Senior Physical Substation Engineer

ISG; Sioux Falls (SD); On-site; USD 105,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

Paid time off

Paid holidays and paid volunteer time

Paid parental leave

401(k) retirement plan

Employee Ownership Stock Plan (ESOP)

Life insurance

HSA and FSA options

Parking reimbursement

Job summary

ISG is seeking a Senior Physical Substation Engineer in Sioux Falls, SD to lead the design of high‑voltage substations, including layouts, grounding, conduit, and equipment placement, ensuring compliance with IEEE/ANSI/NEC/NESC/NFPA and client standards.

You will mentor junior engineers, review deliverables, and serve as the primary client contact for resolving technical issues, with projects spanning utilities such as FirstEnergy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering required; focus in power systems preferred.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• 5+ years of experience in substation physical design with leadership on medium to large projects.
• Proficiency with marking up drawings digitally and CAD operations.
• Experience with grounding analysis software (WinIGS, CYME, CDEGS, or equivalent).
• Experience with lighting analysis software (WinIGS, CDEGS, PSCAD or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Develop and review complete physical design packages for high-voltage substations, including: one-line and three-line diagrams, GA drawings, bus work layouts, grounding layouts and calculations, conduit routing plans, and BOMs.
• Ensure compliance with utility, client, and regulatory standards (IEEE, ANSI, NEC, NESC, NFPA).
• Apply advanced engineering judgment to optimize substation layouts for safety, reliability, constructability, and cost efficiency.
• Oversee integration of civil/structural and protection & control requirements into the physical design.
• Perform and review calculations including grounding, voltage drop, conduit fill, lightning protection, illumination, and cable sag/tension.
• Review and approve design packages including drawings, reports, and construction notes.
• Lead design coordination meetings with clients, utilities, vendors, and internal teams.
• Serve as technical point of contact for clients and resolve complex design issues.
• Mentor junior engineers and designers; track design hours and milestones.
• Recommend improvements to design processes, tools, and templates to increase quality.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and standards impacting substation design.

Skills

Power systems

Project leadership

Client liaison

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Tools

WinIGS

CYME

CDEGS

Visual Lighting

AGi32

DIALux

Revit

SDS

Inventor

Job description

Compensation: $105,000 - $150,000 / year

Department: Power

Location: Sioux Falls, SD

Senior Physical Substation Engineer

Founded in 1973, ISG is a multi‑disciplinary, employee‑owned firm providing architecture, engineering, environmental, and planning services to communities across the nation. Guided by our mission: simplify solutions and passionately design the future; we partner with clients to turn complex challenges into meaningful, lasting impact.

We are seeking a Senior Physical Substation Engineer who will lead the design of high‑voltage transmission and distribution substation physical packages, including layouts, bus work, grounding, conduit, and equipment placement. This role ensures designs meet client(s), utility, and regulatory standards while optimizing for safety, reliability, and constructability. The Senior Engineer mentors junior staff, reviews and approves deliverables, and serves as a primary client contact for resolving technical issues.

This position will work on projects directly associated with FirstEnergy, one of ISG’s trusted and longstanding client partners.

ISG employee owners are motivated by a shared goal to stretch the limits of great design and positively influence each other, our clients, and the communities we serve. Within our Energy Business Unit, ISG’s Power Group plays a vital role in delivering resilient infrastructure solutions, supporting projects and clients nationwide.

Regardless of where this position is posted, we encourage all qualified candidates from any ISG geography to apply. We operate as a one‑profit‑center firm and we work as one team across all offices, sharing resources, expertise, and opportunities to best serve our clients and support our employee owners.

Example Projects

• Substation Upgrades
• Electrical Substation Misoperated Line Terminal Improvements
• FAC‑008 Facility Rating Projects

Essential Duties

• Develop and review complete physical design packages for high‑voltage substations, including: one‑line and three‑line diagrams, general arrangement (GA) drawings & section views, bus work layouts and equipment plans, grounding layouts and calculations per IEEE Std 80, conduit, trench, and cable routing plans, and engineering documents and bill of materials.
• Ensure compliance with utility, client, and regulatory standards (IEEE, ANSI, NEC, NESC, NFPA).
• Apply advanced engineering judgment to optimize substation layouts for safety, reliability, constructability, and cost efficiency.
• Oversee integration of civil/structural and protection & control (P&C) requirements into the physical design.
• Perform and review calculations including but not limited to grounding, voltage drop, conduit fill, lightning protection, illumination, cable sag/tension, etc.
• Review and approve design packages including drawings, technical reports, and construction notes for accuracy and completeness.
• Lead design coordination meetings with clients, utilities, vendors, and internal teams to resolve design issues.
• Serve as the technical point of contact for clients, providing solutions to complex design challenges.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and designers, reviewing their work and providing structured feedback.
• Support project schedules and budgets by accurately forecasting design hours and meeting deliverable milestones.
• Recommend and implement improvements in design processes, tools, and templates to increase efficiency and quality.
• Stay current with emerging technologies, equipment, and industry standards impacting substation design.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (focus in power systems or related discipline required).
• 5+ years of experience in substation physical design, with proven leadership on medium to large projects.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license, required.
• Proficiency with marking up drawings digitally and understanding of CAD operations.
• Experience with grounding analysis software (WinIGS, CYME, CDEGS, or equivalent).
• Experience with photometric analysis software (Visual Lighting, AGi32, DIALux, Revit or equivalent).
• Experience with lighting analysis software (WinIGS, CDEGS, PSCAD or equivalent).
• Experience with Substation Design Suite (SDS) and Inventor preferred but not required.
• Strong understanding of substation equipment, procurement, and configurations (AIS, transformer banks, ring bus, breaker-and-a-half, etc.).
• Knowledge of industry codes and standards: IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NFPA, OSHA.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to interface directly with clients.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel for site visits, design reviews, and client meetings.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision
• Paid time off, pro‑rated amount available on your start date
• Paid holidays and paid volunteer time
• Paid parental leave
• Bi‑annual profit sharing
• Employee Ownership Stock Plan (ESOP)
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Life insurance
• HSA and FSA options
• Bereavement leave
• Supplemental voluntary benefits
• Short‑term and long‑term disability
• Parking reimbursement, varies on office location