Senior Substation Design Engineer

ThinkingAhead Executive Search; United States; Remote; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

ThinkingAhead Executive Search is seeking an experienced Substation Design Engineer to join as the first dedicated substation engineering hire. You will own the technical side of substation work, help establish standards, processes, and capabilities, and evolve into a technical lead as the team grows.

You will lead design for utility projects, coordinate multiple disciplines, and mentor future engineers while contributing to the growth of the substation practice.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Electrical, Civil, Structural, or related engineering.
• 5+ years of substation design experience.
• PE license preferred but not required.
• Experience with substation design software and tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead and perform substation engineering and design for utility and power delivery projects.
• Develop substation designs from conceptual development through detailed engineering and construction.
• Perform and/or oversee substation design calculations and engineering analyses.
• Develop and review substation physical layouts, equipment arrangements, grounding, bus design, and associated design packages.
• Coordinate substation civil, structural, electrical, protection & controls, and other engineering disciplines.
• Develop and review engineering drawings, specifications, calculations, and technical documentation.
• Apply applicable NESC, IEEE, ASCE, utility, and client standards to substation designs.
• Review technical deliverables for quality, accuracy, and compliance with project requirements.
• Coordinate with clients, utilities, vendors, and other project stakeholders.
• Support project planning, estimating, scheduling, and technical execution.
• Help establish internal substation design standards, processes, templates, and best practices.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship as the substation team expands.
• Participate in client meetings and contribute to the continued growth of the substation practice.

Skills

Project ownership

Communication skills

Independent contributor

Remote work

Education

Bachelors in Electrical/Civil/Structural

Tools

Substation design software

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Substation Design Engineer to become the first dedicated substation engineering hire within a growing power delivery organization.

This is an opportunity for a strong substation engineer to take ownership of the technical side of the company's substation work while helping establish the processes, standards, and capabilities that will support a larger engineering team over time.

Initially, this will be a hands-on individual contributor role. As the substation group grows, the position is expected to evolve into a formal technical lead and/or engineering management role, with the opportunity to mentor and eventually lead additional engineers.

What You'll Do

• Lead and perform substation engineering and design for utility and power delivery projects
• Develop substation designs from conceptual development through detailed engineering and construction
• Perform and/or oversee substation design calculations and engineering analyses
• Develop and review substation physical layouts, equipment arrangements, grounding, bus design, and associated design packages
• Coordinate substation civil, structural, electrical, protection & controls, and other engineering disciplines
• Develop and review engineering drawings, specifications, calculations, and technical documentation
• Apply applicable NESC, IEEE, ASCE, utility, and client standards to substation designs
• Review technical deliverables for quality, accuracy, and compliance with project requirements
• Coordinate with clients, utilities, vendors, and other project stakeholders
• Support project planning, estimating, scheduling, and technical execution
• Help establish internal substation design standards, processes, templates, and best practices
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship as the substation team expands
• Participate in client meetings and contribute to the continued growth of the substation practice

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Civil, Structural, or related engineering discipline
• 5+ years of relevant substation engineering/design experience
• Strong understanding of substation design principles, equipment, layouts, and engineering practices
• Experience with substation design software and engineering tools
• Experience working on utility-scale substation projects
• Ability to independently take ownership of projects and technical deliverables
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable working in a remote, highly collaborative environment
• Professional Engineer (PE) license strongly preferred, but not required

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to join at the ground floor of a growing substation engineering practice. Rather than inheriting an established department, you'll help build it. You'll have the opportunity to influence technical standards, engineering workflows, design processes, tools, and future hiring while remaining hands-on with the engineering work. As the practice grows, the role can develop into a technical lead and ultimately an engineering leadership position.