Job Opening: Vice President of Sales

Sparkz Inc., is looking to hire a VP of Sales at their Sacramento, California location. Posted January 18, 2026.

 

Vice President of Sales

Grid-Scale & Data Center Markets (BESS)
Full-Time | Onsite (Sacramento, CA preferred to support cross-functional collaboration; location flexibility available based on experience and strategic fit.) | Travel Required

About Sparkz

Sparkz is rebuilding one of the most critical foundations of modern civilization: energy storage. We are creating a fully U.S.-domestic lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery ecosystem — spanning materials, cells, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) — to power AI data centers, grid-scale energy storage, and next-generation electrification.

We are seeking a senior sales leader to drive revenue growth across U.S. utilities, IPPs, developers, EPCs, hyperscalers, and power-intensive data center operators.

Position Overview

The Vice President of Sales will lead commercial strategy and revenue generation for Sparkz’s Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) across:

  • Investor-owned utilities (IOUs)
  • Municipal and cooperative utilities
  • Independent power producers (IPPs)
  • Renewable developers and EPCs
  • Hyperscale data center operators
  • Large power-intensive industrial customers

This leader will be responsible for building and managing strategic accounts, negotiating long-term supply agreements, and developing structured commercial frameworks aligned with utility procurement cycles and hyperscaler capital planning.

This role reports to the Chief Executive Officer and works closely with the VP of Marketing to align marketing initiatives with customers’ expectations.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Revenue Leadership

  • Develop and execute a multi-year go-to-market strategy for grid-scale and data center BESS sales.
  • Own pipeline development, forecasting, and revenue targets.
  • Structure and negotiate long-term supply agreements, MSAs, and framework contracts.
  • Lead RFP/RFQ responses for utilities and hyperscalers.

Utility & Grid Market Development

  • Build direct relationships with IOUs, municipal utilities, co-ops, and regional transmission organizations (RTOs).
  • Navigate utility procurement processes and regulatory-driven solicitations.
  • Coordinate with regulatory, policy, and engineering teams to align technical specifications and commercial strategy.

Data Center & Hyperscaler Sales

  • Develop relationships with hyperscalers and large data center developers.
  • Structure BESS solutions to support load growth, grid interconnection constraints, resiliency, and behind-the-meter applications.
  • Collaborate with project finance teams to align storage solutions with long-term PPAs and infrastructure investments.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Partner with engineering, manufacturing, finance, and project execution teams to ensure commercial commitments are aligned with product capability and delivery timelines.
  • Provide structured customer feedback to product and manufacturing teams.

Leadership & Team Development

  • Build and mentor a high-performance sales team as the company scales.
  • Implement CRM discipline, pipeline reporting, and structured sales processes.

Required Qualifications

  • Minimum 10–12 years of experience in:
    • Utility-scale energy sales, OR
    • Hyperscaler/data center energy procurement, OR
    • Power generation, IPP, or large-scale energy infrastructure sales
  • Demonstrated experience selling into IOUs, municipal utilities, co-ops, or hyperscalers.
  • Track record of closing multi-million to billion-dollar infrastructure or energy supply agreements.
  • Strong understanding of:
    • Utility procurement cycles
    • RFP/RFQ processes
    • Long-term power purchase agreements
    • Energy storage economics and project finance structures
  • Experience with complex technical sales involving engineering and regulatory stakeholders.
  • Ability to travel 30–50%.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience selling Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) or adjacent technologies.
  • Relationships with hyperscalers and/or large data center developers.
  • Familiarity with FERC, RTO/ISO markets (CAISO, ERCOT, PJM, MISO, etc.).
  • Experience structuring long-term supply agreements for domestic manufacturing.
  • MBA or advanced technical degree preferred.

Compensation

The expected base salary range for this role is:

  • Vice President: $200,000 – $230,000

Actual compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, and role level.

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for:

  • Performance-based commission
  • Equity participation
  • Comprehensive health benefits
  • 401(k)
  • Paid time off and holidays

Work Environment

This position is onsite in California (Sacramento or San Francisco Bay Area) and requires regular travel to customer sites, conferences, and industry events.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Sparkz is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

At-Will Employment

Employment with Sparkz is at-will, meaning either the employee or the company may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or notice.

Please Note

  • All job offers are subject to pre-employment drug screening and a background check since this is a safety sensitive position.
  • Unless otherwise noted, we do not sponsor employees for work authorization in the U.S. for this position.

Notice to Agencies: We only accept resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing services if a Service Agreement has been signed and we have requested recruitment/staffing services for the specific position. Any unsolicited resumes will become the property of the company, and no fees or compensation will be paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or staffing service.

 

To Apply Email Resume and Cover Letter to HR@sparkz.energy

Founder & CEO

Dr. Sanjiv Malhotra

Dr. Sanjiv Malhotra is the founder and CEO of Sparkz—the battery start-up reinventing the energy supply chain.

 

Malhotra has been a leader in the energy sector for nearly three decades as a founder, investor and executive. Most recently, he served as the inaugural director for the Energy Investor Center at the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), serving under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

 

At DOE, Malhotra led the Obama Administration’s initiative to boost public-private partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of technologies developed in national research centers like Oak Ridge National Labs.

 

Malhotra was recruited to the Department of Energy after a successful exit of Oorja Protonics—the world leader in methanol fuel cells—which he founded and led as CEO for 10 years. Oorja raised $50 Million in equity financing from leading VCs such as Sequoia, DAG Ventures, Artis Capital and others during his tenure. He boosted Oorja’s revenue and profitability growth, while expanding operations globally in Japan, China, South Africa, Mexico, and India.

 

Oorja was acquired in 2014 by the Private Equity firm MinXing Growth Fund.

 

As an investor and consultant, Malhotra has worked at leading venture capital firms, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers as an advisor on clean energy and advanced materials.

 

Earlier in his career, Malhotra led the engineering and product development team at H Power, a pioneer in hydrogen fuel cells. As part of the management team, he managed the successful IPO, which raised more than $100 million in August 2000.

 

He began his career as a post-doctoral fellow at the renowned Lawrence Berkeley National Labs on electrochemical storage systems. Dr. Malhotra has authored seven patents and more than 40 publications in various fields of energy storage technology and materials. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering and an M.B.A from University of Iowa.