering, and Commercial leadership. 

• Serve as the primary technical interface with AVL due diligence leads, independent engineering (IE) firms, and approval gatekeepers.
• Drive Qcells products through AVL submission, review, and approval cycles end-to-end.
• Resolve technical objections and gap-closure requests raised by AVL reviewers.
• Maintain post-approval AVL relationships to protect product placement and accelerate next-product acceptance.

• Craft DNV IE report narratives top-down — define the story before the testing matrix is locked.
• Drive internal Testing & Validation, Reliability, and Engineering teams to produce results that support the narrative.
• Scope and manage third-party testing engagements (DNV, PVEL, and others) to align test plans with AVL acceptance criteria.
• Consolidate testing outcomes into a defensible bankability story for AVL audiences.

• Embed AVL adoption requirements into Qcells product development gates so that testing, warranty, and documentation are launch-ready.
• Influence product roadmap, BOM, and test plan decisions to close known AVL gaps ahead of launch — not after.
• Partner with Commercial leadership to secure special warranty terms, performance guarantees, or commercial concessions needed to clear AVL acceptance.
• Feed AVL feedback into Product, Quality, and Warranty programs as continuous-improvement input.

• 10+ years in solar with significant exposure to module, MLPE, or BESS product management, technical sales, or bankability. 
• Direct, hands-on experience navigating AVL approval at TPOs, utility-scale developers, and/or hyperscaler procurement organizations. 
• Demonstrated track record of getting products onto AVLs — or moving products from rejected to approved status. 
• Prior experience working alongside or inside an IE firm (DNV, kWh Analytics, Black & Veatch) strongly preferred. 

• PV module technology: TOPCon/HJT architectures, BOM (glass, backsheet, encapsulants), and degradation mechanisms (LID, LeTID, PID). 
• Bankability testing frameworks: PVEL PQP, DNV PVMRL, IEC 61215/61730, UL 61730, UL 2703. 
• Degradation rate methodology, warranty structures, and how IE firms construct bankability and project finance reports. 
• IRA/OBBBA/45Y/48E compliance (DCA, FEOC) and their impact on AVL acceptance. 
• Working knowledge of adjacent AVL technologies (inverters, optimizers, BESS, racking) sufficient to engage AVL reviewers credibly. 

• Comfort engaging C-suite procurement, technical leads at TPOs/utilities/hyperscale’s, and IE firm partners. 
• Track record of influencing internal product roadmaps and pre-launch gates from a commercial/customer-facing position. 
• Ability to negotiate across Engineering, Warranty, Legal, Quality, and Commercial teams to assemble multi-discipline AVL packages. 
• Strong written communication — executive-grade narrative documents that hold up under technical scrutiny. 

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, materials science, physics, or a related technical discipline required. 
• MBA or advanced technical degree preferred. 
• Up to 25% travel to AVL customers, IE firm sites, and third-party testing facilities. 

The salary range is required by the California Pay Transparency Act and may differ depending on the location of those candidates hired nationwide. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to, skill set, education, licenses and certifications, essential job duties and requirements, and the necessary experience relative to the job’s minimum qualifications.

*This target salary range is for CA positions only and should not be interpreted as an offer of compensation.