Plant Controller Project Lead

Leidos Inc; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PE Licensure Support

Mentorship Program

Learning Resources

Continuing Education

Leadership Tracks

Job summary

Leidos Engineering seeks an experienced Project Lead to direct the engineering design of a high-profile plant controller and plant-wide SCADA program for a large behind-the-meter hybrid energy facility in the ERCOT market. You will lead a multidisciplinary team and serve as the technical voice to clients and vendors throughout the project lifecycle.

The role requires 8+ years in electric power, strong leadership, and familiarity with ERCOT/NERC standards; travel to Texas is expected.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in electric power engineering, with 4+ years leading multidisciplinary design teams.
• Led design and commissioning of utility-scale plant controllers and SCADA.
• Experience with voltage/VAR regulation, frequency response, POI control for inverter resources.
• Familiar with ERCOT interconnection and NERC CIP standards.
• Experience with third-party interface specs and various comm protocols.
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to present to clients and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical owner of plant control and SCADA design through lifecycle.
• Direct engineering leads across controls, SCADA/HMI, OT network, cybersecurity.
• Develop requirements, use cases, and control algorithms for plant functions.
• Apply power system studies to define limits and operating envelopes.
• Manage interface specs with OEMs, utilities, and vendors; resolve conflicts.
• Ensure designs meet interconnection requirements and NERC standards.
• Lead quality reviews of deliverables and test plans.
• Collaborate with project manager on budget, schedule, staffing.

Skills

Electrical Engineering

Project Leadership

SCADA Systems

Power Systems

ERCOT/NERC

Interface Specifications

Communication Protocols

MS Office

Travel Availability

Education

Bachelors in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Ignition SCADA

SEL RTAC

PSS/E

PSCAD

OPAL-RT

RTDS

MS Project

Procore

Job description

Description

Leidos Engineering has an opportunity for an experienced Project Lead to direct the engineering design of a high-profile plant controller and plant-wide SCADA program for a large behind-the-meter hybrid energy facility in the ERCOT market. The facility combines utility-scale wind and solar generation with a mission-critical AI data center load, connected to the grid through dual 345 kV points of interconnection.

The Project Lead will work alongside the Project Manager and program leadership within Leidos Energy. You will be the technical owner of the design: directing a multidisciplinary team of controls, SCADA/HMI, OT cybersecurity, and power systems studies engineers and specialty subcontractors, integrating their work into a coordinated design, and serving as the lead technical voice to the EPC client, equipment vendors, and the owner's engineers from detailed design through commissioning.

About the Project:

• Define and enforce a reliable, predictable operating envelope for the mission-critical data center load
• Dispatch wind and solar generation to regulate voltage, frequency, and apparent power at the dual points of interconnection in line with ERCOT and interconnection requirements
• Coordinate with wind and solar power plant controllers, capacitor banks, and transformer tap changers to regulate the POI and protect equipment ratings
• Maximize use of on-site renewable generation and minimize unnecessary curtailment
• Report key performance indicators for the POI, generation, and load assets through SCADA, HMI, and historian systems
• Provide a secure, NERC CIP-ready architecture that can integrate future battery storage and natural gas generation without redesign

This is a permanent, salaried position with Leidos. While this role will focus on one particular project, there is no projected end date for this position, and the selected individual can expect to take part in ongoing Leidos projects in the future. The salary pay range for this postion is between 175 - 225k USD, depending on the selected candidate's experience and qualifications.

As a Leidos employee, you can look forward to

• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification support
• Formal Mentorship programs
• Learning & Development Resources
• Continuing Education Programs
• Technical leadership tracks and project management opportunities

In this role, you can expect to:

• Serve as technical owner of the plant control and SCADA design across the project lifecycle, from requirements and concept of operations through detailed design, testing, commissioning, and closeout
• Direct engineering leads for controls, SCADA/HMI, OT networking and cybersecurity, and power systems studies, integrating their work into one coordinated design
• Develop requirements, use cases, control narratives, and control algorithms for plant-level functions such as voltage and reactive power regulation, frequency response, POI and equipment limit control, and load coordination
• Apply power system modeling and study results to define control limits, operating envelopes, and equipment sizing
• Develop and manage interface specifications with third‑party controllers, OEMs, utilities, and other stakeholders, and resolve technical conflicts between parties
• Ensure the design supports grid operator interconnection requirements and applicable NERC standards
• Lead technical quality reviews of engineering deliverables, including studies, drawings, specifications, points lists, network designs, and test plans
• Partner with the Project Manager on engineering budget, schedule, and staffing, providing estimates to complete, early warning of scope changes, and technical input to change orders
• Define hardware and software requirements and review bills of material for control and network equipment
• Lead technical responses to RFIs and submittals during construction
• Plan and lead factory acceptance and hardware-in-the-loop testing, author commissioning test plans, and serve as technical lead during site commissioning and compliance testing
• Represent Leidos in technical design reviews and coordination meetings with clients, vendors, and owner's engineers
• Ensure the engineering team follows project cybersecurity and critical infrastructure information handling requirements
• Mentor project engineers and support operator training and knowledge transfer at turnover

What You'll Bring to the Table (Required Qualifications):

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering; Controls, Computer, or Power Systems Engineering may be considered
• A minimum of eight (8) years of engineering experience in the electric power industry, including at least four (4) years leading multidisciplinary design teams
• Demonstrated technical leadership of utility-scale power plant controller, SCADA, or substation automation projects from design through commissioning
• Hands‑on experience with plant-level control functions such as voltage/VAR regulation, primary frequency response, curtailment, and POI limit control for inverter-based resources
• Working knowledge of ERCOT interconnection requirements and applicable NERC standards (e.g., PRC-024/029, MOD-025/026/027, CIP)
• Experience developing or reviewing interface specifications with third‑party PPC, OEM, and utility equipment, including communication protocols (DNP3, Modbus, IEEE C37.118, IEC 61850)
• Ability to interpret power system study results and apply them to control design and operating limits
• Experience with design review processes and quality control of engineering deliverables
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including presenting technical positions to clients and vendors
• Experience with MS Office Software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Ability to meet client background screening and site access requirements
• Periodic travel to Texas is required, so candidates should be available for travel as needed

You Might Also Have (Preferred Qualifications)

• Professional Engineer (PE) license, or the ability to obtain one, with Texas licensure a plus
• Experience with hybrid plants, co‑located large loads, or data center interconnections, including behind-the-meter configurations
• Hands‑on experience with SEL RTAC/SEL-3555 programming and Ignition SCADA, HMI, and historian development
• Experience integrating Vestas, TMEIC, or similar wind and solar power plant controllers
• Experience with power systems modeling (PSS/E, PSCAD, ETAP) and real‑time simulation for CHIL testing (OPAL-RT, RTDS)
• Knowledge of OT cybersecurity design (NERC CIP, IEC 62443, next‑generation firewalls, jump host architectures, network segmentation)
• Experience supporting ERCOT resource commissioning, QSE telemetry, or market qualification testing
• Experience planning for future BESS or gas generation integration in plant control architectures
• Experience working on EPC or design-build projects and supporting construction operations
• Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., MS Project, P6, Procore) and engineering budget tracking
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to multi‑task effectively
• Aptitude for problem solving and critical thinking

The salary pay range for this postion is between 175 - 225k USD, depending on the selected candidate's experience and qualifications.

Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.

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