Electrical Design Engineer

Brooksource; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Brooksource’s Fortune 300 utility client is hiring an Associate Engineer to join the Electric Transmission Substation Engineering Protection and Control Design team. You will develop protection and control design packages for both transmission and distribution substations, covering relay drawings, logic diagrams, and related wiring drawings.

This role collaborates with engineering, project management, and field teams, may require site visits up to 25% travel, and requires a bachelor’s in EE or

Qualifications

• 0–2 years engineering experience in internship, coop, coursework, or early-career role.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Electrical Engineering Technology (or equivalent per criteria).
• Understanding of transmission lines, distribution feeders, and major substation components.
• Experience with MicroStation and/or AutoCAD.
• Ability to apply engineering principles with some evaluation and ingenuity.
• Ability to interpret codes, regulations, standards and practices.
• Strong planning, organizational, and project management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including technical writing.

Responsibilities

• Develop protection and control design engineering packages for transmission and distribution substations.
• Create/modify P&C design documents and drawings (relay functions, diagrams, wiring, communications, relay panels).
• Prepare bills of material for substation design packages.
• Independently develop system protection design packages for complex projects.
• Coordinate with Physical Substation Engineers, Protective Relay Settings Engineers, Communications Engineers, Transmission Line Engineers, Material Coordinators, Panel Wiring Shop, and Field Technicians.
• Support project management and conceptual engineering teams to define scope and design requirements.
• Perform occasional site work and travel up to 25%.

Skills

Protection and control design

Team collaboration

Project management

Multi-tasking

Technical writing

Communication skills

Independent work

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Electrical Engineering Technology

Tools

MicroStation

AutoCAD

MATLAB

Excel

Job description

12-month Contract-to-hire

$35-$40/hr.

Applications will be accepted until at least October 29th, 2026.

Position Summary:

Brooksource’s Fortune 300 utility client is hiring an Associate Engineer to fill several openings on their Electric Transmission Substation Engineering Protection and Control Design team. This team creates and maintains the substation electrical, mechanical, and control drawings behind the detailed design of a high voltage electric grid operating from 11 kV to 500 kV.

In this role, you will develop protection and control design engineering packages for both transmission and distribution substations, working closely with engineering, project management, and field teams to fully develop each design package.

Responsibilities:

• Develop protection and control design engineering packages for both transmission and distribution substations.
• Create and modify P&C design documents and drawings for substation projects, including relay functional drawings, logic diagrams, elementary diagrams, wiring diagrams, communications diagrams, and relay panel arrangement drawings.
• Prepare bills of material as part of each substation design package.
• Independently develop system protection design packages for complex projects using applicable standards as you grow in the role.
• Coordinate with and provide technical support to Physical Substation Engineers, Protective Relay Settings Engineers, Communications Engineers, Transmission Line Engineers, Material Coordinators, the Panel Wiring Shop, and Field Technicians to fully develop each design package.
• Support project management and conceptual engineering teams as they define the scope of work and design requirements for substation engineering projects.
• Perform occasional site work and travel (up to 25%), which can include outdoor conditions and exposure to energized equipment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 0-2 years of relevant engineering experience in either an internship, co-op, academic project, coursework, or early-career role.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering Technology that satisfies applicable Engineer job-series criteria (equivalency not accepted in lieu of degree).
• Understanding of the principles and practices of transmission lines, distribution feeders, and major substation components.
• Experience with MicroStation and/or AutoCAD.
• Ability to apply engineering principles, concepts, practices, and procedures with some evaluation, originality, and ingenuity to meet project objectives.
• Ability to interpret codes, regulations, standards, and practices.
• Strong planning, organizational, and project management skills.
• Ability to process information quickly and manage multiple tasks.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including technical writing.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and in a team environment.
• Strong computer skills, with the ability to perform engineering calculations using applicable software such as MATLAB and Excel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with electromechanical and microprocessor based protection and control systems.
• Ability to read, interpret, and verify the accuracy of one-line diagrams, relay functional drawings, and elementary, logic, and wiring diagrams.
• Electric utility industry experience.

What’s in it for you?

Brooksource, Medasource, and Calculated Hire are part of the Eight Eleven Group family of companies and operate under Eight Eleven Group, LLC. All employees receive the same benefits, policies, and terms of employment.

EEO Statement:

Brooksource is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.

Brooksource offers competitive medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Dependent Care FSA, and supplemental coverage with plans that can fit each employee’s needs. We offer a 401k plan that includes a company match and is fully vested after you become eligible, paid time off, sick time, and paid company holidays. We also offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides services like virtual counseling, financial services, legal services, life coaching, etc.

Pay Disclaimer:

The pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.