Senior Substation Project Engineer

KCI Technologies; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

KCI Technologies, Inc. seeks an Energy – Senior Project Engineer (Substation) to lead complex transmission and distribution substation projects from concept to commissioning. You will guide cross-functional teams, coordinate with clients and vendors, and ensure design quality, safety and regulatory compliance.

Strong leadership, senior technical judgment and communication are essential. The role involves applying IEEE/ANSI/NESC/NEC standards, coordinating stakeholders, and mentoring junior

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant engineering experience.
• Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) is preferred.
• Master’s degree is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical execution of substation projects from planning through commissioning.
• Coordinate interfaces among multiple disciplines and stakeholders.
• Develop engineering execution plans, criteria, and deliverables.
• Mentor engineers and develop future technical leaders.

Skills

Project leadership

Communication

Engineering judgment

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in related field ABET-accredited

Master’s Degree (preferred)

Tools

AutoCAD

MicroStation

Bluebeam

ProjectWise

ETAP

SKM

PSS®E

PSCAD

PowerWorld

IEC 61850 tools

Job description

Overview

Join us as we Rise to the Challenge

At KCI, we’re building an enduring community that provides unparalleled value to our employee-owners. We make our mark designing and delivering our world-class solutions, so we invest deeply in supporting and developing our team. We reward integrity and commitment, and when we do well, you do well. Our employees have the freedom to innovate, unlimited growth, a voice that matters, a lifestyle that works, and skin in the game. Achievements are shared and celebrated. As a team, we are motivated to better ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

THE COMPANY

KCI Technologies, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned engineering, consulting and construction firm serving clients throughout the United States. KCI is recognized as an industry leader, employing cutting-edge technologies, management practices and strategic growth initiatives. Employee ownership fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, encourages technical expertise, and shapes strategic planning.

KCI is currently ranked #50 on Engineering News-Record’s list of the Top 500 design firms in the nation.

KCI BENEFITS INFORMATION

We offer a competitive compensation package, family friendly benefits, a collaborative working environment, and the training, mentoring and resources you need to advance in your career.

We understand that you have choices, and we know that together we will make a great team!

KCI is committed to building a diverse and inclusive staff, and we encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and individuals with disabilities to apply.

KCI Technologies, Inc. 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, disability or veteran status.

Duties, Responsibilities & Other

As the Energy – Senior Project Engineer (Substation), you serve as a senior technical leader for the execution of complex transmission and distribution substation projects. The role may be filled by an engineer whose primary technical expertise is in Substation Physical and/or Protection & Control and/or Substation Studies and/or Settings/SCADA. Partnering with Project Managers, Design Leaders, clients, and multidisciplinary engineering teams, you lead technical planning, coordination, design, quality, and delivery from conceptual engineering through construction and commissioning support.

You are expected to bring senior-level depth in at least one technical specialty—not necessarily all four—while maintaining sufficient working knowledge to coordinate the other specialties into a complete substation solution. You are accountable for accurate, coordinated, constructible, and technically sound deliverables that meet KCI standards, client expectations, project schedules, budgets, and quality objectives. You provide technical direction to Engineers, Designers, and CAD Technicians; resolve complex engineering issues; strengthen standards and workflows; and develop future technical leaders across the substation practice.

Key Technical Skills Required:

• Demonstrate senior-level technical expertise in Substation Physical and/or Protection & Control and/or Substation Studies and/or Settings/SCADA. Expertise across multiple specialties is preferred but is not required.
• Substation Physical: Lead equipment selection and application, one-line development, general arrangements, equipment layouts, bus and conductor design, electrical clearances, grounding, lightning protection, raceways, cable routing, control building arrangements, auxiliary AC/DC systems, equipment specifications, bills of material, and physical design calculations.
• Protection & Control: Lead development of protection philosophies, one-line and three-line diagrams, AC/DC schematics, relay and control panels, wiring and interconnection diagrams, CT/VT application, tripping and interlocking schemes, control logic, telecom and SCADA interfaces, cutover plans, testing requirements, and commissioning support.
• Substation Studies: Lead power-system modeling and analysis applicable to the project, including load flow, short circuit, grounding, arc-flash, protection coordination, insulation coordination, temporary and switching overvoltage, transient recovery voltage, electromagnetic transient, dynamic stability, EMF, induced voltage, and other specialty studies.
• Settings/SCADA: Lead protective relay settings and coordination, relay logic and configuration, RTU/IED/gateway integration, SCADA architecture, HMI and alarm configuration, point lists, I/O mapping, databases, communications networks and protocols, IEC 61850 integration, FAT/SAT, field testing, energization, and commissioning support.
• Apply IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NFPA, utility standards, client specifications, and industry best practices to substation engineering.
• Coordinate technical interfaces among Substation Physical, Protection & Control, Substation Studies, Settings/SCADA, Civil, Structural, Geotechnical, Transmission Line, Project Management, vendors, contractors, and clients.
• Bring advanced technical judgment in constructability, brownfield execution, outage and cutover planning, system performance, field support, commissioning, quality assurance, and risk management.
• Use engineering, design, modeling, settings, automation, and document-control tools applicable to the assigned technical specialty. Experience may include AutoCAD, MicroStation, Bluebeam, ProjectWise, ETAP, SKM, CDEGS, ASPEN OneLiner, CAPE, PSS®E, PSCAD, PowerWorld, relay configuration software, SCADA platforms, and IEC 61850 engineering tools.

Project Engineering Leadership and Collaboration:

• Serve as the senior technical leader for assigned substation projects while partnering with Project Managers to achieve successful project delivery.
• Establish the engineering execution plan, design criteria, technical approach, deliverable requirements, review strategy, and multidisciplinary workflow.
• Direct and coordinate the technical activities of Engineers, Designers, CAD Technicians, specialty disciplines, vendors, and subcontracted engineering resources assigned to the project.
• Serve as the primary technical interface with clients, utilities, vendors, contractors, and internal project leadership.
• Lead technical, design, constructability, client, vendor, and interdisciplinary review meetings.
• Support proposal strategy, scope development, estimating, resource planning, technical approaches, presentations, and negotiations.
• Develop Project Engineers and other technical leaders through coaching, delegation, review, and progressively responsible project assignments.

Ownership and Accountability:

• Take ownership of the overall technical execution of assigned projects from planning through final delivery and project closeout.
• Maintain accountability for technical accuracy, completeness, interdisciplinary coordination, constructability, quality, and compliance with project requirements.
• Identify and manage technical risks, design conflicts, scope gaps, schedule impacts, quality concerns, and constructability issues early.
• Make and document sound engineering decisions while escalating material commercial, contractual, safety, or project risks appropriately.
• Confirm that technical deliverables are reviewed, comments are resolved, and required approvals are completed before issuance.
• Serve as Engineer of Record or responsible engineer when assigned and appropriately licensed for the project jurisdiction.

Training, Development, and Compliance:

• Mentor Project Engineers, Engineers, Designers, and CAD Technicians through technical coaching, project guidance, and meaningful review feedback.
• Support onboarding, technical development, succession planning, knowledge transfer, and professional licensure development.
• Promote technical excellence, sound engineering judgment, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Lead or contribute to development of engineering standards, design guides, calculation tools, workflows, lessons learned, and quality practices.
• Comply with KCI policies, ISO requirements, Quality Management Systems, client standards, professional practice requirements, and industry best practices.

Financial Management:

• Partner with the Project Manager to develop and manage the engineering scope, budget, schedule, staffing plan, and delivery strategy.
• Track engineering progress and resource performance against project requirements and communicate variances early.
• Identify scope changes, additional services, schedule impacts, technical risks, and opportunities affecting project performance.
• Support change management by defining technical impacts, required effort, assumptions, exclusions, and revised deliverable requirements.
• Promote efficient project execution through proactive planning, appropriate delegation, standardization, constructability, and effective use of engineering and design resources.

Project Execution and Technical Oversight:

• Lead multidisciplinary substation engineering from conceptual development and design criteria through Issued for Construction (IFC), construction, commissioning support, and record documentation.
• Develop and review calculations, models, settings, databases, specifications, reports, drawings, equipment requirements, procurement documents, technical bid evaluations, testing documentation, and bills of material applicable to the assigned technical specialty.
• Coordinate Substation Physical, Protection & Control, Substation Studies, Settings/SCADA, Civil, Structural, Geotechnical, Transmission Line, and other project interfaces.
• Lead quality assurance, quality control, interdisciplinary, constructability, and client reviews appropriate to the complexity and risk of the project.
• Coordinate technical requirements with equipment manufacturers and evaluate vendor drawings, data, exceptions, and proposed substitutions.
• Support field investigations, construction, commissioning, Requests for Information (RFIs), design revisions, nonconformance resolution, and project closeout.
• Ensure project deliverables meet KCI quality standards, client specifications, applicable codes, regulatory requirements, and professional engineering obligations.

* Essential Duties and Responsibilities are the basic job functions that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Qualifications

Education and/or Work Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field (AEC Industry) ABET-accredited program.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience.
• Proven experience in planning, organizing, estimating, scheduling and monitoring engineering projects.
• Proven experience in project management roles, with a track record of successful project delivery.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively interact with clients, team members, and stakeholders.
• Knowledge of industry standards and best practices related to construction management, quality assurance, and safety protocols.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues and implement effective solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Education and/or Work Experience Preferred:

• Master’s Degree

Certificates, licenses, and/or Registrations Required:

• Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.)

Pre-employment drug screening and background check are conditions of employment. Motor vehicle checks may be required based upon position.