Embedded Systems & ML Engineering Intern

What You’ll Do Join our engineering team for a hands-on summer or co-op rotation spanning hardware bring-up, firmware development, and introductory machine learning on live solar energy systems. You’ll work directly with senior engineers and contribute meaningfully from day one. Key Responsibilities: Review and become familiar with hardware for solar monitoring and control systems, including MCUs, ADCs, and communication interfaces. Modify embedded firmware in C/C++ for real-time microcontroller environments (TI DSP), including device drivers, scheduling tasks, interrupt handling, and low-power modes. Port and adapt existing firmware to new hardware revisions and maintain version-controlled codebases. Conduct firmware testing, code reviews, and root cause analysis on field issues. Review current ML models for PV fault detection and performance optimization. Optimize and quantize trained models for deployment on edge devices with constrained compute and memory. Collaborate with data engineering teams to integrate ML outputs into monitoring dashboards and control loops. What We’re Looking For The skill you bring: Currently pursuing a B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or Computer Engineering. Basic proficiency in C or C++ (coursework and personal projects accepted). Exposure to Python and an ML framework. Familiarity with version control (Git). Curiosity and willingness to work hands-on across hardware and software boundaries. Nice to Have: Exposure to edge ML deployment tools such as TensorFlow Lite or ONNX Runtime. Knowledge of embedded communication protocols (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN). Exposure to cloud-connected IoT architectures (AWS IoT, Azure IoT Hub). Benefits and Perks: Competitive Compensation Package Remote Flexibility with 5-15% travel to sites as needed Health Insurance: We offer 100% coverage of employee premiums under a Gold-level PPO plan. Dental & Vision Insurance: 50% of employee premiums are covered. Retirement Plan: A 401(k) plan with a 6% employer match. Additional Information: Minimum hourly rate of $30.00 to maximum hourly rate of $50.00 + benefits. The range provided is 1AP’s reasonable estimate of the base compensation for this role. The actual amount will be based on job-related and non-discriminatory factors such as location, experience, training, skills, and abilities. Consult with your Recruiter during the initial call to determine a more targeted range based on these job-related factors. About 1st Avenue Power: At 1st Avenue Power, we are on a mission to deliver simple, fast-to-deploy, customer-centric and intelligent power systems leveraging the abundance of solar to provide inexpensive and reliable clean energy to global customers from data centers to energy starved communities around the world. We envision a future where every community, business, and nation thrives on the limitless potential of clean energy, united in a shared commitment to a sustainable and equitable world. You will be working with Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, one of the most successful clean energy technology innovators and entrepreneurs who has been a driving force in making solar-based energy solutions the cheapest and most reliable energy option. Tom founded and led Avantus (formerly known as “8minute Solar Energy“), to become one of the largest and most profitable solar and energy storage companies in the United States and the largest in California, including delivering over 17% of Los Angeles’ power. When Tom sold his interest in Avantus’ development business to KKR in mid-2024, it had delivered over $1 billion in profit and secured over $10 Billion in power purchase agreements and project financings with a pipeline of over 30 GW of solar and 90 GWh of energy storage, capable of powering the homes of more than 20 million Americans day and night. Tom’s family office investment firm, 1st Avenue Capital, is building teams for the next generation of advanced solar power system architecture and AI to aggressively drive down the cost of and equitable access to clean and reliable energy.[1] 1st Avenue’s advanced large scale power systems are addressing the increasing inadequacy of the grid to meet the massively growing power demands of the digital economy, while its intelligent distributed solar utilities are leapfrogging the grid to provide equitable access to inexpensive, clean and reliable power to underserved communities around the world. 1AI Energy, the employing entity for 1st Avenue Power, and 1st Avenue Power are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee based on race (inclusive of traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), age, veteran or military status, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, reproductive decision-making, or any other legally recognized protected class under federal, state, or local law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on 1AI Energy or 1st Avenue Power. Please inform the company's personnel representative if you need assistance completing an application or to otherwise participate in the application process. Join our team and make a real difference in the world. [1: Additionally, 1st Avenue is in the business of acquiring projects where there has been a final notice-to-proceed or financial close.] California Pay Range

$30—$50 USD