Sr Engineer - Substation Operations

NV Energy; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

BHE Renewables seeks a Senior Engineer – Substation Operations to lead advanced design, asset management and projects across our substations and generation facilities.

You will guide cross-functional teams, ensure regulatory compliance, mentor staff and drive Human Performance Improvement to enhance reliability and reduce risk.

Travel up to 25% and strong communication skills are essential as you coordinate with operations, safety, and regulatory stakeholders.

Qualifications

• PE license or equivalent engineering credential.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering from an accredited institution.
• Strong leadership, analytical and communication skills.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% and valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Lead substation and generation maintenance programs, including asset management strategies, testing and compliance.
• Develop and update documentation standards for design, maintenance, operation and testing.
• Provide full lifecycle project leadership for capital and O&M projects, including planning, design, cost estimating and contracting.
• Conduct protective relay programming and equipment device settings for substations and generation assets.
• Lead risk identification, mitigation strategies, emergency response planning, and recovery initiatives.
• Mentor engineers and promote Human Performance Improvement to reduce human error.
• Ensure NERC CIP regulatory compliance for BESS elements and related controls.
• Stay informed of industry trends and emerging technologies relevant to operations.

Skills

PE license

Leadership

Cross-functional

Regulatory knowledge

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

The Senior Engineer – Substation Operations serves as a technical expert responsible for advanced engineering design, asset management, and project leadership across BHE Renewables’ substation and generation facilities. This role ensures safe, reliable, and compliant operation of critical infrastructure. The Senior Engineer performs complex engineering work and provides technical leadership and direction to engineers and cross-functional teams. This role leads major projects, ensures regulatory compliance, and applies Human Performance Improvement (HPI) principles to drive system reliability and risk reduction.

BHE Renewables delivers sustainable energy solutions for customers and communities. We own, operate and develop wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric and natural gas projects in 11 U.S. states. The power generated is sold into energy markets or directly to customers through long-term purchase agreements.

Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, BHE Renewables is an innovative and growing company with new offices in Phoenix and San Diego. Our 50/50 joint venture with Occidental Petroleum has led to a demonstration project showing how TerraLithium technology is used to extract lithium from the brine presently flowing through our geothermal plants in Imperial Valley, CA.

Our CHAMPION culture drives our success by fostering high expectations, ownership and continuous improvement within a respectful and inclusive team environment. Through the CHAMPION mindset, we focus on the fundamentals – preparation, planning and attention to detail – holding ourselves accountable to do simple better. Alongside this, the BHE Renewables CARES program encourages employee volunteerism and invests in our communities, reinforcing our commitment to excellence and collaboration, making us stronger together.

BHE Renewables is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status (except as required by law), gender (including gender identity and expression), sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran or military status, familial or parental status, marital status or any other category protected by applicable local, state or U.S. federal law. Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without an accommodation. BHE Renewables has an exciting career opportunity available.

• Five years of industry experience as a practicing engineer and Professional Engineer (PE) license required; or eight or more years of experience without PE.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an accredited institution.
• Advanced technical, analytical, and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects and influence cross-functional teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Up to 25% travel required. Valid driver’s license required.

• Lead and optimize substation and generation maintenance programs, including asset management strategies, oil and bushing testing, commissioning, infrared inspections, relay testing, and compliance activities.
• Lead documentation standard creation, update and review. Documentation includes substation engineering design, preventative maintenance, operation and testing standards, templates and procedures.
• Provide full lifecycle project leadership for capital and O&M projects, including planning, engineering design, cost estimating, contracting, construction oversight, and financial performance monitoring.
• Conduct advanced protective relay and other programmable substations and electric equipment device programming.
• Lead risk identification, mitigation strategies, emergency response planning, and recovery initiatives.
• Interact with programmable devices to ensure appropriate data capture setup and pull event records.
• Perform event analysis including fault and event records and present findings to leadership and stakeholders.
• Serve as a technical authority and mentor to other engineering staff.
• Champion HPI practices by evaluating existing processes and implementing improvements to prevent and mitigate human error.
• Stay informed of industry trends and emerging technologies relevant to BHE Renewables’ operations.
• Understand NERC CIP regulatory compliance requirements for BESS elements and support appropriate controls and testing.
• Perform other duties as assigned.