We’re seeking an Engineering Lead who’s a builder, collaborator and a leader — someone technical and experienced enough to guide a small, talented and tight-knit engineering team through early commercialization and scale of our v1.0 product. You’ll work closely with the founder and CEO (the product vision holder), customer success, operations and a four person engineering team to scale our early product and processes from tens to hundreds of buildings. This role is hands-on and high-impact: perfect for an engineer who thrives at the intersection of design, code, real-world assets, and who’s motivated by turning complex technology into reliable, elegant products that delight customers and make an impact.

WHAT WE DO 

Community Energy Labs (CEL) develops AI-powered control systems that help buildings interact with the grid and use energy when it’s clean, cheap, and abundant — and less when it’s not. We currently focus on schools and community buildings, which make up nearly 30% of U.S. commercial floorspace and often lack the staff or budgets to manage energy effectively.

Our platform combines machine learning and advanced control algorithms to automate HVAC and building energy management, optimizing for cost, comfort, and carbon reduction. We’re now evolving from prototype to scalable product — including building a new, modern user interface from the ground up — to scale clean-energy intelligence from tens to hundreds of real-world sites. 

CEL’s work has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, NSF, USDA, California Energy Commission and programs like Elemental Impact and Google for Startups. If you’re a hands-on engineer who wants to tackle hard technical problems that directly fight climate change, this is where your work matters.

ATTRIBUTES

// Proven experience building and scaling deep-tech systems—IoT, ML, robotics, or energy products that bridge hardware, software, and the real world
// Hands-on builder-leader who can architect, code, and deliver while guiding a small team
// A trusted engineering partner who listens to understand, clarifies intent, and helps product and company partners make thoughtful engineering tradeoffs between speed, quality, and impact
// Values disciplined simplicity—iterating and refining systems until they’re elegant and reliable, with the judgment to know when to move quickly and when to slow down for lasting quality
// Thrives in a remote, transparent, high-trust culture where impact matters more than optics
// Tenacious problem-solver who digs deep into hard problems—listening and refining until the answer feels right, but humble enough to recognize when a better idea wins
// Balances conviction and persistence with openness to feedback and new information

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

//  STRATEGY & ALIGNMENT

• Understand CEL’s product vision and customer insights well enough to offer feedback on technical, staffing and other constraints during product and feature development
• Iterate toward clear, buildable specifications and right-sized MVPs
• Effectively weigh and manage costs, including budgets, scope, and technical debt
• Clearly communicate the tradeoffs of build versus buy decisions
• Keep customers top of mind and product and engineering tightly aligned; communicate roadmap progress, engineering risks, and priorities across the company
• Connect business and technical strategy and mission with your team’s daily work
• Partner with our CEO to keep our Product Playbook fresh and relevant

//  TEAM LEADERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT

• Guide and grow a four-person engineering team through the critical stage of scaling our v1 platform—from successful pilots at ~10 sites to reliable deployment across hundreds
• Hire thoughtfully, coach with candor, and uphold high standards of performance. You know how to bring out the best in strong contributors and how to handle tough performance conversations with clarity, empathy, and follow-through when change is needed
• Maintain systems—ticketing, sprint rituals, time-tracking—that improve velocity, clarity, and ownership among engineers and the company at-large
• Model great time and task management skills 
• Knows when to be in the weeds and when to abstract up while making time for documentation and clear communication
• Fosters a collaborative culture that links engineering, product, and customer success into one feedback loop through OKRs, dashboards and regular communication

//  TECHNICAL EXECUTION

• Lead the design and delivery of software that makes complex building-energy systems simple, reliable, and scalable—with humility and rigor, listening to those closest to the work, testing assumptions, and refusing to “move fast and break things” when that leads to suboptimal results
• Apply first-principles engineering to build robust control, data, and ML architectures
• Establish and enforce best practices for code quality, testing, data and release management
• Contribute hands-on when needed—Python/AWS microservices—pair programming, refactoring, and reviewing PRs to raise the bar for engineering quality
• Pursue simplicity and clarity in every layer of the stack

If you’re ready to help shape the future of low-carbon buildings, we’d love to hear from you.

//  EXPECTED COMMITMENT AND TRAVEL

• This is a fully remote role. To collaborate effectively and maintain high-quality work, candidates are expected to have: stable, secure high-speed internet connection suitable for video calls and development work; a professional, distraction-free workspace; a two-monitor setup, along with an external keyboard and mouse, to support productive, multi-window workflows.
• Candidates able to collaborate effectively with US west coast time zones are strongly encouraged to apply. California-based applicants are strongly preferred but not required.
• This position may require some travel once per quarter, but it is not a regular requirement of the job
• This position is a full-time, salaried position

//  SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Guide and support CEL’s engineering team through a critical stage of growth. Act as the bridge between business goals and technical execution—translating the CEO’s and product team’s priorities into clear, buildable plans and day-to-day engineering work. Provide practical coaching, feedback, and performance support so each engineer has clarity, ownership, and room to do their best work.

//  COMPENSATION

• $150,000-$200,000 per year, commensurate with experience
• Flexible work hours & PTO to support work-life balance
• Healthcare reimbursement plan
• Potential for a combination of equity/compensation
• Culture: CEL is building and supporting an intentionally diverse, inclusive, and mission-driven team committed to real climate impact

QUALIFICATIONS 

// REQUIRED EXPERIENCE 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience with programming and architectural principles
• Significant experience managing the full employee lifecycle, including  hiring, performance management, coaching, and, when necessary, letting folks go 
• Experience collaborating  closely with product teams to deliver complex, cross-domain software systems of systems

//  NECESSARY SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Collaborative orientation toward partnering with CEO and product teams on priority and scope
• Proven ability to lead software development and deployment efforts
• Sound judgment and clear written and verbal communication habits.  Communicates clearly and listens well — able to explain technical tradeoffs to diverse audiences.
• Adapts to rapid changes while providing steady guidance for the team
• Demonstrated ability to mentor less senior engineers and staff
• Commitment to making engineering an integral part of a broader, inclusive culture and team
• Proficiency with modern languages and frameworks including Python, FastAPI, Redis, PostgreSQL, and edge/IoT management and development tools.
• Experience architecting cloud computing environments and managed services such as AWS, Azure, or GoogleCloud
• Solid understanding of Agile, DevOps, and CI/CD practices
• Strong analytical, debugging, and troubleshooting skills
• Familiarity with hardware, networking, and device-level protocols sufficient to evaluate drivers and make informed build-vs-buy decisions (e.g., Rust, C++, Modbus, BACnet, TCP/IP, RS-232)

// NICE TO HAVE BUT NOT REQUIRED

• 3+ years working in a startup or small-team environment, or experience leading small, high-impact engineering teams (often <15 people) or serving as an interim CTO / technical founder who’s grown products from early pilots to scale. You’ve seen how larger organizations operate but still prefer the builder phase—bringing the humility and judgment to adapt practices to the stage rather than defaulting to “how we did this at the last place I worked.”
• Experience scaling B2B or enterprise IoT & SaaS applications from alpha to version 1.0 
• Exposure to automation, building energy modeling, and/or energy/utilities and in particular protocols specific to IoT, buildings, and energy (e.g., BACnet, Modbus, DNP3, OpenADR)
• Experience collaborating with or managing Data Science or AI/ML teams
• Full stack software development experience (5-10 years typical, but equivalent skills and expertise just as valuable)
• Familiarity with data pipeline and ETL design for ML or control systems.  Able to balance scalability and simplicity, making smart architecture decisions early.

YES, THAT MEANS YOU! 

//  We’ve read the research and we know that certain underrepresented groups in tech might read  our post and think “Oh, gee, well I only have nine out of ten qualifications.”  If our mission and this job speak to you and you have the interest and ability to work smart, learn, and grow with us then we want you to apply for this job! 

Community Energy Labs is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.