CAREERS AT NORTHERN POWER

Careers at Northern Power Systems

At Northern Power Systems, we understand that the success of our company is directly related to the talent and commitment of our employees. With a focus on hiring and retaining the best talent in the industry, we have developed a recruitment and retention strategy to rival those of other key players in the wind industry.

Northern Power Systems currently operates in four locations. The majority of our 160 employees are based in our 120,000 sq. ft. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Barre, VT. We also have employees based in our assembly facility in Saginaw, Michigan, our R&D/Corporate office in Cambridge, Massachusetts and our European head office in Zurich, Switzerland. Our expansion into new locations has allowed Northern Power Systems to attract talent in new areas and reflects our position as a global competitor in the wind industry.

Northern Power Systems takes the candidate selection process seriously, looking for exceptional people who want to work in a fast-paced team environment. Our employees are passionate about their work and committed to the continuing success of our businesses. In return, we offer an outstanding benefits & compensation program and cultivate a challenging and rewarding work environment.  Our employees drive our success, and we are always looking for talented people to join our team. Explore the opportunities below and discover why Northern Power Systems is the career choice for you.

Fleet Reliability Manager

Senior Staff Accountant

Senior Generator Design Engineer

Senior Sourcing Manager

Marketing Communications Specialist

Fleet Reliability Manager

Location: Barre, VT

Summary

The Fleet Reliability Manager (FRM) for Distributed Wind leads a team of primary customer support contacts after product shipment through turbine commissioning and during the in-field lifecycle (20+ years). The FRM is responsible for: managing all field resources (internal employees & external contractors), the active installed base (fleet) of operating turbines, ensuring high availability through efficient processing of faults, fault analysis and driving of field resources to resolve product warranty issue & implement technical service solutions. The FRM is responsible for guiding the team to be a profitable, value-added services business that supports current and future owners. The FRM drives analysis of fleet Mean Time Between Failure metrics, developing support processes and controls to both support the fleet but also drive continuous improvement in the product line. The FRM is also the coordinator of all customer, technician and partner training/certification.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Distributed Wind Field Service team
  
  
  • Manage the global pool of internal & external service providers/technicians to support customers from product shipment through end of product life (20+ years), including commissioning
  • Provide daily direction to service technicians/providers to ensure delivery of timely, cost-effective and quality product service to end customers
• Perform essential customer service functions including outreach, coordination, and fielding of owner questions and issues. Ensure a high level of customer satisfaction. Provide timely response to customer inquiries and complaints.
• Directly support owners and service teams with technical support and troubleshooting of field issues.
• Create, update and maintain turbine performance and service records in conjunction with operations and field service
• Manage the resolution of all field warranty cases, financial reconciliation, and customer case closeout
• Implementation of fleet-wide service bulletins through unit identification and scheduling coordination
• Act as primary liaison between field service, quality, engineering and turbine owners
• Assist in the development and execution of the spare parts and value added services business plan
• Ensure the turbine as-built and assembly health records are accurate and properly migrated over to the appropriate service platforms
• Develop early indication systems for systemic turbine component failure and appropriate support processes
• Drive continuous improvement within the business and product line through collaboration with Product Engineering, Manufacturing Operations and Field Service
• Act as lead for planning, coordinating, executing and auditing customer, service provider and partner training/certification
• Ensure business subject matter experts (SME’s) are prepared and updating appropriate content for delivery during training or certification sessions
• Support strategic planning for scalability in providing quality support to a fast growing fleet
• Spend minimum 20% of time in-field reviewing technicians/providers work quality and customer interactions
• Travel (approx. 25%) will be required

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS degree. Engineering, computer science, or related field preferred
• 1 year or more customer support experience
• Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external customers alike
• Proficient with MS office tools
• Proficient with web applications
• General knowledge of power systems, electrical systems, and control systems
• Knowledge of traditional product and product service style metrics (MTBF, MTTR, etc)
• Demonstrated ability to define a problem, determine cost analysis and benefits case, and identify and utilize resources to drive improvements
• Demonstrated ability to collect, statistically analyze and interpret data
• Ability to drive process improvements including establishing corrective and preventative actions, and implementing improvements of medium to high complexity
• Ability to effectively document new processes or procedures
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task; works well in collaboration with others

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in managing geographically dispersed assets, ideally in power generation, including but not limited to day-to-day field operations and back-office support
• Basic TCP/IP networking and troubleshooting skills
• Database management experience, including ability to create basic ad-hoc SQL queries
• Experience using the force.com development platform
• Understanding of SCADA concepts and Modbus communications
• Demonstrated experience in project management and project management tools
• Experience in mentoring, coaching and developing others in process improvement and statistical analysis

We offer a competitive benefits package to full-time employees, including health, dental and life insurance, a 401k match and more. Email your resume to hr@northernpower.com.

Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we are unable to respond personally to every application. However, we do review every resume and will contact you if we think there is a possible fit for you.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Senior Staff Accountant

Location: Barre, VT

Department: Corporate Finance & Accounting

Reporting to: Assistant Controller

Summary

The Senior Staff Accountant will have primary responsibility for the complete revenue cycle, including: revenue recognition policies, contract reviews, invoicing and receivables management and cash reconciliations. This position will have significant exposure to senior management, leading analysis of revenue recognition for multi-element domestic and international sales agreements. In addition, this role will take ownership of other complex accounting including: international subsidiary accounting, debt, and technical accounting projects. The selected candidate will be a change agent who can evaluate and improve processes and incorporate best practices, leveraging strong system skills as well as risk-based decision making capabilities.  This is a hands-on role which will have significant daily interaction with the A/P, payroll, cost accounting functions, as well as the Company’s finance managers.

Responsibilities

• Complete revenue recognition analysis and conclusions of sales agreements
• Prepare and remit customer invoices in a timely and accurate manner
• Prepare necessary journal entries to ensure that monthly results are properly recorded
• Ensure 100% accuracy and compliance with US GAAP for all assigned balance sheet accounts / reconciliations
• Post daily cash receipts to A/R and GL accounts
• Maintain A/R aging reports
• Maintain and analyze daily cash position
• Develop and implement best practices to improve efficiency and accuracy of financial reporting, including driving relevant automation and process improvement projects
• Prepare supporting documentation for audits and interact with external auditors as needed to ensure timely preparation and delivery of year-end consolidated financial statements
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in accounting
• Minimum of 3 - 5 years of accounting experience
• Strong knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, especially revenue recognition
• Advanced Microsoft Excel Skills
• Ability to implement and maintain Internal Control over Financial Reporting including Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance
• Excellent communication and presentation skills

Desired Qualifications

• CPA or candidate
• Public accounting experience
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics GP and FRx reporting
• Experience with public company filings and external reporting compliance
• Manufacturing company experience

We offer a competitive benefits package to full-time employees, including health, dental and life insurance, a 401k match and more. Email your resume to hr@northernpower.com.

Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we are unable to respond personally to every application. However, we do review every resume and will contact you if we think there is a possible fit for you.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Senior Generator Design Engineer

Location: Barre, VT

Department: Distributed Wind Engineering

Summary

We are enhancing our engineering department and have an opportunity for a specialist with proven experience in the design of large scale rotating electric machinery, a position that will serve as a technical cornerstone of Northern Power System's Distributed Wind Business

Responsibilities

• Perform detailed electrical machine design and optimization for new machines.
• Identify cost reduction and performance improvement architecture and detailed design alternatives
• Work in cooperation with power converter, power grid, controls, and mechanical disciplines
• Codify best practices
• Perform detailed technical analysis of existing machines
• Derive machine models and validate them with field data
• Perform sensitivity and robustness studies
• Meet program timing
• Write white papers

Required Qualifications

• Design, product introduction, and Integration of large PM machines
• Magnetic and thermal FEA
• Vector Control of Machines
• Familiarity with variable frequency drive/ machine interrelationships
• Familiarity with test methods for high power rotating machines 

In addition, experience with the following is strongly preferred:

• Wind turbine Engineering
• Systems Engineering
• Familiarity with Power Converter Design

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated history of successful machine development, test, and product launch
• Previous electric machine lead designer role
• Ability to plan and execute the outlined responsibilities
• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering with specialization or experience with generators or motors.
• Minimum of seven years of experience in the related field
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Discipline to work within a quality system

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD
• Authored technical Papers
• Authored patents
• Taught university level courses on machine design

We offer a competitive benefits package to full-time employees, including health, dental and life insurance, a 401k match and more. Email your resume to hr@northernpower.com.

Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we are unable to respond personally to every application. However, we do review every resume and will contact you if we think there is a possible fit for you.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Senior Sourcing Manager

Location: Barre, VT

Department: Distributed Wind Supply Chain

Reporting to: VP of Supply Chain

Summary

Develops supply chain structure. Evaluates and selects suppliers and negotiates purchasing agreements for a given set of parts/commodities. Meets long range material cost targets through negotiations and Value Analysis/Value Engineering projects. Through completion of assigned projects, supports achieving the strategies of the manufacturing, sales, and engineering departments.

Responsibilities

• Creates and implements optimal structure for control of the supply chain balancing cost, risk, quality, and other factors.
• Develops formal supplier and commodity strategy and tactics and supporting QDCC analysis along with market based pricing information and global economic conditions.
• Interacts frequently with engineering, SQE, and operations on product development to understand material requirements and works to achieve optimal value results.
• Manages the size and composition of the supplier group and works with SQE to identify, qualify, and approve suppliers and consistently improve the total value add from the supply base, especially emphasizing reduced costs.
• Negotiates for materials and pricing agreements (short and long term) to ensure proper flow, cost and performance of materials to production.  Creates major long-term supply agreements that may last 1-3 years.
• Analyzes supplier metric reports, using such information to work with individual suppliers as needed and evaluate the overall composition of the supply base and distribution of work within.  Takes leadership role not only in resolving metrics that do not meet goal, but in improving performance to surpass targets.
• Creates MRP/planning parameters for assigned and newly developed parts to ensure proper materials planning.  Works with other mid-level NPS and supplier personnel to develop and improve planning parameters.
• Maintains PO database and Master Material database to ensure data integrity of planned and expected materials on new materials until hand-off to buyer/planner.
• Will frequently take on leadership or facilitator role in non-core assigned parts or commodities, such as office/administrative/operations sourcing plans.
• Provides backup to other sourcing managers and buyer/planners as needed.  Provides back-up to supply chain senior leadership as required.
• Trains and mentors less experienced personnel – all supply chain positions.
• Assembles and leads major cross-functional Commodity/Supplier management teams from various departments to achieve objectives.
• Regularly conducts complex negotiations with selected suppliers for both long and short term agreements.  Leads company negotiation teams and assigns/rehearses roles within team and company.
• Receives, interprets, and transmits complex information requiring explanation and analysis.
• Internal contacts are frequent with individuals of considerable influence with the company.  External contacts are regular with individuals of high influence in the supply base, up to and including presidential/owner level.
• Escalates highly complex issues to requests to gain cooperation at mid to high levels at NPS and executive levels in supply base.
• Operates within the context of regularly assigned duties and general processes with extremely limited supervision.
• Leads larger project teams with minimal supervision at major milestones.
• Takes initiative to seek out and preemptively solve issues within assigned commodities, parts, or projects without being asked.
• Completes regular and special duties to meet stated, imposed, and business deadlines without frequent supervision.
• Creates analytical reports to show trends in supplier costs/leadtimes/quality, inventory, etc, and has the ability to present these graphically as required.
• Resolves priority conflicts and meets deadlines for business, raising very infrequently issues where assistance is required.
• General work instructions are given on new assignments.
• Takes on all other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Has advanced in-depth knowledge of multiple production operations workflows.
• Has advanced in-depth knowledge of / skills in the content areas of:
  
  
  • Engineering and manufacturing processes within assigned commodity area(s)
  • Product design and required components
  • Project management and strategic thinking
  • Creative problem-solving
  • Strong knowledge of supplier manufacturing processes for assigned commodities
  • Capable of assisting suppliers in improving processes to increase value/reduce costs
  • Advanced negotiation and articulate communication skills
  • Designing and performing meaningful analyses
  • Interpreting accounting work papers and financial statements
• Knowledge of accounting processes as they impact the procure-to-pay workflow.
• Advanced use of Microsoft office tools, including Project and Visio.
• Minimum 8 to 10 years of experience in material planning and contract management in a technology industry manufacturing environment, with at least 4 years in a senior buyer or sourcing manager type role.
• Minimum 1 year of project and/or team lead experience.
• Has acquired ISM CPSM certification or equivalent.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.  Desirable to have Master’s degree in business and/or supply chain related field.
• Highly desirable to have related certifications in:
  
  
  • Materials related functions
  • Continuous improvement methodologies (6S, lean Sigma, Kaisen, etc.)
  • Team or Project leadership

We offer a competitive benefits package to full-time employees, including health, dental and life insurance, a 401k match and more. Email your resume to hr@northernpower.com.

Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we are unable to respond personally to every application. However, we do review every resume and will contact you if we think there is a possible fit for you.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Marketing Communications Specialist

Location: Barre, VT

Department: Sales & Marketing

Reporting to: VP of Sales & Marketing

Summary

A small marketing department working in the emerging renewable energy marketplace is looking for a self starter who can bring high energy and a great attitude to our high-functioning team. The Marketing Communications Specialist will manage all aspects of the company’s creative communications, collateral, press releases, website, budget support, attendance at 2-3 tradeshows each year, support business partners in their attendance at regional tradeshows, support company-sponsored training with logistics and marketing support, and develop new company sponsored events such as open houses and customer/partner webinars. This position interfaces closely with the marketing team, but also with various other groups within the company. The ideal candidate must be able to multi-task, manage a variety of details and timelines, develop processes and procedures, and think creatively about continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the development of the Strategic Marketing Plan to develop overall priorities, goals, and messaging for the company’s activities in the marketplace
• Help the sales and marketing team to develop a prioritized list for the key tradeshows to attend alone or with business partners.
• Manage all aspects of each tradeshow appearance, including signing up for space, tracking relevant invoices, submitting presentation abstracts, sending in logos and company descriptions, shipping materials, and developing procedures and notes for booth staff.
• Help develop plans for company sponsored webinars and in-person events, and then manage all aspects of implementing them.
• Maintain inventories of “freebies.”
• Maintaining the marketing physical infrastructure related to tradeshows, events & campaigns such as graphics, booths, website & other collateral development.
• Keep track of budget related to marketing events and help the team stay within budget.
• Manage external vendors as necessary related to booth materials, freebies, and other marketing events. Evaluate performance and maintain relationships with those agencies that have strategic significance to the marketing function.
• Provide value to the small but active marketing department as a whole, as well as to the organization.
• Other duties as assigned by Executive Management or the VP of Sales and Marketing.

Required Qualifications

• College degree or equivalent work experience
• 1-3 years of marketing communications and/or Tradeshow/event management experience.

Communications Skills

• Must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written.

Travel:

• Minimal travel may be required to participate in trade shows, trainings, or events. 

We offer a competitive benefits package to full-time employees, including health, dental and life insurance, a 401k match and more. Email your resume to hr@northernpower.com.

Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we are unable to respond personally to every application. However, we do review every resume and will contact you if we think there is a possible fit for you.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.