engineering applied sciencebattery energy storagebmscell degradationnfpa 855
Complete evaluation framework
What to assess and how to score it
Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Technical depth
35% weight
Probe cell chemistry trade-offs (LFP versus NMC), BMS architecture, SOC and SOH estimation methods, DC versus AC coupling, and command of UL 9540A, NFPA 855 and IEC 62619.
Evidence to listen for
Explains the physics or mechanism behind their work, not just the tooling
Names the standards, tolerances, and constraints they designed against
Can defend a design decision under follow-up questions
Distinguishes what they personally engineered from what the team delivered
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Cannot explain the fundamentals of their own stated specialism.
2
Needs Improvement
Knows the vocabulary but not the underlying mechanism; struggles under follow-ups.
3
Satisfactory
Solid working knowledge for the role; depth thins out on edge cases.
4
Very Good
Strong command of the domain; explains trade-offs and defends decisions well.
5
Excellent
Explains degradation mechanisms and round-trip efficiency losses numerically, and cites specific clauses of NFPA 855 or UL 9540A from real project work.
02
Evaluation factor
Work that shipped
30% weight
Ask which BESS projects reached commissioning: MWh rating, PCS and container vendors, capacity test results against warranty guarantees, and augmentation or throughput plans they authored.
Evidence to listen for
Names specific programmes, parts, or systems that reached production or field use
States their own scope inside the project
Can give measured outcomes: yield, cycle time, cost, failure rate
Explains what went wrong and what they changed
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No delivered work; experience is coursework, lab-only, or purely observational.
2
Needs Improvement
Contributed to projects but cannot say what shipped or what their part was.
3
Satisfactory
Has delivered real work; outcomes described without numbers.
4
Very Good
Names shipped work and their scope, with some measured results.
5
Excellent
Names commissioned sites with MW/MWh figures, measured availability, and their own deliverables such as thermal, protection or EMS dispatch design.
03
Evaluation factor
Diagnosis under uncertainty
20% weight
Test how they chased down anomalies: cell voltage divergence, unexplained SOH drop, HVAC short cycling, false BMS trips, or PCS faults with thin SCADA data.
Evidence to listen for
Describes a real failure they chased to root cause
Shows a method: isolate variables, reproduce, measure, eliminate
Distinguishes correlation from cause
Says what they ruled out and why, not only what the answer turned out to be
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No diagnostic method; guesses or escalates immediately.
2
Needs Improvement
Trial and error with no structure; cannot explain how they narrowed the cause.
3
Satisfactory
Reasonable method on familiar problems; less structured on novel ones.
4
Very Good
Clear systematic approach with a real root-cause story.
5
Excellent
Walks through a real fault from field data to root cause, naming the measurements taken and hypotheses eliminated along the way.
04
Evaluation factor
Working across the org
15% weight
Look for work with EPC contractors, cell suppliers, fire marshals and grid interconnection teams, including how they handled vendor warranty disputes or AHJ permitting pushback.
Evidence to listen for
Explains technical constraints to non-technical stakeholders without condescension
Has negotiated scope, cost, or timeline with manufacturing, product, or suppliers
Documents decisions so others can act on them
Takes review feedback without defensiveness
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Cannot communicate outside their specialism; dismissive of other functions.
2
Needs Improvement
Communication gaps cause rework; avoids stakeholder contact.
3
Satisfactory
Works adequately with other teams; documentation is thin.
4
Very Good
Communicates clearly across functions; reliable collaborator.
5
Excellent
Describes concrete negotiations with cell OEMs or authorities having jurisdiction and how technical evidence changed the outcome.
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