Lead Substation Engineer - P&C - Power Delivery

Westwood Professional Services, Inc.; San Antonio (TX); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Westwood Professional Services, Inc. is seeking a Lead Substation Engineer - P&C to drive protection and control design for high-voltage substations and renewable interconnections.

You will produce one-line and three-line diagrams, control and alarm schematics, and protection specifications while ensuring compliance with applicable codes. The role requires PE licensure, 6+ years of experience, and strong leadership to guide teams across concurrent projects, coordinate with SCADA and telecom, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering (ABET-accredited).
• PE license required.
• 6+ years in substation protection and control engineering.
• Proven ability to lead engineering teams across multiple projects.
• Strong knowledge of NESC, NEC, IEEE, and NERC PRC requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee substation Protection and Control across multiple projects with full technical ownership.
• Serve as Engineer of Record (EOR) for protection and control deliverables and PE stamping.
• Guide engineers, designers, and analysts to ensure standards and study methodologies are consistently applied.
• Coordinate across disciplines to integrate protection with control systems and field implementation.
• Lead client communication, protection philosophy discussions, design reviews, and scope alignment.
• Interpret contracts to ensure deliverables meet contractual, regulatory, and reliability requirements.
• Identify scope gaps and drive resolution with stakeholders.
• Contribute to proposals, estimates, and change order development for P&C studies and settings.
• Monitor technical delivery including schedule, study quality, and client satisfaction.
• Lead project coordination meetings and ensure milestone tracking across teams.
• Provide mentorship on protection and control tools and industry standards.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

PE license

Code knowledge (NESC/NEC/IEEE/NERC PRC

Multi-discipline coordination

Project governance

Protection analysis tools

Relay coordination tools

Microsoft Office

Education

ABET-accredited Electrical Engineering degree

Tools

Protection analysis tools

Relay coordination tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Description

The Lead Substation Engineer - P&C serves as an engineer on electric substation design projects for high-voltage utility systems and renewable energy interconnection projects. He/she will apply NESC, NEC, and other applicable codes and standards in the engineering design and will also independently produce: one-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, potential and current schematics, control schematics, alarm schematics, protection and control specifications, and I/O mapping.

He/she should be familiar with protection scheme functionality. However, ability to develop relay settings and associated points mapping is not required but preferred. He/she will also work with other internal and external project stakeholders to ensure project milestones and expectations of contracted services are met.

Requirements

• Lead and oversee execution of substation Protection and Control scope across multiple concurrent projects, maintaining full technical ownership of studies, deliverables, and engineering quality.
• Serve as Engineer of Record (EOR), performing final technical reviews and providing approval and PE stamping of protection and control, and design deliverables.
• Guide engineers, designers, and analysts across one or more projects, ensuring consistent application of standards, protection philosophies, and study methodologies.
• Coordinate across disciplines (system protection, SCADA, telecom, transmission, distribution) to ensure complete integration of system protection with control systems and field implementation.
• Lead client communication and technical strategy, including protection philosophy discussions, design reviews, issue resolution, and alignment on project scope and expectations.
• Interpret contracts and project scope requirements to ensure protection deliverables align with contractual, regulatory, and reliability requirements.
• Identify scope gaps, inconsistencies, and potential scope creep across studies and deliverables; coordinate resolution across stakeholders.
• Support and contribute to proposals, engineering estimates, and change order development, including scope definition for protection studies and settings development.
• Monitor and influence project performance from a technical delivery perspective, including schedule, study quality, coordination accuracy, and client satisfaction.
• Lead project coordination meetings, including technical reviews, study alignment, and milestone tracking across project teams.
• Contribute to resource planning and staffing discussions, providing input on study workload, technical expertise, and execution strategy.
• Oversee QA/QC processes P&C design deliverables, ensuring adherence to company standards and industry requirements.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineering staff, including training on protection and control, tools, and industry standards.
• Support procurement and construction activities, including protection and control implementation, testing, commissioning support, and resolution of complex field issues.
• Identify and drive improvements to protection and control tools, study methods, templates, and processes to enhance efficiency, consistency, and technical quality.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from an ABET-accredited engineering program.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• 6+ years of relevant experience in substation protection and control engineering.
• Proven ability to lead engineering teams and guide technical execution across multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong understanding and application of applicable codes and standards (e.g., NESC, NEC, IEEE, and NERC PRC requirements).
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multidisciplinary engineering efforts and deliver fully integrated protection solutions.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with proven experience leading client interactions and technical discussions.
• Ability to identify risks, resolve complex technical issues, and make sound engineering decisions with minimal or no oversight.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and strong working knowledge of protection analysis and relay coordination tools.

For Preferred Consideration (Not Required):

• Demonstrated experience serving as Engineer of Record for P&C scope on substation projects.
• Experience leading proposal efforts, including P&C scope definition, study planning, and resource estimation.
• Experience coordinating multi-discipline teams across large or programmatic work.
• Familiarity with utility-specific protection philosophies, NERC compliance requirements, and regional grid practices.

About Westwood Professional Services, Inc. (Westwood)

At Westwood, our purpose is to create a better world for people through our work. We transform the energy grid, design resilient infrastructure, and develop communities that will flourish today and for future generations. With over 50 years of experience and a legacy of innovation, we stand at the forefront of our industry, dedicated to understanding the unique needs of the markets we serve.

Our approach revolves around people. We are committed to building a culture that attracts, retains, and develops high performers. Our team values relationships, innovation, dedication, initiative, and growth. We believe fostering a collaborative One Team mentality yields superior outcomes in everything we do.

We customize our technical capabilities and geographic reach to meet our clients where they are and help them realize their vision.

We are partners in our clients’ success, driving to provide solutions that make a lasting difference. Safety, sustainability, and operational excellence are not just facets of our work; they are intrinsic to our identity, guiding every decision we make.

We are deeply invested in the communities we serve. Through our projects and giving‑back initiatives, we enrich the lives of those we serve, engage others within our industry, and create a lasting impact on communities around the world. To us, success transcends the completion of projects; it is reflected in the lives we have positively impacted by our work. Join us in creating a better world.

In 2025, Westwood was recognized as #77 on the ENR Top 500 Design Firms. Additionally, Westwood was ranked #5 for ENR's Top Design Firm for Solar, #6 for Battery Storage, and #3 for Wind (2025). The firm consistently ranks on the industry's top 25 lists and receives recognition for its involvement in award‑winning projects nationwide.

Westwood provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We believe that diverse backgrounds strengthen our business. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.