Physical Substation Engineer

Insight Global; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Insight Global is seeking a Substation Physical Design Engineer to support the engineering and design of high-voltage substations, including new construction, expansions, retrofits, and upgrades. You will coordinate with electrical, civil, structural, and construction teams to deliver robust designs.

The role offers opportunities at both mid-level and senior levels, with exposure to diverse utility projects and a focus on safety, constructability, and compliance with IEEE, NEC, and utility

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering is required or closely related field.
• Professional experience with physical substation engineering or design.
• Strong knowledge of high-voltage substation equipment, layouts, electrical clearances, grounding, bus configurations, and physical design principles.
• Experience supporting utility, electric power, or similar electrical infrastructure projects.
• Ability to develop and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, calculations, and technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Perform physical engineering and design for high-voltage substation projects, including greenfield and brownfield work.
• Develop and review general arrangements, equipment plans and elevations, grounding plans, conduit layouts, cable trench layouts, bus configurations, and lightning protection designs.
• Perform engineering calculations and technical evaluations needed to support physical substation design.
• Develop equipment specifications and assist with the selection of transformers, circuit breakers, switches, instrument transformers, and other major substation equipment.
• Ensure substation layouts meet equipment clearance, safety, constructability, accessibility, and maintainability requirements.
• Coordinate closely with Protection & Control, Civil/Structural, Transmission, Construction, and Project Management teams throughout the project lifecycle.
• Review vendor drawings, equipment documentation, and engineering submittals for technical accuracy and compliance.
• Support procurement and construction activities by responding to RFIs and helping resolve field-related design issues.
• Review engineering drawings and calculations for accuracy, completeness, and alignment with project requirements.
• Support site visits and field investigations for existing substation modifications as needed.
• Ensure designs comply with applicable IEEE, NESC, NEC, utility, client, and project-specific engineering standards.
• Participate in design reviews and provide technical guidance to designers and junior engineers.
• Support project schedules, engineering deliverables, and overall project coordination.

Skills

Physical substation design

HV substation equipment layouts

Engineering drawings & specifications

Coordination across disciplines

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

MicroStation

Job description

We are seeking a Substation Physical Design Engineer to support the engineering and design of high-voltage substations. This individual will work on new construction, expansions, retrofits, and upgrades while coordinating across electrical, civil, structural, and construction teams.

Openings for both mid level and senior engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform physical engineering and design for high-voltage substation projects, including greenfield and brownfield work.
• Develop and review general arrangements, equipment plans and elevations, grounding plans, conduit layouts, cable trench layouts, bus configurations, and lightning protection designs.
• Perform engineering calculations and technical evaluations needed to support physical substation design.
• Develop equipment specifications and assist with the selection of transformers, circuit breakers, switches, instrument transformers, and other major substation equipment.
• Ensure substation layouts meet equipment clearance, safety, constructability, accessibility, and maintainability requirements.
• Coordinate closely with Protection & Control, Civil/Structural, Transmission, Construction, and Project Management teams throughout the project lifecycle.
• Review vendor drawings, equipment documentation, and engineering submittals for technical accuracy and compliance.
• Support procurement and construction activities by responding to RFIs and helping resolve field-related design issues.
• Review engineering drawings and calculations for accuracy, completeness, and alignment with project requirements.
• Support site visits and field investigations for existing substation modifications as needed.
• Ensure designs comply with applicable IEEE, NESC, NEC, utility, client, and project-specific engineering standards.
• Participate in design reviews and provide technical guidance to designers and junior engineers.
• Support project schedules, engineering deliverables, and overall project coordination.

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Professional experience with physical substation engineering or design.
• Strong knowledge of high-voltage substation equipment, layouts, electrical clearances, grounding, bus configurations, and physical design principles.
• Experience supporting utility, electric power, or similar electrical infrastructure projects.
• Ability to develop and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, calculations, and technical documentation.
• Understanding of coordination between Substation Physical, Protection & Control, Civil/Structural, and Construction disciplines.
• Strong communication, organization, and technical problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing substations for large electric utilities, engineering firms, or EPC organizations.
• Experience with high-voltage substation projects at 69kV, 115kV, 138kV, 230kV, 345kV, or 500kV.
• Familiarity with AutoCAD, MicroStation, or similar engineering and design platforms.
• Experience supporting both greenfield and brownfield substation projects.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or progress toward professional licensure.
• Experience supporting substation projects from conceptual engineering through Issued for Construction design and construction support.