Pre-Construction Engineer

Potelco Inc; Sumner (WA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Potelco, Inc. is seeking a Pre-Construction Engineer to join the Sumner, WA team.

You will bridge technical design and cost estimating for substations, BESS yards, and utility-scale PV projects, translating 30–90% designs into constructible, priced scope.

Qualifications

• Requires 5–8 years in electrical design, with medium- and low-voltage experience on substations, BESS, or utility-scale PV projects.
• Experience supporting EPC pursuits, proposals, or pre-construction front-end engineering preferred.
• Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering; PE licensure a plus but not required; equivalent experience considered.

Responsibilities

• Review design packages (conceptual to 90% design) for substations, BESS yards, and PV systems to identify gaps and constructability risks.
• Develop and validate conceptual designs, one-line diagrams, and layouts for MV and LV systems.
• Generate preliminary quantity takeoffs for estimating (conduit, cable, grounding, structures, pads).
• Coordinate with interconnection requirements, permitting standards, and client specs during proposals.
• Draft and track technical RFIs and respond to client clarifications.
• Flag sequencing, logistics, and buildability risks with the Construction Technical Advisor.
• Interface with client engineers, EPC partners, and design firms for scope clarifications.
• Handoff awarded projects to engineering and construction teams preserving design intent.

Skills

Electrical design

Cost estimating

Proposal development

Cross-functional

BESS design

Substation design

PV design

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

MS Office

Estimating software

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

PE licensure (plus)

Tools

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

MS Office

HCSS

B2W

Job description

If you enjoy working with a great group of professionals, are detail-oriented, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and enjoy using your engineering and organizational skills, then we have a role for you! Potelco, Inc. is looking to add a Pre-Construction Engineer to our growing Pre-Construction team in Sumner, WA.

This role bridges technical design and cost estimating during the pursuit and early project-development phases — translating conceptual and partially developed engineering (30–90%) for substations, BESS yards , and utility-scale PV installations into constructible, accurately priced scope. The Pre-Construction Engineer will work closely with the Director of Pre-Construction, Proposal Manager, Construction Technical Advisor, and Estimating team to reduce technical risk before Potelco commits to a bid.

The pay for this role is a salary range of $100,000 - $130,000, depending on experience.

What You'll Do

• Review client- or partner-provided design packages (conceptual through 90% design) for substation additions/greenfield builds, BESS yards, and PV collection/interconnection systems, identifying gaps, conflicts, and constructability risks.
• Develop and validate conceptual designs, one-line diagrams, and layouts for medium- and low-voltage systems to support proposal development ahead of full engineering.
• Generate preliminary quantity takeoffs — conduit, cable and wire, grounding, structures, foundations, equipment pads — to support the Estimating team’s cost development.
• Coordinate with utility interconnection requirements, permitting standards, and client technical specifications during the proposal phase.
• Draft and track technical RFIs during bid development, and support responses to client clarification requests.
• Partner with the Construction Technical Advisor to flag sequencing, logistics, and buildability risks introduced by design choices.
• Interface directly with client engineers, EPC partners, and third-party design firms on technical scope clarifications during pursuit.
• Support handoff of awarded projects from Pre-Construction to the engineering and construction teams, ensuring design intent and assumptions carry forward cleanly.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You'll Bring

• Minimum 5–8 years of relevant experience in electrical design, engineering, or design-assist roles, with demonstrated exposure to medium- and low-voltage systems on substation, BESS, or utility-scale solar PV projects.
• Prior experience supporting EPC pursuits, proposals, or pre-construction/front-end engineering strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field preferred; PE licensure is a plus but not required. Equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience will be considered.
• Working knowledge of substation physical/electrical layout; protection & control familiarity is a plus but not required.
• Familiarity with BESS yard design considerations, including equipment layout, fire code setbacks, and containerized system interconnection.
• Experience with utility-scale PV design fundamentals: MV collection systems, inverter pad layout, and combiner/recombiner design.
• Comfortable reading, redlining, and cross-checking civil, structural, and electrical drawings.
• Strong understanding of how design decisions drive constructability and cost — able to work fluidly between design intent and estimating needs.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, and familiarity with Bluebeam and standard MS Office tools; exposure to estimating platforms (e.g., HCSS, B2W) a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally under proposal deadlines.