Field Service Technician, Utility Solar Inverters, Minneapolis MN

Field Service Technician, Utility Solar Inverters, Minneapolis MN

Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN, Twin Cities metro, Field based

Why Work at SMA America

Power the future. Build your career at SMA America.

As the U.S. subsidiary of SMA Solar Technology AG, we have been at the forefront of solar inverter technology since 1981, developing solutions that make photovoltaic power plants simpler, more reliable, safer, and more cost effective. Headquartered in Rocklin, California, SMA America has spent more than two decades helping homes, businesses, and utilities across the country generate clean, reliable power. We are the only inverter manufacturer in the world offering solutions for every system size, from residential rooftops to large scale utility plants, backed by more than 1,500 patents and a presence in over 190 countries.

Innovation is only part of the story. We invest in our people, create room to grow, challenge conventional thinking, and protect a culture where teammates genuinely care about each other and the work. We hire capable people and give them the space to do the job, with clear expectations, open door leadership, and real autonomy.

If you are passionate about driving positive change and want a career where you can take ownership of your work, we would love to meet you. Together, we are not just part of the energy transition, we are helping drive it forward.

Location and Work Model

This position is field based and covers the Midwest region. Candidates must currently reside in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metropolitan area. This position requires significant regional travel, with occasional travel elsewhere in the United States.

Purpose of the Position

The Field Service Technician commissions, troubleshoots and repairs SMA utility inverters in the field, and performs warranty repairs across assigned sites in the Midwest region. The role also covers operation and maintenance activity, performance data analysis, and building working knowledge of utility inverter applications.

Candidates with backgrounds as wind technicians, battery storage commissioning technicians, utility or substation technicians, I&E technicians, industrial electricians, VFD or drive technicians, data center critical facilities technicians or military electricians are encouraged to apply. Full inverter training is provided at SMA headquarters.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Assists with commissioning, troubleshoots, repairs and analyzes SMA America's utility inverters in the field, by email, telephone and site visits.
• Works regularly with high voltage DC electricity, three phase power, and the relevant software and firmware of the inverters.
• Assists with, performs and maintains maintenance activities in accordance with the SMA product maintenance manual on assigned sites, consistent with SMA customer contractual obligations.
• Develops a detailed knowledge of SMA's utility inverter products, associated SMA accessories, and third party accessories sold by SMA for use with the inverters.
• Maintains an accurate inventory count of spare parts provided by SMA.
• Maintains a high level of customer satisfaction while striving to lower the costs of field service.
• Other duties as may be required or assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Current residence in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metropolitan area.
• At least 3 years of experience in electrical, electronic and/or network communications.
• A bachelor's degree in a technical field, or equivalent hands on electrical experience in renewables, wind, battery storage, utility, industrial or military settings.
• Ability to work nonstandard business hours and a nonstandard schedule as needed to support service customer contracts.
• Ability to meet the travel requirements of the role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in the renewable energy industry.
• Experience with inverters, VFDs, battery storage systems, PLCs or SCADA.
• Knowledge of solar and alternative energy markets.
• Knowledge of the National Electric Code.
• Ability to analyze and solve problems effectively.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is constantly required to travel, stand, walk, talk, hear, look, smell and see. The employee is occasionally required to sit, reach above the shoulder, stoop, bend, squat and kneel, and must routinely lift up to 50 pounds. The work environment is constrained to a field service environment, with occasional functions in a corporate office. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is occasionally exposed to electrical hazards and to weather of extreme temperatures. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Compensation and Benefits

• Hourly Rate: $33.00 to $35.50 per hour, dependent on experience and qualifications, with overtime paid after eight hours in a day.
• Field Service Allowance: $120 each pay period, approximately $3,120 a year.
• Company Vehicle: Truck with fuel card, insurance and maintenance provided; no personal vehicle or mileage required.
• Equipment and Safety: Company provided tools, PPE, work clothing and safety footwear.
• Travel: Company credit card with per diem and hotel covered on overnight travel.
• Training: Paid inverter training at SMA headquarters in Rocklin, CA.
• Medical Insurance: Plan options through Aetna, plus Kaiser in California, including a $0 premium option, with SMA covering about 90% or more of medical premiums and contributing up to $1,500 a year to your HSA on the high deductible plan.
• Dental and Vision: $0 employee only options.
• Life and Disability Insurance: Short and long term disability and $50,000 in life and AD&D insurance at no cost.
• Paid Time Off: 16 days of PTO, increasing with tenure, plus 12 paid holidays.
• Retirement: 401k plan with a 100% match up to 5%.
• Professional Development: Tuition reimbursement and opportunities for professional development.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full time basis. SMA America does not offer employment visa sponsorship of any kind, including H-1B, OPT, CPT or TN visas. Candidates who currently require or will in the future require visa sponsorship are not eligible for this role. Candidates operating under a temporary work permit or any visa tied employment authorization are also not eligible.

AI Assisted Application Materials

We welcome candidates who use AI tools to organize or polish their application materials. Your resume and responses must accurately reflect your own experience and be written in your own voice. Applications that include fabricated or exaggerated experience, hidden text or embedded instructions, or prescreen responses that do not reflect your own knowledge may be removed from consideration.

Recruitment Fraud Notice

All SMA America openings are posted on our official careers page and all recruiter communication comes from an @sma-america.com address. We never request payment, banking information or a Social Security number during the recruitment process. If you are contacted about an SMA America role from a personal email account, or asked for any of the above, please forward the message to HRGeneralmailbox@sma-america.com.

Equal Opportunity Employment

We are an equal opportunity employer and we make our employment decisions on the basis of merit and without regard to one's race, color, creed, sex (includes gender, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), gender identity, religion, marital status, age (over 40), national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability (includes HIV/Aids), medical condition (cancer, genetic characteristics), veteran's status, sexual orientation, or any other consideration made unlawful by law.

In accordance with applicable law protecting qualified individuals with known disabilities, SMA will attempt to reasonably accommodate qualified applicants with known disabilities, unless doing so would create an undue hardship on SMA. Any qualified applicant with a disability who believes he or she requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of the job for which he or she is applying should identify the accommodation(s) needed in the application.

Privacy Policy

During your job application or recruitment process with us: (a) SMA may collect your personal information directly from you, such as when you submit your application and resume on our online portal or when you have job interviews with us. We may also obtain your personal information from third parties, including but not limited to your former employers, background or employment check service providers or third-party recruiters; and, (b) SMA may use or process applicants' personal information for relevant purposes including but not limited to general communications with you, identity verification, background or employment checks, determination of eligibility, and making hiring decisions. For successful job applicants who become SMA's staff, we may retain and integrate your personal information collected during the recruitment process into your records at SMA.

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights regarding your personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended including by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, and its implementing regulations (the "CCPA"). This Company Personnel and Covered Individuals Privacy Notice for California Residents issued by SMA is applicable to you and explains your CCPA rights and our collection, use or disclosure of your personal information.

If you have any question regarding our privacy policy, please contact us at US_DataPrivacy@sma-america.com