Substation Designer

HDR, Inc.; Boise (ID); On-site; USD 30,913 - 44,165; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off

Retirement savings plan with employer match

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

HDR, Inc. is seeking a Substation Designer in Boise, Idaho. This role involves performing substation design tasks, preparing engineering drawings, and working closely with project teams. The ideal candidate should have over 5 years of CAD experience and proficiency in both AutoCAD and MicroStation.

HDR, Inc. offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement savings plans, and tuition reimbursement. This position provides an excellent opportunity for career growth in a supportive employee-owned culture.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years working as a CAD Technician.
• Experience with architectural/engineering or engineering consulting firm.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform substation design tasks including preparing engineering drawings.
• Develop design drawings and documents for substation projects.
• Communicate effectively with Project Managers and client personnel.

Skills

High Voltage Substation design

CADD design

AutoCAD

MicroStation

InRoads

Microsoft Office

Education

Associate or technical school degree

Job description

HDR Engineering is looking for a Substation Designer to join our growing and nationally ranked team of Power Delivery professionals in the Substation group.

The successful candidate will be part of a team that provides designer support for large and small scale substation engineering projects. This is an excellent growth opportunity for a self‑directed individual who wants to learn and take on new challenges.

Responsibilities

• Work independently to perform substation design tasks, CADD design, develop design drawings and documents, modeling and/or analysis, prepare material lists, perform field reviews, and other tasks for simple to moderately complex projects.
• Prepare engineering drawings, including One Line Diagrams, General Arrangement Sections, Grounding & Conduit Plans, Foundation Plans, Material Lists (BOM), Relay and Control Systems Schematics and Wiring Diagrams.
• Perform calculations, reports and designs for electrical substations (Low, Medium and High Voltage) and substation systems to support engineers.
• Understand client standards and complete small to moderately complex projects, exercising judgment in design criteria, evaluation, and design, subject to review by engineers.
• Based upon experience, can perform most design responsibilities without assistance on simple projects, and may work independently, but with some engineering guidance on moderately complex projects.
• Communicate with Project Managers, Project Engineers, and client personnel.

Qualifications

• Experience in both the Protection and Control (Indoor) and Physical (Outdoor) aspects of High Voltage (HV) Substation design.
• Previous experience with an architectural/engineering or engineering consulting firm preferred.
• Associate or technical school degree, or combination of education and relevant experience.
• A minimum of 5 years working as a CAD Technician.
• Proficiency using AutoCAD and/or MicroStation, and InRoads.
• Experience using Microsoft Office in production workflows.
• Ability to be a lead technician and work closely with less experienced CADD Staff.
• Strong attention to detail and organization skills.
• Intermediate or Advanced understanding of engineering or architectural concepts, workflows, and deliverables.
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture is a must.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee ownership, employee health, performance, and success, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long‑term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus and tuition reimbursement.

Expected compensation depends on skills, experience, education and geographical location. Washington: $22.44‑32.06 hourly. California: $29.21‑41.73 hourly.

Primary Location: United States‑Idaho‑Boise.

Other Locations: United States‑California‑Sacramento, United States‑Idaho‑Coeur d'Alene, United States‑Washington‑Spokane.

Industry: Power. Schedule: Full‑time. Employee Status: Regular. Business Class: Substation Engineering. Job Posting: May 15, 2026.