Physical Engineering Supervisor II

Mesa Associates, Inc; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Holiday Pay – 10 Days Annually

Group Medical/Dental Insurance

Life Insurance (Company Paid)

Disability Insurance (Company Paid)

401(K) Retirement Savings plan

401(K) Matching Contribution

Section 125/Cafeteria Plan

Long Term Care Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Fitness Center Reimbursement

Annual Performance Bonus

9/80 Work Schedule Option

Job summary

Mesa Associates, Inc. is seeking a senior Substation Physical Design Lead in Chattanooga to manage a small team of engineers, designers, and drafters. You will lead design reviews, coordinate across disciplines, and ensure packages meet IEEE/NESC/ASCE standards while keeping clients informed.

The role emphasizes PE sign/seal responsibilities, leadership development, and proactive process improvements in a dynamic substation environment with periodic travel to client sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, or civil engineering (ABET Accredited).
• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license – Required. Multi-state licensure or willingness to obtain reciprocity is a plus.
• 6+ years in the substation/utility industry, with 4+ years in substation physical design across voltage ranges spanning 12kV to 230kV.
• Deep substation physical expertise – Foundations, structural steel, grounding, cable routing, equipment power ratings, clearances, and conductor sizing across utility standards (IEEE, NESC, ASCE).
• Experience with grounding, lightning, and lighting studies – both performing them and reviewing the team's calculations.
• Client-facing communicator – Able to lead design reviews, kickoffs, and scope discussions directly with utility clients and other consultants.
• A coach's mindset – you find it rewarding to develop the engineers around you as to ship your own deliverables.
• Steady under pressure – balancing technical and people responsibilities when project demand spikes.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small cross-experience team of substation physical engineers, designers, and drafters; mentor and set technical direction.
• PE review and sign/seal packages requiring a PE seal.
• Own client communication on substation physical scope: kickoffs, design reviews, RFI responses, change orders, closeout documentation.
• Shape Mesa's internal substation physical standards, templates, QA checklists, and lessons-learned library.
• Coordinate with Protection & Controls, Civil, Studies, Scoping, and other disciplines to keep multi-discipline packages aligned.
• Perform design oversight and final QA to ensure compliance with codes and client requirements.
• Identify process improvements and develop internal time-saving tools and templates.
• Approve timesheets, overtime, and vacation requests; oversee expense reports.

Skills

Substation design

Grounding & lightning studies

Client communication

Leadership / mentoring

Project leadership

QA/checking

Travel willingness

Education

ABET Accredited Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Civil Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Tools

AutoCAD

Bentley MicroStation

Bluebeam Revu

WinIGS

CDEGS

ETAP

Job description

PDS 2 / Power Delivery Substation

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, or civil engineering (ABET Accredited).
• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license – Required. Multi-state licensure or willingness to obtain reciprocity is a plus.
• 6+ years in the substation/utility industry, with 4+ years in substation physical design across voltage ranges spanning 12kV to 230kV.
• Deep substation physical expertise – Foundations, structural steel, grounding, cable routing, equipment power ratings, clearances, and conductor sizing across utility standards (IEEE, NESC, ASCE).
• Experience with grounding, lightning, and lighting studies – both performing them and reviewing the team's calculations.
• Design software proficiency – Expert with AutoCAD and Bentley MicroStation; comfortable with Bluebeam Revu for markups; working knowledge of grounding analysis tools (WinIGS, CDEGS, or ETAP).
• Client-facing communicator – Able to lead design reviews, kickoffs, and scope discussions directly with utility clients and other consultants.
• A coach's mindset – you find it as rewarding to develop the engineers around you as to ship your own deliverables.
• Steady under pressure – comfortable balancing technical responsibilities with people responsibilities when project demand spikes.
• Previous management experience is a plus, not a must – strong technical contributors ready to grow into leadership are encouraged to apply.
• Chattanooga-based or within commuting distance.
• Travel availability – willing to travel to client sites for periodic site visits, typically 3–4 single-night trips per month.

What You’ll Lead

• A small, cross-experience team of substation physical engineers, designers, and drafters – coordinate their assignments, mentor and develop them, and set technical direction for the group.
• PE review and sign/seal – Review and sign/seal packages that require a PE seal as the licensed engineer on the team.
• Client relationships on technical scope – Serve as the substation physical point of contact for assigned clients; lead design reviews, present rationale, and negotiate change in scope.
• Standards and best practices – Shape Mesa's internal substation physical standards, calculation templates, QA checklists, and lessons-learned library.
• Quality and safety culture inside the group – set the expectations, model the behavior, and make sure both show up in every package.
• Hiring, onboarding, and development – Spot who's ready for the next stretch assignment; participate in interviews, review portfolios, and ramp new engineers onto active projects.
• Proposal and estimating support – Partner with proposal teams to scope substation physical effort, contribute technical narratives for RFP responses, and help shape win-themes for new pursuits.

What You’ll Do

• Partner with program managers, project managers, and the engineering manager to staff projects, and coordinate design tasks across the team so workloads stay balanced and predictable.
• Lead the design of equipment, structural, foundation, grounding, and cable routing plans and details for medium- to large-scale transmission substation projects.
• Direct grounding, lightning, and lighting studies; review and approve calculations produced by the team.
• Coordinate across Protection & Controls, Civil, Studies, Scoping, and other disciplines to keep multi-discipline packages aligned.
• Step in as a designer or checker when workload demands it – this is a working supervisor role, not a pure people-management one.
• Run technical oversight and final QA – own the checking and review process so packages leave the group right the first time, meeting code, client requirements, and Mesa's internal QA procedures.
• Own client communication on substation physical scope: kickoffs, design reviews, RFI responses, change orders, and closeout documentation.
• Hold regular team conversations, both 1:1 and group, to share company direction, surface blockers, and keep the team aligned.
• Identify process improvements and develop internal time-saving tools, templates, and standards that scale across the group.
• Approve timesheets, overtime, and vacation requests, and approve expense reports as appropriate.

What You’ll Earn

• Paid Time Off
• Holiday Pay – 10 Days Annually
• Group Medical/Dental Insurance
• Life Insurance (Company Paid)
• Disability Insurance (Company Paid)
• 401(K) Retirement Savings plan
• 401(K) Matching Contribution
• Section 125/Cafeteria Plan
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Fitness Center Reimbursement
• Annual Performance Bonus
• 9/80 Work Schedule Option