Substation Engineer

Dashiell Corporation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical options (PPO/HDHP)

Dental & vision insurance

Life insurance & AD&D

401(k) with immediate vesting

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Dashiell Corporation is seeking a Substation Engineer in Chicago, IL to design and analyze substations from 34.5kV to 500kV. The role reports to the Supervising Engineer and may be placed at Engineer I, II, or III level based on experience. Travel for projects and training is required.

Requirements include a BSEE, PE license with multi-state eligibility, and 3+ years in substation design (senior roles 7+ years). Strong knowledge of NEC/NESC/IEEE/ANSI is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
• 3+ years of substation design experience; senior level 7+ years in hands-on design for higher positions.
• Licensed professional engineer with ability to licensure in multiple states or to gain licensure within one year.
• Familiarity with electrical relays used in the electric power utility industry.
• Experience in relay and metering at 138kV and above.
• Strong knowledge of AC/DC fundamentals.
• Knowledge of NEC, NESC, IEEE, and ANSI.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Create design documents and drawings for projects, including wiring diagrams and bills of materials.
• Perform relay burden, lighting, load flow, and short-circuit calculations with minimal supervision.
• Apply engineering software for ground grid design, relay coordination, transformer sizing, and load flow studies.
• Review project schedules with the project engineer to keep milestones on track.
• Ensure compliance with NEC, NESC, IEEE, and ANSI standards.
• Supervise project activities and coordinate with customers and team members.
• Travel to job sites and participate in training as required.

Skills

Substation design

Relay coordination

Electrical fundamentals

Three-phase power

Teamwork

Communication

Project collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

License in multiple states / licensure within 1 year

Tools

Document management system

Job description

Dashiell is a leading national provider of technical services to the electric utility, power generation, industrial, renewable and energy industries. These services include planning and systems studies, design and engineering, maintenance and testing, program management, construction, and turnkey EPC projects. Built on 50 years of experience handling large scale complex projects; Dashiell is unique in that we are a turnkey Engineering, Construction, and Testing company that specializes in medium and high voltage electrical infrastructure. More information about Dashiell can be found at www.dashiell.com.

Primary Function

The Substation Engineer performs engineering work with a focus on substation engineering design including both physical and protection & control practices. Requires knowledge of substation systems from 34.5kV to 500kV with familiarity with basic principles related to the engineering design of high voltage substations. The position will be based in our Chicago, IL office located at 720 East Butterfield Road STE 200, Lombard IL, 60148 and will report to Dashiell’s Supervising Engineer. Successful candidates may be placed in a Design Engineer I, II or III title depending on skill and experience level. Candidates with more experience may be placed in higher positions.

Duties & Responsibilities

Employee may be called upon to perform any or all of the following functions:

• Work within a project team to create all design documents and drawings for a project, including creating wiring diagrams from schematics, generating bills of materials, and applying field mark-ups of project as-built drawings with minimal supervision.
• Perform engineering support tasks such as relay burden, lighting, load flow, and short circuit calculations with minimal supervision.
• Apply engineering application software to complete engineering tasks such as ground grid design, relay coordination, transformer sizing, and load flow and short circuit studies with minimal supervision.
• Review project schedules and work with a project engineer to ensure projects remain on schedule.
• Apply engineering standards including NEC, NESC, IEEE, and ANSI.
• Properly use the document management system.
• Apply corporate standard engineering practices.
• Supervise project activities.
• Communicate and coordinate project activities with project engineer, customer representatives, and others as needed.
• Spend time at job sites to gain hands‑on knowledge and additional training in substation construction and design.
• Take personal responsibility for the quality and accuracy of his/her work.
• Bring potential project‑related problems and possible solutions to the attention of the responsible party.
• Travel out of town for short periods of time as required by projects and assignments.
• Perform special projects and complete other duties as assigned or requested.

Minimum Qualifications / Experience

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, or equivalent degree, from an accredited university. Experience in substation design; successful candidates will have at least 3 years of experience in substation engineering design with more senior level positions requiring 7 years or more in hands‑on engineering design. Senior applicants must be a licensed professional engineer with the ability to become licensed in multiple states or must be able to gain licensure within one year of hire.

Required

• Familiarity with electrical relays currently utilized in the electric power utility industry.
• Experience in application of relays and metering in an electrical substation at 138kV and above.
• Experience in the design of electrical schematics for relay applications and control systems.
• Experience in the design of connection drawings and cabling.
• Strong knowledge of AC/DC fundamentals.
• Knowledge and understanding of three‑phase power systems.
• Knowledge and understanding of per‑unit mathematics and symmetrical components.
• Knowledge and understanding of substation components and their functions.
• Knowledge of design documents and drawings necessary to complete a project.
• Knowledge of engineering standards including NEC, NESC, IEEE, and ANSI.
• Knowledge of common word processing, spreadsheet, and email software.
• Ability to communicate effectively with co‑workers, vendors, clients, etc.
• Ability to work in a team environment.

Preferred

• Relay coordination experience.

Physical Requirements

• This position requires minimal physical effort.
• Must be able to endure prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer for a minimum of 8 hours a day.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee will primarily work indoors, with occasional outdoor exposure to year‑round weather conditions and noise.
• Must be able and willing to travel overnight for trainings and/or meetings as required (10%).
• Working extended hours, including weekends, may be required periodically.
• May occasionally lift up to 25 pounds at a time.

Compensation/Benefits

$80,000 - $180,000 yearly

The compensation range for this position is compliant with all local and state regulations and is based on several factors such as work experience, education, qualifications, and internal and external market factors. The total annual compensation package will consist of a base salary and discretionary bonus.

Benefits

As a valued employee you will be eligible to participate in our full benefits program, including, but not limited to:

• PPO and HDHP medical options with FSA or HSA
• Dental and vision insurance
• Supplemental life, short‑term disability, critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity coverage
• Life insurance, AD&D, long‑term disability, and employee assistance plan (no cost to employee)
• 401(k) plan with immediate vesting
• Employee Assistance Program
• Additional benefits and wellness programs

Equal Employment Opportunity

Dashiell is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non‑disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.

Dashiell Corporation provides a competitive compensation and benefits package. The Company provides life insurance, accidental death & dismemberment insurance, long term disability insurance, and an employee assistance plan at no cost to the employee. Benefit offerings also include a choice of traditional PPO or one of two HDHPs, with corresponding FSA or HSA, dental, vision, supplemental life insurance, short‑term disability insurance, critical illness insurance, group accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, a 401(k) with immediate vesting, and more!

Must be at least 18 years of age and legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without visa sponsorship. No third‑party recruiters, please.