Substation Manager

Actalent; Oak Brook (IL); Remote; USD 170,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 Days PTO

10 Sick Days

10 Holidays (40 days PTO)

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Substation Engineering Team Lead to guide a growing team of engineers and designers delivering complex substation projects nationwide. This fully remote role emphasizes technical direction, mentorship, and performance management while collaborating with utility clients.

You will mentor staff, manage project budgets and schedules, support business development activities, and travel as needed to client meetings across the United States. PE preferred but not required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• PE licensure preferred but not required.
• Experience leading teams of 5+ and delivering substation projects.
• Experience with utility clients across the US.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and mentor a team of physical substation engineers and designers.
• Oversee planning and delivery of substation engineering and design projects within scope, time, and budget.
• Provide technical guidance on complex substation projects and ensure standards compliance.
• Manage utilization, staffing, forecasting, and profitability metrics for the group.
• Coordinate resources for 5+ engineers and designers across multiple utility clients in the US.
• Conduct performance reviews and coach team members.

Skills

Substation design

Electrical engineering

Team leadership

Project management

Staffing

Client coordination

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering

Job description

Job Title: Substation Engineering Team Lead

Job Description This role leads a growing team of physical substation engineers and designers, overseeing the delivery of complex substation engineering and design projects across the United States. You provide technical direction, manage project performance, and contribute to business development while working in a flexible, fully remote environment with significant opportunities for career growth.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and mentor a team of physical substation engineers and designers, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture.
• Oversee the planning and delivery of physical substation engineering and design projects, ensuring work is completed on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Provide technical guidance on complex substation projects, including reviewing designs, resolving technical issues, and ensuring adherence to industry standards and best practices.
• Manage operational performance for the substation engineering group, including utilization, staffing, forecasting, and profitability metrics.
• Coordinate resources and project assignments for a team of more than 5 engineers and designers to support multiple utility clients across the US.
• Perform peer reviews of engineering work to ensure quality, accuracy, and consistency across all project deliverables.
• Conduct performance management activities, including regular feedback, coaching, and formal employee performance reviews.
• Assist with business development efforts, including supporting proposal development, estimating level of effort, and presenting technical capabilities to prospective clients.
• Travel as needed to client meetings across the US to build relationships, understand project requirements, and represent the engineering team.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to continuously improve processes, tools, and standards for physical substation design.
• Support the strategic growth of the substation engineering practice by identifying opportunities to expand services and deepen client relationships.

Essential Skills

• Demonstrated experience in substation engineering with a focus on physical substation design.
• Strong background in electrical engineering or utilities engineering, particularly related to power systems and utility design.
• Proven experience managing and leading teams of more than 5 individuals, including responsibility for staffing, mentoring, and performance management.
• Hands-on experience leading engineering projects specific to physical substation design for utility clients.
• Experience working with a variety of end clients and utilities across the US, with the ability to adapt to different standards and requirements.
• Ability to oversee project delivery, manage budgets and schedules, and ensure high-quality engineering outcomes.
• Effective leadership skills, including the ability to develop team members, delegate work, and build a positive team culture.
• Strong communication skills for coordinating with internal teams, external clients, and stakeholders.
• Capability to provide technical guidance and make sound engineering decisions on complex substation projects.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure is preferred but not required.
• Experience with operational performance management, including utilization tracking, forecasting, and profitability analysis.
• background in utility design and electrical utility projects, including familiarity with industry standards and practices.
• Ability to contribute to business development activities, including proposal support and client presentations.
• Comfort working with geographically distributed teams and multiple utility clients across different regions.
• Interest in career growth toward higher-level executive or strategic leadership roles within an expanding organization.

Work Environment

This position operates in a 100% remote work environment, offering flexibility in where you work while collaborating closely with a distributed engineering team. There is a preference for candidates located in Eastern or Central time zones, as the majority of the 18-person team and most clients are based in the Eastern half of the country. You work with a variety of utility clients across the US, gaining exposure to diverse projects and standards. The culture emphasizes growth, professional development, and the opportunity to take on increasing leadership responsibility in a rapidly expanding organization.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Oak Brook, IL.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $170000.00 - $275000.00/yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job‑related factors.

• 20-Days PTO
• 10-Days Sick Leave
• 10 Holidays (total package of 40-days paid time off)
• Bonus potential up to $10,000/annual

Workplace Type

This is a fully remote position.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 22, 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 characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.