Substation Engineer

Actalent; Tennessee; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Substation Engineer to design and deliver high‑voltage power infrastructure for utility and data center projects. You will perform physical substation design, grounding, protection and control, and collaborate with Civil/Structural, Networks, and Transmission Line teams to ensure integrated, constructible solutions.

You will mentor junior engineers, prepare BOMs, and develop equipment specs while supporting project scopes, schedules, and budgets in a collaborative,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required.
• PE license or P.Eng preferred.
• Minimum 3 years in substation design or power delivery.
• Experience with 12 kV–500 kV projects and data centers.
• Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and mentor juniors.

Responsibilities

• Design physical substations, including yard layouts and grounding.
• Develop protection and control schemes and one-line diagrams.
• Prepare engineering calculations and studies (grounding, lightning, load).
• Create equipment specifications and BOMs for procurement.
• Coordinate with Civil/Structural, Networks, and Transmission Line teams.
• Mentor and supervise engineers-in-training as needed.
• Support project scope, schedule, and budget targets.
• Communicate with project leadership and clients.

Skills

Substation design

Protection & control

Project coordination

Engineering calculations

Equipment specs

Mentoring staff

Communication

Independent work

Microsoft Office

PLS CAD

AutoCAD

Plant 3D

AutoPipe

Revit

Data center power

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Tools

PLS CAD

AutoCAD

Plant 3D

AutoPipe

Revit

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Substation Engineer – Power & Data Center Projects

This Substation Engineer role focuses on designing and delivering complex high-voltage power infrastructure projects that support both traditional power delivery systems and state-of-the-art data centers. You will contribute to reliable, resilient, and sustainable power systems by performing physical substation and protection and control engineering for projects ranging from 12 kV to 500 kV. This position offers the opportunity to work alongside industry-recognized engineers, help modernize transmission systems, and play a key role in shaping the future of energy and technology while supporting a collaborative, employee-focused culture.

Responsibilities

• Support the preparation of project scopes, schedules, and budgets, and ensure that project milestones and financial targets are met.
• Perform physical substation design, including yard layouts, plans, sections, and details for high-voltage substations.
• Design grounding systems and lightning protection schemes to ensure safety and reliability of substation facilities.
• Develop control building arrangements, including interior and exterior raceway layouts and auxiliary AC/DC power systems.
• Prepare and maintain associated bills of material for substation equipment and materials.
• Perform protection and control design, including panel arrangements, one-line and single-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, AC/DC schematics, equipment wiring, and relay panel wiring.
• Prepare engineering calculations and technical studies such as grounding analyses, lightning protection studies, and AC/DC load studies.
• Develop detailed equipment specifications for procurement and support factory acceptance testing activities.
• Coordinate design activities with multidisciplinary teams, including Civil/Structural, Networks, and Transmission Line groups, to ensure integrated and constructible solutions.
• Effectively communicate and coordinate project activities with project leadership, clients, and other stakeholders as needed.
• Work independently on assigned tasks and projects, taking ownership of deliverables and quality.
• Direct, mentor, train, and/or supervise the efforts of less-experienced engineers-in-training (EITs) and designers to support their professional development.
• Contribute to the successful execution of power market sector projects, including high-voltage utility and data center power delivery projects.
• Apply standard power sector design software and tools to produce accurate and efficient engineering deliverables.

Essential Skills

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in substation design or power delivery projects.
• Strong understanding of physical substation design, including yard layouts, grounding, lightning protection, control building arrangements, raceways, auxiliary AC/DC power systems, and bills of material.
• Proficiency in protection and control design, including panel arrangements, one-line/single-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, AC/DC schematics, equipment wiring, and relay panel wiring.
• Experience preparing engineering calculations and technical studies such as grounding, lightning protection, and AC/DC load studies.
• Ability to prepare detailed equipment specifications for procurement and support factory acceptance testing.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with multidisciplinary engineering teams such as Civil/Structural, Networks, and Transmission Line disciplines.
• Strong communication skills to effectively coordinate with project leaders, clients, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and manage tasks to meet schedule and budget requirements.
• Experience mentoring, training, or overseeing less-experienced engineers or designers.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering.
• Professional engineering license recognized by the relevant licensing board (for example, Professional Engineer (PE) or P.Eng).
• Previous experience with an engineering consulting firm.
• Prior experience in project execution within the Power Market Sector.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with standard power market sector design software such as PLS CAD, AutoCAD, Plant 3D, AutoPipe, and Revit.
• Commitment to actively participating in an employee-owned, collaborative culture.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working on power delivery projects that support large data centers.
• Exposure to high-voltage electric utility projects ranging from 12 kV through 500 kV, from small distribution upgrades to large transmission projects.
• Experience contributing to moderniza