Technical Partner Manager

Description

Uplight is creating a new category of energy. We make software that manages energy resources in homes and businesses including things like smart thermostats, electric vehicles, solar panels, storage batteries, heat pumps, and even people's behavior to generate, shift, or save energy to balance the grid, making it more efficient and reliable. This creates clean energy capacity that can be used by the power grid instead of burning more fossil fuels. Our solutions accelerate the transition to clean energy and save money for energy customers.

We're looking for a Technical Partner Manager (OEM & Device Integrations) to join our Data Platform team and help scale the infrastructure behind Uplight's data ecosystem.

How you will make an impact:

Uplight is seeking a Technical Partner Manager (OEM & Device Integrations) to serve as the external-facing bridge and internal domain expert across our growing ecosystem of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) supporting EV chargers, smart thermostats, batteries, water heaters, and grid edge hardware.

As Uplight scales its flexible load and DERMS programs across utility clients, seamless, deterministic, and scalable OEM integrations are critical. This role addresses a key operational and technical gap across the lifecycle: owning external partner technical onboarding, architecture analysis, post-sale implementation support, ticket pipeline follow-up and follow-through, and ongoing technical change management for OEM connectors.

You will serve as the OEM Domain Lead & Technical Liaison. You will partner closely with internal project coordinators—including the Engineering TPM / Program Director on the Technology team—to drive work to completion. You will bring deep subject matter expertise on OEM platforms, APIs, documentation, and partner nuances to a partnership with Engineering leaders who will own internal multi-pod prioritization, resource allocation, and engineering alignment across Uplight’s ~6 engineering teams.

What you get to do:

1. OEM Technical Onboarding & Post-Sale Implementation Support

• End-to-End OEM Technical Onboarding: Lead external technical workstreams required to integrate brand-new OEM connectors into Uplight platforms (FlexSaver, Flex, M&V, etc.) from technical discovery to production readiness.

• Post-Sale Technical Support: Fill the technical gap between Product handoffs and implementation by providing dedicated technical support to resolve complex OEM integration questions during rollout, serving an advisory/solutions function able to review documentation and communicate with technical teams at Uplight and OEMs.

• End-to-End Testing & Sandbox Management: Coordinate directly with OEM technical teams to secure simulated environments, test events, and test devices for comprehensive pre-launch testing.

• Invoicing & API Billing Setup: Collaborate with Finance, Ops, and OEM engineering to define API call tracking, data gathering, and billing/invoicing requirements during initial connector setup.

2. Upfront Scoping, Feature Intake & Ticket Pipeline Shepherding

• Upfront Technical Scoping: Partner with Partnerships and Product during pre-sale or custom dev scoping (e.g., custom API extensions or OEM feature rollouts) to ensure technical requirements, effort estimates, pricing inputs, and technical dependencies are explicitly defined.

• Feature Intake & Salesforce Alignment: Route new OEM feature requests through Product’s Feature Intake process, ensuring proper alignment with pipeline roadmap, Salesforce opportunities and engineering roadmaps prior to handover to Implementation.

• Ticket & Pipeline Follow-Up and Follow-Through: Actively shepherd JIRA tickets and backlogs for OEM onboarding, updates, and bug fixes—handing internal pod execution off to Engineering TPMs while tracking partner-facing deliverables and ensuring outcomes are delivered.

3. OEM Technical Change Management & Proactive Engineering Alignment

• Change Intake & Impact Analysis: Function as the internal technical owner when OEMs communicate API changes, firmware updates, or platform deprecations (preventing unannounced changes like the Ecobee update from causing dispatch failures).

• Team Captains Model & Fan-Out: Establish and lead a "Team Captains" communication structure across affected teams and pods to route and address partner technical updates seamlessly.

• Code Audit & Preliminary PRs: Utilize codebase search tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot) to locate affected touchpoints across Uplight codebases, drafting technical specifications or preliminary Pull Requests (PRs) for engineering review.

• Internal Engineering Coordination: Partner directly with the Engineering Technical Project Manager  during cross-pod efforts. As Partner Manager you define what needs to change with the OEM; the Engineering TPM organizes and prioritizes who across internal engineering pods executes the fix.

4. Partner Performance Monitoring, SLAs & Remediation

• SLA & Performance Tracking: Own and maintain the SLA Partner Tracker, monitoring operational metrics beyond basic uptime (e.g., API response times, latency, command success rates, payload errors).

• Chronic Partner Remediation: Build account-specific remediation plans, capability matrices, and QBR inputs for high-friction partners (e.g., Wallbox, SolarEdge, Rheem, Sensi, RenewHome/Nest). Coordinate with Partnerships as the overall relationship manager and accountability owner on the specific opportunities, challenges and tactical actions needed.

• Operationalize OEM Escalation framework, establishing and normalizing contact and SLA protocols when dispatches fail across the OEM portfolio. Serve as an escalation resource for Tech Support team which executes the contact and SLA protocols.

5. Durable Documentation, Steady-State Handoffs & Enablement

• Central Knowledge Hub: Maintain a single source of truth (wiki/integration hub) documenting OEM integration architectures, client nuances, API constraints, and operational procedures.

• Steady-State Go-Live Handoffs: Standardize post-launch handoffs to steady-state management following major program go-lives.

• Cross-Team Enablement: Arm Technical Support and Implementation TPMs with detailed documentation, training, and escalation workflows.

What you bring to Uplight:

• Technical Literacy & Domain Knowledge: 3–5+ years in a technical role such as Technical Partner Manager, TPM, or Solutions Architect. Working fluency with REST APIs, SDKs, JSON payloads, and energy integration standards like OpenADR and IEEE 2030.5 to effectively bridge conversations between OEMs and internal engineering.

• AI-Leveraged Technical Execution & QA: Creative approach to technical problem-solving using AI tools (e.g., Gemini, Databricks Genie, Claude, GitHub Copilot) to generate code, draft scripts, and parse data. Skilled at defining technical requirements, crafting precise prompts, navigating repositories (GitHub), and performing hands-on QA/testing to validate AI-generated outputs.

• Partner & Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to interface directly with external OEM engineering teams while translating technical details for internal business stakeholders.

• Domain Expertise: Experience in DERMS, IoT, smart home/hardware devices (EVSE, smart thermostats, batteries), or utility flex programs is highly preferred.

Why join Uplight in leading the fight against climate change?

At Uplight, we're not just offering a job – we're offering a chance to be part of the solution to one of the world's biggest challenges. As a certified B Corporation, we're deeply committed to both social and environmental responsibility. Here's why you should join our team of passionate Uplighters:

• Make a meaningful impact: Your work directly impacts our mission of decarbonization and building a more sustainable future.

• Grow your career: We offer ample advancement opportunities, robust learning and development programs, and a supportive team environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.

• Thrive: We offer comprehensive benefits, including flexible time off, generous parental leave, a wellness stipend, and work flexibility to help you thrive both personally and professionally.

• Belong to an inclusive community: We celebrate diversity and foster an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, empowered, and heard. Our Employee Resource Groups offer opportunities to connect with colleagues who share your interests and backgrounds.

• Be part of a growing movement: Join a team of dedicated individuals who are passionate about creating a more sustainable future. We offer a collaborative environment where your ideas are valued and your contributions recognized. Together, we can build a brighter tomorrow.

To learn more about our comprehensive benefits package and other perks, visit uplight.com/careers.

Salary range: $98,000 to $123,000 USD + bonus

Application deadline: November 30, 2026

In accordance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the approximate annual base compensation range is listed above. The actual offer, reflecting the total compensation package and benefits, will be determined by a number of factors including the applicant's experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity among our team. Candidates must be eligible to obtain CFIUS approval as a condition of employment.

Uplight provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race (including hair texture and hairstyles), color, religion (including head coverings), age, sex, national origin, disability status (including neurodivergence), genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, neurotypicality, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.