Senior Standards Engineer

Western Electricity Coordinating Council; Salt Lake City (UT); Hybrid; USD 128,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) plan

Paid personal time

Job summary

WECC seeks a Senior Standards Engineer to guide regional reliability standards and criteria. You will lead drafting teams, coordinate with stakeholders, and ensure adherence to WECC/NERC processes while communicating complex topics clearly.

The role includes mentoring colleagues, presenting to varied audiences, and collaborating on industry initiatives. Remote-eligible with travel up to 15% to support Western Interconnection projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent with strong coursework.
• Minimum eight years in power system operations, planning, or standards development.
• Solid understanding of WECC and NERC standards development processes.
• Ability to lead groups of technical experts and communicate clearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead WECC drafting teams ensuring regional procedures and technical content meet standards.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to reflect Western Interconnection interests in standards.
• Inform teams about regional and continent-wide standards projects.
• Identify opportunities where regional work supports reliability and security.
• Review NERC standards with subject matter experts and provide evaluations.
• Represent WECC in NERC drafting meetings and sub-groups.
• Deliver clear presentations to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Advise management on regional standards and criteria issues.
• Mentor engineers and staff to share knowledge across teams.
• Seek opportunities for WECC participation in industry initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Facilitation

Presentations

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

WECC/NERC standards processes

Microsoft Office

Job description

At WECC, we enhance the lives of 90 million people by identifying and mitigating risks to the bulk power system in the West. To deliver on our mission of a highly reliable and secure bulk power system in the Western Interconnection, we are seeking a Senior Standards Engineer to help us further our mission and achieve our business goals.

The Senior Standards Engineer supports the development of WECC Regional Reliability Standards and Regional Criteria. They are responsible for facilitating WECC drafting teams to ensure conformance with the process for developing and approving WECC Standards and ensuring technical excellence in the content of WECC Regional Reliability Standards and Regional Criteria. This role also interfaces with WECC subject matter experts to coordinate WECC responses to NERC standards development activities.

While WECC's headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this position is remote-eligible for candidates residing in the lower 48 U.S. states. Time spent traveling is expected to be a minimum of 15% for this role, though business needs may require additional travel on occasion.

You will—

• Lead and support WECC drafting teams, providing guidance in conforming to regional procedures and technical content of Regional Reliability Standards and Regional Criteria.
• Facilitate comprehensive interactions with Western Interconnection stakeholders to ensure that the interests of the Western Interconnection and reliability are fully incorporated in NERC continent-wide Reliability Standards.
• Ensure that regional drafting teams are informed on standards projects occurring across the ERO Enterprise that affect their work.
• Work with WECC management to identify opportunities where work on standards occurring at a regional or continent-wide level could help mitigate reliability and security risks.
• Work with WECC subject matter experts to review and provide technical evaluation of NERC Reliability Standards.
• Participate in meetings of NERC standards drafting teams and sub-groups, representing WECC.
• Deliver clear and concise presentations to a variety of technical and non-technical audiences.
• Advise WECC management on various technical issues related to Regional Reliability Standards, Regional Criteria, and NERC continent-wide Standards.
• Mentor engineers and other WECC staff to support development and promote knowledge-sharing across teams.
• Identify opportunities for WECC to contribute to and collaborate on industry initiatives.

Requirements

You will enjoy this role if you—

• Hold a bachelor’s degree in engineering, another related discipline, or have an equivalent combination of education and professional work experience resulting in a demonstrated ability to perform major duties.
• Have a minimum of eight years of experience in either power system operations, planning, or standards development.
• Have a comprehensive understanding of the WECC and NERC Standards Development Processes.
• Have a demonstrated understanding of NERC and WECC Reliability Standards and their impact on the power grid and stakeholders.
• Have the ability to facilitate groups of industry technical experts and work effectively and closely with peers.
• Have excellent presentational, written, and spoken communication skills, including the ability to provide clear, concise, practical instructions.
• Possess high levels of self-motivation, initiative, intellectual curiosity, and accountability.
• Are passionate about issues affecting the Bulk Power System and the evolving dynamics in the Western Interconnection.
• Are able to teach others, sharing expertise with staff and other departments at WECC.
• Possess strong computer literacy and proficiency using PCs, including a working knowledge of common applications such as those in the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Understand and adhere to sound principles of cybersecurity, including protecting sensitive information, using secure passwords, and following organizational cybersecurity protocols.

Our Culture and Values

• Our people and our work matter.
• Everyone is invited to be a leader.
• Independence, perspective, and partnership are how we add value.
• Intellectual curiosity, empowerment, and accountability fuel meaningful results.
• Continuous improvement and innovation are essential.
• We act with intention and focused urgency in everything we do.

Benefits and Compensation

The base salary range for this full-time position is $127,900–$159,900 + discretionary pay + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and mid-point for the position across all locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter will share more details during the hiring process.

WECC offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, health reimbursement and flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan, and generous paid personal time.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We foster an organizational culture that values the visible and invisible qualities that make individuals who they are. When individuals bring their whole selves to work, without apprehension, we, as WECC, will meet our mission now and in the future.

WECC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.