Director - Substation Automation

Avangrid; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 156,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits

Bonuses

401(k) match

Health insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Career development

Job summary

NY STATE ELECTRIC & GAS CORP in Rochester, NY seeks a Director of Substation Automation to lead strategy, investment planning, governance, and the execution of large-scale substation automation programs within the Digital Grid framework.

You will coordinate engineering, construction, commissioning, operations, procurement, and regulatory stakeholders, drive KPI-based performance, and mentor cross-functional teams, with a focus on delivering safe, efficient capital projects and continuous

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical or mechanical engineering with at least 10 years of relevant energy infrastructure experience.
• Proven ability to lead technical specialists and provide governance and strategic direction for programs.
• Minimum 5 years managing substation modernization, SCADA and automation projects or equivalent.
• Broad knowledge of substation lifecycle: conceptual design through handover.
• Experience developing procurement strategies and managing consultants/contractors.
• Familiarity with NY utility regulatory requirements and investment justification documentation.
• Experience using SAP and Primavera.

Responsibilities

• Lead long-term strategy and investment planning for Substation Automation capital programs.
• Prepare investment justification documents to justify required investments.
• Coordinate execution of the Substation Automation capital plan with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Set portfolio priorities, budgets, timelines, risks, and KPIs; monitor and adjust execution.
• Define processes to maximize benefits from digitalization across substations and related workstreams.
• Guide and develop multidisciplinary teams including project managers, engineers, and contractors.
• Establish performance measures and drive continuous improvement across programs.

Skills

Planning

Leadership

Communication

Safety & Compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical or mechanical engineering

MBA, PMP or equivalent project-management certification

Tools

SAP

Primavera

Job description

The base salary range for this position is dependent upon experience and location, ranging from:

Rochester, NY: $156,000 - $195,000

Binghamton, NY: $156,000 - $195,000

Brewster, NY: $171,000 - $214,000

What We Offer

• Competitive benefits and growth opportunities.
• Generous performance‑based bonuses.
• 12% 401(k) match.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Professional development and clear career‑advancement pathways.

For more information, please visit: Benefits - Avangrid

Job Summary

The Director of Substation Automation is responsible for the strategy, investment planning, governance, and successful execution of substation automation programs under the Digital Grid strategy. The role leads multidisciplinary teams and coordinates engineering, construction, commissioning, operations, procurement, and regulatory stakeholders to deliver capital programs safely, efficiently, and in accordance with company standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Participates in and sets the general and long-term strategy for Substation Automation capital investments.
• Prepares investment justification documents to support the required level of investment for Substation Automation programs.
• Coordinates execution of the Substation Automation capital plan with Regulatory, Planning, Procurement, Finance, Legal, Electric Operations, Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, and Projects stakeholders.
• Establishes portfolio priorities, resource plans, schedules, budgets, risk-management strategies, and performance KPIs; monitors adherence to the plan and recommends improvements in execution.
• Identifies and measures KPIs to ensure realization of operational benefits for Avangrid and its customers from the deployment of digitalization.
• Sets general criteria and procedures to ensure an efficient execution of Substations Automation deployment plans.
• Identifies gaps in current operational processes and proposes improvements to optimize the operational benefits of the digitalization efforts.
• Ensures coordination of the Substation Automation program with all other digitalization workstreams while maintaining alignment with project goals and company standards.
• Provides technical guidance on Substations Automation in coordination with local standardization groups.
• Develops a strong relationship with internal areas in order to direct process change implementation (Projects, Processes & Technology, OSG, Operations).
• Leads and develops assigned employees and multidisciplinary teams, including project managers, engineers, construction personnel, consultants, and contractors.
• Sets group goals and strategic direction and initiates action plans and assignments to accomplish goals.
• Develops business plans with technical justifications and economic impact and seeks approval from executives.
• Provides technical support, guidance, coaching, performance direction, and professional development for employees and project teams. Establishes organizational performance measures and initiates actions to enhance performance.

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience Required:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related engineering discipline, with at least 10 years of relevant experience in energy infrastructure, electric utility projects, or transmission and distribution substations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical specialists and provide governance and strategic direction for programs.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience managing or executing substation modernization, SCADA and automation, breaker replacement, protection and control or other electric utility capital programs.
• Broad knowledge of all stages of a substation project, including conceptual design, detailed design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operational handover.
• Broad experience developing procurement strategies and managing consultants, contractors, equipment suppliers, and service providers supporting utility capital projects.
• Broad knowledge of substations operation and maintenance.
• Experience in developing processes, procedures and performance KPIs for continuous improvement.
• Familiarity with New York utility regulatory requirements, capital investment planning, ratecase support, and the preparation of investment justification documentation.
• Experience using SAP.
• Experience using Primavera.

Skills/Abilities

• Exceptionally strong planning, coordinating and organizational skills.
• Strong leadership skills, with ability to manage multiple assignments and conflict resolution.
• Able to foster individual professional development.
• Strong communication skills to articulate highly technical concepts.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety and compliance.
• Able to communicate effectively with regulatory and governmental agencies and other Avangrid Networks companies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in reviewing and analyzing federal and state statutory and regulatory codes (FERC/NERC/NPCC) and actions and proposing long term plans to address the requirements.
• MBA, PMP certification, or another advanced business or project-management qualification preferred.

Company

NY STATE ELECTRIC & GAS CORP

Mobility Information

Please note that any applicant who is not a citizen of the country of the vacancy will be subject to compliance with the applicable immigration requirements to legally work in that country.

At Avangrid we provide fair and equal employment and advancement opportunities for all employees and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you are an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who is unable to use our online tool to search for or to apply for jobs, you may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting our People and Organization department at [e-mail].

Avangrid employees may be assigned a system emergency role and in the event of a system emergency, may be required to work outside of their regular schedule/job duties. This is applicable to employees that will work in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York within Avangrid Network and Corporate functions. This does not include those that will work for Avangrid Power.

Avangrid employees may also be assigned a NERC Reliability Standards compliance role supporting Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) and/or Operations and Planning (O&P) responsibilities. This is applicable to employees that will work in electric transmission, operations, and cyber security business areas in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York within Avangrid Network and Corporate business areas. NERC Reliability Standards compliance roles and responsibilities may include additional access protections, training, audit engagement, and required evidence retention, and will be communicated by the employee’s management.