Director of Project Engineering

Confidential Jobs; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

Confidential Search in Houston, TX seeks a senior electrical power-systems engineer to deliver distributed-generation, microgrid, and mission-critical projects. This level-flexible role may be Director/Senior Engineer, Director/Principal Engineer, or Director/Chief Engineer, depending on experience and authority.

The ideal candidate remains hands-on, defends designs, coordinates with utilities and customers, and mentors other engineers while driving interconnection, protection, and power-system

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Power Systems Engineering.
• 10+ years of professional electrical engineering experience.
• Experience with electrical power systems and medium- and/or high-voltage infrastructure.
• Experience with substations, switchgear, transformers, electrical distribution, generation.
• Experience developing, reviewing, or approving one-line diagrams and schematics.
• Knowledge of protection schemes, protective relaying, grounding, and system coordination.

Responsibilities

• Lead or drive electrical engineering for distributed-generation, microgrid, and large power-infrastructure projects.
• Develop, review, or approve electrical architectures, single-line diagrams, schematics, and equipment specs.
• Apply technical depth across HV, MV, and LV systems including substations, switchgear, transformers.
• Develop or review protection and control philosophies, relay settings, and system coordination.
• Perform, review, or guide power-system studies including load flow, short circuit, and arc flash.
• Work directly with utilities on interconnection requirements, service requests, and commissioning.

Skills

Power systems engineering

HV/MV/LV systems

One-line diagrams

Protection and relaying

Interconnection with utilities

Technical leadership

Hands-on engineering

Stakeholder coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

ETAP

SKM PowerTools

PSCAD

PSS/E

PowerFactory

CYME

Job description

Houston, Texas | Hybrid | Confidential Search

We are representing a Houston-based energy infrastructure company expanding its Project Engineering organization and seeking a senior electrical power-systems engineer to help deliver distributed-generation, microgrid, and mission-critical power projects. This is a level-flexible search. Depending on experience and technical authority, the selected candidate may be aligned as a Director/Senior Engineer, Director/Principal Engineer, or Director/Chief Engineer.

At every level, the person hired must remain close to the engineering. This is not a role for someone who has moved several layers away from technical work. The company needs engineers who can personally work through electrical problems, defend design decisions, coordinate with utilities and customers, and move projects forward when requirements are incomplete or changing.

What You'll Own

• Lead or drive electrical engineering for distributed-generation, microgrid, and large power-infrastructure projects.


• Develop, review, or approve electrical architectures, single-line diagrams, schematics, equipment specifications, and construction packages.


• Apply technical depth across HV, MV, and LV systems, including substations, switchgear, transformers, grounding, generation, and electrical distribution.


• Develop or review protection and control philosophies, protective relaying, relay settings, and system coordination.


• Perform, review, or guide power-system studies including load flow, short circuit, protection coordination, arc flash, stability, harmonics, and related analysis.


• Work directly with utilities on interconnection requirements, service requests, technical reviews, and commissioning requirements.


• Coordinate technical decisions with Project Management, Product Engineering, Operations, vendors, customers, and third-party engineering partners.


• Identify technical risk early and recommend a course of action rather than only documenting the problem.


• Remain hands-on while reviewing or mentoring the work of other engineers as experience level requires.

How the Role Will Be Leveled

• Director/Senior Engineer - generally 10+ years. Execution-focused. Personally drives one-lines, equipment specifications, studies, interconnection, design packages, and project engineering through commissioning.


• Director/Principal Engineer - 10+ years minimum; the proactive search will often find 15-20 year engineers. Independent SME who solves difficult power-system problems, provides technical direction, reviews other engineers' work, and mentors the team. PE highly preferred.


• Director/Chief Engineer - 15+ years minimum; the proactive search will often find 18-25+ year engineers. PE required. Operates as a final technical authority who can challenge customer or utility requirements, make the difficult technical call, and mentor Principal and Senior engineers.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Power Systems Engineering.


• 10+ years of professional electrical engineering experience for this umbrella search.


• Professional experience with electrical power systems and medium- and/or high-voltage infrastructure.


• Experience with substations, switchgear, transformers, electrical distribution, generation, or comparable power-system equipment.


• Experience developing, reviewing, or approving one-line diagrams, electrical layouts, schematics, and equipment specifications.


• Working knowledge of protection schemes, protective relaying, grounding, and system coordination.


• Experience with utility interconnection, grid integration, or utility-facing technical coordination.


• Experience performing, reviewing, or directing power-system studies.


• Ability to independently explain and defend electrical design decisions to engineers, customers, utilities, vendors, and leadership.


• Ability to remain hands-on technically while taking broader project or technical leadership responsibility.

Experience That Would Stand Out

• 34.5 kV or higher-voltage substation and distribution experience.


• Utility T&D, substation, protection and controls, or switchgear engineering.


• Data-center, hyperscale, mission-critical, or other large-load power infrastructure.


• Electrical OEM experience involving switchgear, transformers, relays, protection, or generation equipment.


• EPC or consulting experience centered on electrical power systems rather than process-only electrical work.


• Experience with ETAP, SKM PowerTools, PSCAD, PSS/E, PowerFactory, CYME, or comparable tools.


• Professional Engineer (PE) license.


• Experience serving as a technical authority, design authority, discipline lead, principal engineer, or senior technical reviewer.


• Experience challenging customer or utility requirements and defending an alternate technical recommendation.

What Makes This Search Different

• One search can lead to one of three internal technical levels based on the candidate's actual scope and authority.


• The company is scaling electrical project work while engineering standards, processes, and organizational structure continue to develop.


• Even the most senior candidates are expected to remain technically hands-on rather than manage entirely through other engineers.


• The work spans project execution, utility interconnection, customer technical decisions, product integration, and electrical design authority.


• Candidates can grow toward broader technical leadership or people leadership as the engineering organization expands.

Location: Houston, Texas.

Candidates should be Houston-based or willing to relocate to Houston.

The role follows a hybrid schedule and requires regular in-person collaboration, plus site, customer, utility, or vendor meetings as project needs dictate.

Confidentiality

This search is being conducted confidentially. Additional information regarding the company, internal title/level, team, compensation, projects, and reporting structure will be shared with qualified individuals during the recruiting process.