Substation Engineer

Dashiell; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-paid life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) plan

Medical coverage

Job summary

Dashiell, an operating unit of Quanta Services, is seeking a Substation Engineer in its Houston, TX office to design high voltage substations from 34.5kV to 500kV. You will create design documents, wiring diagrams, BOMs, and field as-built markups with minimal supervision.

The role requires hands-on experience in relay protection, coordination, grounding, and transformer sizing, and you will apply NEC/NESC/IEEE/ANSI standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
• 3+ years in substation engineering design; senior roles require 7+ years.
• Licensed Professional Engineer or ability to licensure within one year.

Responsibilities

• Create design documents and drawings for projects, including wiring diagrams and BOMs.
• Perform relay burden, lighting, load flow, short circuit analyses with minimal supervision.
• Apply software for ground grid design, relay coordination, transformer sizing, load flow and short circuit studies.
• Review schedules with project engineer to keep on track.
• Apply NEC, NESC, IEEE, and ANSI standards.
• Travel as required for projects and training.
• Coordinate with customers and team members.

Skills

Electrical relays

Relay metering

Schematic design

Connection drawings

AC/DC fundamentals

Three-phase power

Per-unit math

Symmetrical components

Substation components

Engineering standards NEC/NESC/IEEE//N

Office software

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Relays software

CAD/EDM tools

Job description

Dashiell, an operating unit of Quanta Services (trading as PWR), is a leading national provider of technical and construction services supporting critical electric infrastructure. We serve electric utilities, power generation, industrial, renewable, and energy markets with integrated capabilities spanning planning and system studies, engineering and design, maintenance and testing, program management, construction, and turnkey EPC delivery.

With more than 60 years of experience executing large, complex projects, Dashiell specializes in medium- and high-voltage electrical infrastructure and delivers safe, reliable solutions across the full project lifecycle. Backed by the scale, resources, and safety culture of Quanta Services, Dashiell partners with clients to build and maintain the infrastructure that powers communities and economies. Learn more 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 Houston, TX office located at 12301 Kurland Dr Houston, TX 77034 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

• 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.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions as defined by Company policy.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Dashiell is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.

Dashiell offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. Benefits include company-paid life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, long-term disability insurance, and an employee assistance program. Additional benefit offerings include medical coverage through a traditional PPO or one of two high-deductible health plans (with FSA or HSA options), dental and vision coverage, supplemental life insurance, short-term disability, critical illness insurance, group accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, and a 401(k) plan with immediate vesting, among others.

Candidates must be at least 18 years of age and legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without current or future visa sponsorship.