Substation Designer

Actalent; North Carolina; Hybrid; USD 44,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Substation Designer to join our Power Delivery team in Raleigh, NC. The role focuses on providing CADD/BIM support for substation projects, developing detailed design packages, and producing construction-ready drawings for high-voltage substations.

The ideal candidate has 2–8 years of substation design experience, proficiency in AutoCAD or MicroStation, and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (ABET preferred). Hybrid work is offered with 3 in-office days.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, ABET accredited preferred.
• 2–8 years of experience in substation physical design.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, MicroStation, or Bentley Substation.

Responsibilities

• Develop detailed substation physical design packages, including GAs, layouts, elevations, grounding and protection plans, conduit and cable routing, BOMs.
• Produce construction-ready drawings for high-voltage substations.
• Perform design calculations (ground grid, conductor/bus sizing, cable sizing and routing, AC/DC auxiliary sizing).
• Coordinate with Protection & Control, civil/structural teams, designers, and drafters.

Skills

Substation design experience

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

ABET accreditation preferred

Tools

AutoCAD

MicroStation

Bentley Substation

Job description

Job Title: Substation Design Technician

Job Description

We are seeking a Substation Designer to join our growing team of Power Delivery professionals in Raleigh, NC. This role offers an excellent opportunity for a self-directed individual to learn and tackle new challenges while providing CADD/BIM support for substation engineering projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop detailed substation physical design packages, including general arrangement drawings, equipment layouts and elevations, grounding and lightning protection plans, conduit, cable tray, and raceway layouts, and bill of materials.
• Produce construction-ready drawing packages for high-voltage substations.
• Perform and support design calculations such as ground grid design, conductor and bus sizing, cable sizing and routing, and AC/DC auxiliary system sizing.
• Assist in reviewing calculations for accuracy and compliance.
• Coordinate with Protection & Control engineers, civil and structural teams, designers, and drafters to integrate multidisciplinary inputs into a complete substation design.
• Participate in site visits to collect design data and verify existing construction and commissioning.
• Work with contractors and clients to resolve design issues in the field.

Essential Skills

• Proficiency in AutoCAD, MicroStation, or Bentley Substation.
• 1+ years of experience developing substation CADD layouts/designs from engineering designs.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (ABET accredited preferred).
• 2–8 years of experience in substation physical design.
• Experience with substation voltages ranging from 12 kV through 230/345 kV.
• Knowledge of industry codes and standards including IEEE, NESC, and NEC.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Associate or technical school degree, or AutoCAD or MicroStation certification.
• Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification; PE progression strongly preferred.
• Experience with utility or EPC projects.
• Familiarity with AIS and/or GIS substations and utility design standards.
• Software proficiency in 2D/3D modeling tools (Revit preferred).
• Understanding of substation equipment layout and clearances, grounding and lightning protection design, and conduit and cable routing systems.

Work Environment

This position is based at our DTR location, with the flexibility to work from home, requiring three days in the office per week. We believe in collaboration, valuing diverse ideas and perspectives to foster positive change. Our culture is shaped by employee ownership, providing multiple growth opportunities and encouraging innovative thinking

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Raleigh, NC.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $32.00 - $60.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Raleigh,NC.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 17, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteris