Substation EPC Project Engineering Lead

HDR; Pennington (NJ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

A national engineering firm is seeking a Substation Front-End Engineering & Design Lead to guide power delivery AD projects. You'll develop technical risk management strategies, oversee various engineering teams, and ensure quality designs for substation projects. Ideal candidates have a Bachelor's in Electrical or Civil Engineering, a Professional Engineering License, and extensive substation design experience. Strong leadership skills and proficiency in relevant engineering tools are essential. This role requires a commitment to quality and collaboration within the team.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in substation design.
• Minimum 5 years of experience building and leading engineering teams on EPC projects.
• Experience optimizing substation designs in collaboration with SMEs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee technical aspects of substation AD proposals.
• Review project intelligence and evaluate risks for proposals.
• Develop templates and standards for substation AD projects.

Skills

Leadership skills

Risk analysis

Budget management

Technical communication

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Civil Engineering

Professional Engineering License

Tools

CDEGS

BIM Software (Autodesk, Revit, Bentley)

Microsoft Office

Job description

Substation Front-End Engineering & Design (FEED) Lead

HDR is seeking a national Substation FEED Lead within our Power Delivery Practice to be part of our national Alternative Delivery Leadership Team.

The role involves all technical risk aspects of our power delivery AD program, including medium voltage through 500kV, and focuses on mitigating engineering and design risks associated with AD projects.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop, lead, and oversee technical aspects of substation AD proposals, including risk analysis and mitigation, preliminary layout and design, contractor bill‑of‑materials take‑off support, and HDR scope, schedule and budget development.
• Review AD project intelligence, opportunities and RFPs to evaluate technical and commercial risks and estimate investments prior to the Go/No‑Go discussion.
• Interface with construction contractors and HDR subconsultants during pursuit and project execution to identify and mitigate risks.
• Assist in Go/No‑Go discussions, project risk assessments, SOQs, proposals, interviews, and negotiations.
• Perform technical resource planning, workload forecasting, and staff assignment for AD projects.
• Serve in project technical leadership roles (engineering manager, discipline lead, technical advisor, etc.) and determine appropriate handoff points.
• Identify and implement measures to mitigate technical risks (e.g., assign expertise, add QA/QC measures, subcontract expertise).
• Develop templates, standards, specifications, drawings, processes, and procedures to support substation AD pursuits and projects.
• Lead team development, mentorship, and leadership of discipline‑specific practitioners (substation site/civil, structural/foundation, environmental, real estate, GIS).
• Collaborate with regional and area operations leaders, market sector leaders, practice leaders, project managers, commercial managers, and project teams to deliver quality services for power delivery AD projects.
• Perform other duties as needed.
• Report to Substation Business Class Lead.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Civil Engineering.
• Professional Engineering License.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in substation design.
• Minimum 5 years of experience building and leading engineering teams on EPC projects.
• Proficient in CDEGS, BIM Software (Autodesk, Revit, Bentley).
• Minimum 5 years of experience developing engineering scope, schedule and budget estimates on EPC projects.
• Experience developing EPC design and construction packages.
• Specific experience performing all aspects of substation design, procurement and construction for projects up to 500kV.
• Understanding of oneline and general arrangement drawings, equipment selection, and value‑engineering solutions.
• Experience optimizing substation designs in tandem with discipline‑specific SMEs.
• Experience working with environmental, real estate and GIS teams.
• Strong leadership skills and engineering management experience with multiple remote teams.
• Self‑starter with excellent writing and communication skills.
• Strong conceptual, organizational, problem‑solving, and collaboration skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and conferencing platforms (Zoom, WebEx, Teams).
• Position requires up to 20% travel.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a Professional, Architecture, Engineering or closely related field.
• 10 years experience in related field.
• Maintains a professional or Engineering registration and has related technical experience.
• Experienced in development and management of diverse teams.
• Works cooperatively with other business class regional directors, operations managers, technical directors and marketing managers on business class efforts.
• Committed to quality, improvement and HDR values.
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture is a must.

Location

Primary Location: United States-Nebraska-Omaha

Other Locations: United States-Texas-Round Rock, United States-North Carolina-Charlotte, United States-Pennsylvania-Bethlehem, United States-Oregon-Salem, United States-Maryland-Baltimore, United States-Montana-Missoula, United States-Texas-Houston, United States-California-Irvine, United States-Washington-Tacoma, United States-Nevada-Reno, United States-Colorado-Fort Collins, United States-California-Folsom, United States-Oregon-Portland, United States-Montana-Bozeman, United States-Colorado-Durango, United States-Washington-Seattle, United States-Nevada-Las Vegas, United States-Montana-Billings, United States-Texas-Dallas, United States-Montana-Helena, United States-Washington-Spokane, United States-Virginia-Arlington, United States-Washington-Pasco, United States-Texas-Austin, United States-California-Claremont, United States-Massachusetts-Boston, United States-Colorado-Denver, United States-Oregon-Bend, United States-Missouri-St Louis, United States-Arizona-Tucson, United States-Arkansas-Little Rock, United States-Pennsylvania-Mechanicsburg, United States-Washington-Olympia, United States-Washington-Vancouver, United States-Colorado-Colorado Springs, United States-Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States-Hawaii-Honolulu, United States-Maryland-Fulton, United States-Arizona-Phoenix, United States-Kentucky-Louisville, United States-Georgia-Atlanta, United States-South Carolina-Greenville, United States-Illinois-Rosemont, United States-California-Walnut Creek, United States-Tennessee-Memphis, United States-Montana-Kalispell, United States-Virginia-Richmond, United States-Washington-Gig Harbor, United States-Rhode Island-Providence, United States-Ohio-Cleveland, United States-Florida-Tampa, United States-Florida-West Palm Beach, United States-Ohio-Columbus, United States-Tennessee-Chattanooga, United States-Kentucky-Lexington, United States-Kansas-Olathe, United States-Georgia-Pooler, United States-Washington-Bellevue, United States-Missouri-Kansas City, United States-North Carolina-Wilmington, United States-Tennessee-Nashville, United States-California-San Jose, United States-New Jersey-Newark, United States-Florida-Pensacola, United States-New Mexico-Albuquerque, United States-New York-White Plains, United States-Minnesota-St. Paul, United States-California-San Francisco, United States-South Carolina-Charleston, United States-Virginia-Roanoke, United States-South Carolina-Columbia, United States-Virginia-Vienna, United States-Florida-Orlando, United States-Minnesota-Minneapolis, United States-Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh, United States-New York-Syracuse, United States-California-San Diego, United States-Virginia-Norfolk, United States-Pennsylvania-Philadelphia, United States-Virginia-Glen Allen, United States-California-Riverside, United States-Nebraska-Lincoln, United States-Montana-Butte, United States-Florida-Miami, United States-New Jersey-Pennington, United States-California-Sacramento, United States-Connecticut-Rocky Hill, United States-New York-New York, United States-Michigan-Ann Arbor, United States-North Carolina-Winston-Salem, United States-Virginia-Alexandria, United States-Michigan-Detroit, United States-North Dakota-Bismarck, United States-Maine-Portland, United States-California-Oakland, United States-Idaho-Coeur d'Alene, United States-North Dakota-Fargo, United States-New Jersey-Woodcliff Lake, United States-Florida-Jacksonville, United States-Illinois-Chicago, United States-California-Los Angeles, United States-Idaho-Boise, United States-North Carolina-Raleigh, United States-Texas-San Antonio, United States-West Virginia-Charleston, United States-Connecticut-Hartford

Schedule

Full-time

Employee Status

Regular

Business Class

Substation Engineering

Job Posting

Feb 25, 2026

Equal Opportunity Statement

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.