What are the responsibilities and job description for the Electrical Engineering Consultant position at RPS?
About Us
At RPS, we’re solar-powered and people-powered! Every pump that leaves our warehouse means one less generator or power line—and cleaner, safer access to water. It supports healthier animals, plants, and people while boosting the resilience, independence, and self-sufficiency of rural families and communities.
We’re mission-driven, impact-focused, and yes—we’re as cool as it sounds. We help folks across the country pump water sustainably, from off-grid ranches to remote homesteads. We're a team of tinkerers, builders, customer champions, and adventurers who take pride in solving real-world problems with clean technology. No corporate fluff, just honest work that matters.
The Role
We’re looking for an experienced Electrical Engineer to join us as a part-time mentor and consultant, supporting one of our internal engineers on project work and technical development. This is a contractor role for about 4–8 hours per week, depending on need. Ideal for someone semi-retired or simply looking to stay connected to engineering work in a flexible, low-commitment way.
We’re based in Woodland, CA, and on-site availability is preferred.
What you’ll do:
- Provide 1:1 mentorship and guidance to an in-house engineer
- Offer expert insight and support on technical challenges and product development
- Help evaluate and test system designs, including troubleshooting issues
- Be a sounding board and technical resource in areas like power electronics, motor control, and inverter design
- Collaborate on an as-needed basis with our engineering and product teams
- Share your years of hard-won wisdom without PowerPoints or performance reviews
- High-five your mentee when they finally squash that tough bug
Desired Background
We're open on background, but ideally you bring:
- 10 years of hands-on experience in power electronics or electrical engineering
- Familiarity with:
- High voltage system design (including testing, troubleshooting, system grounding, inrush current, and power factor analysis)
- Inverter design and performance
- Brushless DC motor controller design
- Control systems and embedded hardware troubleshooting
- A practical, coaching-oriented approach and a genuine interest in mentoring a developing engineer
- Bonus points if you're a retired (or semi-retired) EE who isn’t quite ready to hang up the multimeter
Why You’ll Love Working Here
- Flexible, low-commitment contractor hours
- Work that actually matters and supports sustainable, rural communities
- A humble, hard-working team that’s easy to work with
- Fresh veggies, good coffee, and a no-BS culture
Compensation
Hourly rate depending on experience. This is a 1099 contractor role.
Job Type: Contract
Pay: From $90.00 per hour
Expected hours: 4 – 8 per week
Schedule:
- Choose your own hours
Application Question(s):
- We’re based in Woodland, CA, and on-site availability is preferred. Is this within your commuting wheelhouse?
- Do you have at least 10 years of experience in electrical engineering?
- How many years of exerience do you have in mentoring or training other engineers?
Work Location: In person
Salary : $90
