Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Travel: Regular travel to China required, with a minimum of one trip per quarter (approximately four trips per year)
Reporting to: UK Technical Team and Company Leadership
Languages: Professional fluency in both Mandarin Chinese and English is essential
Salary: Competitive, depending on experience
About Eleven Energy
Eleven Energy is a Cambridge-based sodium-ion battery energy storage company developing safe, sustainable and intelligent energy storage systems for residential, commercial and industrial, and off-grid applications.
Our products include battery modules, hybrid inverters, battery management systems, energy management systems and related equipment. We are expanding rapidly across the UK and European markets.
We are seeking an experienced Product Engineer with strong expertise in power electronics, inverters, battery systems and BMS communications.
A key part of this role is acting as the technical bridge between our UK engineering team and our manufacturing and engineering partners in China. The successful candidate must therefore be able to communicate confidently and professionally in Mandarin Chinese, including discussing detailed engineering issues, reviewing technical documents, participating in supplier meetings and resolving technical problems directly with Chinese engineering teams.
This is a UK-based position in Cambridge, but the successful candidate will be expected to travel regularly to China, at least once every quarter, to work directly with suppliers, engineering teams and manufacturing partners. Additional travel may occasionally be required depending on product-development and operational needs.
Mandarin Language Requirement
Fluent Mandarin Chinese is an essential requirement for this position.
The successful candidate will communicate directly and regularly with inverter manufacturers, BMS suppliers, battery manufacturers and other engineering partners in China.
You must be comfortable using Mandarin in professional and technical environments, including:
- Conducting technical discussions with engineers and factory teams in Mandarin.
- Explaining product requirements, faults and engineering changes clearly in Mandarin.
- Reviewing and discussing Chinese-language technical documents, specifications and test reports.
- Leading technical meetings and troubleshooting discussions with Chinese suppliers.
- Translating technical requirements accurately between our UK team and Chinese engineering teams.
- Following up technical actions directly with suppliers without relying on interpreters.
- Communicating effectively by phone, video conference, WeChat, email and face-to-face meetings.
Candidates must also have strong professional English skills to communicate effectively with Eleven Energy's UK team and prepare English-language technical documentation.
Key Responsibilities
- Act as the primary technical liaison between Eleven Energy's UK team and engineering teams in China.
- Communicate complex technical requirements, engineering issues and product changes clearly between English-speaking and Mandarin-speaking teams.
- Lead technical discussions in Mandarin with Chinese inverter manufacturers, BMS suppliers, battery pack manufacturers and other key suppliers.
- Travel to China at least once per quarter for supplier meetings, factory visits, product testing, technical reviews, product-development activities and problem-solving.
- Build strong working relationships with key supplier engineering and manufacturing teams through regular on-site engagement in China.
- Manage technical requirements and product implementation for energy storage products, including inverters, battery packs, BMS systems, communication protocols and complete system integration.
- Work closely with the UK technical team to understand product requirements, installer feedback, customer feedback, market requirements and field issues, and communicate these accurately to Chinese suppliers.
- Participate in product development, prototype testing, functional verification, fault diagnosis, corrective actions and new-product introduction.
- Take primary responsibility for inverter-to-BMS integration, including CAN, RS485 and Modbus communication, compatibility testing, protocol integration, fault diagnosis and system-level commissioning.
- Coordinate with Chinese engineering teams to investigate inverter alarms, BMS faults, communication failures, charging and discharging issues, protection events and other system-level problems.
- Ensure technical issues are understood correctly by both UK and Chinese teams and drive suppliers to provide effective engineering solutions.
- Review supplier technical documents, test reports, specifications, firmware changes and engineering proposals.
- Assist with the preparation of product specifications, test plans, acceptance criteria, installation manuals and other technical documentation in English.
- Follow up field and after-sales issues, coordinating root-cause analysis and corrective actions with Chinese suppliers.
- Support compliance with UK and European requirements relating to product performance, functionality, certification, grid connection, safety and installation.
- Participate in supplier assessments, factory audits, product testing, production reviews and quality-control activities.
Essential Qualifications and Experience
- Professional fluency in Mandarin Chinese, both spoken and written.
- Strong professional English communication skills, both spoken and written.
- Willingness and ability to travel to China at least once every quarter, with additional international travel when reasonably required.
- Ability to discuss complex electrical, electronic and software-related engineering topics confidently in Mandarin.
- Ability to translate technical concepts and requirements accurately between Mandarin Chinese and English.
- Bachelor's degree or above in power electronics, electrical engineering, automation, electronic engineering, energy storage, renewable energy or a related discipline.
- Strong technical background in power electronics and inverters, with knowledge of hybrid inverters, energy storage inverters, Power Conversion Systems or solar-plus-storage systems.
- Experience in residential and/or commercial and industrial battery energy storage systems.
- Strong understanding of energy storage system architecture, applications, installation and commissioning.
- Good understanding of BMS operating principles, including battery protection, State of Charge, State of Health, cell balancing, fault protection and communication logic.
- Experience with communication between batteries and inverters, including CAN, RS485 and Modbus.
- Ability to independently investigate system-level technical problems including inverter alarms, BMS protection events, communication faults, charging and discharging logic, parallel operation and backup-power functionality.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to drive technical issues through to resolution.
- Strong cross-cultural communication skills and the ability to work effectively with teams in both the UK and China.
Preferred Experience
Preference will be given to candidates who have:
- Previous experience working directly with engineering or manufacturing teams in China.
- Worked for an inverter manufacturer, BMS supplier, battery pack manufacturer, energy storage system integrator or renewable-energy equipment company.
- Experience managing technical communication between Chinese manufacturers and international customers or engineering teams.
- Experience conducting supplier visits, factory audits, product-development reviews or technical troubleshooting in China.
- Knowledge of UK or European energy storage requirements, grid-connection standards, certification processes or after-sales support.
- Experience developing or commissioning residential energy storage systems, three-phase systems, commercial and industrial battery systems or off-grid systems.
- Experience in new-product introduction, supplier management, product testing, field-failure analysis or technical support.
- Experience with low-voltage battery systems, 48V battery systems, high-voltage energy storage systems or sodium-ion batteries.
- Ability to read electrical schematics, communication protocols, test reports and engineering specifications in both Chinese and English.
The Person We Are Looking For
You will be someone who:
- Can move comfortably between a UK engineering environment and Chinese manufacturing and engineering teams.
- Is comfortable travelling regularly between the UK and China as a normal part of the role.
- Is confident discussing detailed engineering problems in Mandarin rather than relying on translation support.
- Can communicate complex technical information accurately between English-speaking and Chinese-speaking engineers.
- Understands inverters, BMS systems and battery packs at both component and system level.
- Can challenge suppliers constructively, identify root causes and ensure corrective actions are properly implemented and tested.
- Takes ownership of technical issues and drives them to completion.
- Is organised, analytical and comfortable working across different cultures and time zones.
- Is enthusiastic about energy storage technology and interested in joining a rapidly growing UK renewable-energy company.
Salary and Career Development
Salary will be agreed based on the successful candidate's experience, technical capabilities and suitability for the role.
Eleven Energy offers a competitive remuneration package and long-term career-development opportunities.
Candidates with previous experience involving energy storage systems, inverters, BMS units or battery packs are encouraged to include a short summary of relevant projects.
Pay: £45,000.00-£65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Private dental insurance
- Private medical insurance
- Work from home
Language:
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Cambridge (Cambridgeshire, East of England Region)
