Planning Engineer - New Castle, PA

FirstEnergy Corp; Harrisburg (Dauphin County); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp, seeks an Electrical Engineer to support the planning, protection, and reliability of Penn Power's distribution systems. The position reports to the New Castle Service Center in New Castle, PA, with relocation to western Pennsylvania if needed.

You will model the system with analysis software, prepare budgets, and assist operations with switching studies and protection settings for substations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering or Electrical Engineering Technology from an ABET-accredited institution is required.
• PE license or an electrical engineering degree with ABET-accredited program plus an advanced degree is acceptable.
• Minimum 0-5 years engineering work experience is required.
• Experience and knowledge of electrical systems, operations, and maintenance, switching and tagging, computer systems, work management and electrical controls are desired.
• Willing to travel throughout the service territory and work extra hours.
• Unable to sponsor or transfer H-1B visas at this time.

Responsibilities

• Investigate planning studies to recommend distribution system expansions and modifications.
• Model the distribution system using engineering analysis software and compute voltage drop and fault currents.
• Prepare budget estimates and project schedules for system reinforcement projects.
• Support operations with switching studies and settings for mobile substation installations.
• Perform protective device coordination studies for substation transformers and circuit breakers.
• Understand regulator and capacitor controls and assist with distributed control systems.
• Prepare protection specifications for new capital projects and system upgrades.
• Perform load and capacity studies and prepare load study reports with findings and recommendations.
• Conduct power quality studies as needed and assist with interconnection studies.

Skills

Communication skills

Self-motivated

Team player

Customer-focused

Willing to travel

Education

ABET-accredited Electrical Engineering degree

PE License

Electrical Engineering degree + ABET-approved advanced degree

Fundamentals of Engineering exam

Job description

Job Description

FirstEnergy at a Glance

We are a forward-thinking electric utility powered by a diverse team of employees committed to making customers' lives brighter, the environment better and our communities stronger. FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, FirstEnergy includes one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, and a regulated generating fleet with a total capacity of more than 3,500 megawatts.

About the Opportunity

This is an open position with FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. This Engineer position is responsible for the planning, protection, and reliability of Penn Power's distribution systems. The engineer performs analysis and recommends solutions to maintain a reliable electrical infrastructure that meets present and future electrical needs. The reporting location for this position is the New Castle Service Center in New Castle, PA. Candidates must reside or be willing to relocate to western Pennsylvania area for further consideration.

Responsibilities include:

• Working safely in accordance with the Company's Accident Prevention Handbook.
• Investigating and developing planning studies to recommend and drive the necessary distribution system expansions and modifications to maintain reliable electrical infrastructure that meets present and future electrical needs.
• Demonstrating proficiency in the use of engineering analysis software to model the distribution system, calculate voltage drop and fault currents of circuits, and perform distribution switching and protection studies.
• Preparing budget estimates and schedules for system reinforcement projects.
• Supporting operations and maintenance by performing switching studies and preparing settings for mobile substation installations as needed.
• Performing protective device coordination studies for substation transformers and circuit breakers along with circuit protection (fuses and reclosers) as needed.
• Understanding and recommending settings for various regulator and capacitor controls.
• Designing and supporting the installation of distributed control systems including radio controls for line switches and reclosers as well as loop line sectionalizing schemes.
• Preparing protection specifications for new capital projects and system upgrades.
• Performing long-term, area-wide planning studies using applicable distribution system analysis software and preparing load study reports that detail the study findings and recommendations.
• Performing capacity studies for customer new load requests and preparing load study reports that detail the study findings and recommendations.
• Performing power quality studies as needed.
• Performing technical reviews and interconnection studies for customer distributed generation applications.
• Supporting operations with real-time system monitoring and operating/switching studies during peak load periods and system emergencies.
• Performing outage analysis, including analysis of circuit lockouts, in support of the Company's reliability initiatives.
• Completing Customer Experiencing Multiple Interruptions (CEMI) and Worst Performing Circuit (WPC) analysis and recommend reliability improvements.
• Investigating and responding to customer reliability inquiries received through regulatory agencies, Company officers and/or Company processes.
• Providing field and equipment commissioning support to technicians and other operating personnel on an as needed basis.
• Supporting the Penn Power storm process as needed, either as a hazard dispatcher, storm analyst or line shop analyst.
• May be assigned special projects as business needs require.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering / Electrical Engineering Technology from an ABET accredited institution is required.
• Acceptable alternatives are:
• (1) a Professional Engineer's (PE) License
• (2) a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or technical field of study (non-ABET) plus an advanced degree in Electrical Engineering from a university with an ABET accredited Bachelor's program.
• Minimum 0-5 years engineering work experience is required.
• Successful completion of the Fundamentals of Engineering exam considered a plus.
• Experience and knowledge of electrical systems, operations, and maintenance practices, switching and tagging, computer systems, work management and electrical controls are desired.
• Relay control work experience is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience in effectively working and communicating across functional boundaries and providing total customer satisfaction.
• Able to identify and implement effective restoration processes and procedures.
• Self-motivated and a self-starter, customer focused, results oriented and a team player.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• Able to analyze data, write technical reports, develop work packages to implement recommendations and the ability to handle multiple assignments.
• Able to provide storm restoration support and hazard dispatching duties during storm restoration efforts.
• Able to apply technical skills to solve practical problems and develop and provide technical information to support the Regional Dispatching Office to ensure safe and efficient operation of the electrical system.
• Willing to travel throughout the service territory, and willing to work extra and/or irregular hours.
• Unable to sponsor or transfer H-1B visas at this time.

Benefits, Compensation & Workforce Diversity

• Competitive pay plus incentive compensation
• A company-sponsored pension plan
• 401(k) savings plan with matching employer contribution
• A choice of medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance programs
• Skills development training with tuition reimbursement

FirstEnergy proudly supports workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability.

Safety

Safety is a core value for FirstEnergy and is essential to all of our business activities. We ensure employees have the tools, information, and processes to perform their duties in a manner that assures safety for themselves, their co-workers, our customers and the public. We maintain a safe work environment, an accident-free, injury-free workplace, and commit to public safety. To meet these goals, we dedicate ourselves to achieving world-class safety standards.

Position Classification

Exempt

FirstEnergy Human Resources Team