Substation Project Engineer

Strata Clean Energy; Durham (NC); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Strata Clean Energy seeks a Substation Project Engineer to support the engineering, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, and closeout of substations and related transmission facilities for utility-scale solar and energy storage projects.

You will act as a technical interface among engineering, procurement, construction, subcontractors, utilities, and internal stakeholders, ensuring safe, cost-effective, schedule-driven, and compliant project delivery.

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited B.S. in Electrical, Civil, or Mechanical Engineering.
• 3–5 years of substation or transmission engineering experience.
• Familiarity with IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NEMA standards.

Responsibilities

• Support substations, transmission lines, interconnection facilities from proposal to closeout.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external consultants to align scope, schedule, budget and safety.
• Review design packages, drawings, data sheets, and relay settings for conformance to requirements.

Skills

Communication skills

MS Office

Detail oriented

Travel readiness

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree (B.S. Electrical, Civil or Mechanical)

Tools

ETAP

PSCED

PSS/E

Job description

The Substation Project Engineer is responsible for supporting the engineering, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, and closeout of Substation electrical projects, with a primary focus on substations, transmission-related scopes, and interconnection facilities for utility-scale solar and battery energy storage projects.

This role serves as a key technical and project execution interface between engineering, procurement, construction, subcontractors, consultants, utilities, and internal project stakeholders. The Project Engineer supports safe, cost-effective, schedule-driven, and technically compliant project delivery in accordance with contract requirements, applicable codes, utility standards, and PGS quality expectations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the engineering execution of substations, transmission lines, gen-tie facilities, interconnection facilities, protection and controls systems, and related infrastructure from proposal state to project award through closeout
• Coordinate with internal engineering teams, external engineering consultants, procurement, construction, commissioning, and project management to ensure alignment on scope, schedule, budget, quality, and safety requirements.
• Review engineering design packages, studies, drawings, specifications, calculations, equipment submittals, relay settings, protection and controls drawings, grounding designs, cable schedules, SCADA/communications drawings, and construction deliverables for completeness, constructability, and compliance with project requirements.
• Support the development, review, and maintenance of project technical documentation, including design basis specifications, single-line diagrams, general arrangements, grounding plans, control schematics, wiring diagrams, equipment lists, test plans, commissioning documentation, and as-built records.
• Assist in managing engineering deliverable schedules, consultant performance, design review cycles, comment resolution, and technical action items to support project milestones and construction readiness.
• Track, log, and help resolve technical RFIs, design clarifications, field change requests, non-conformance items, and engineering support during construction, testing, commissioning, and energization.
• Support procurement of long-lead Substation equipment, including transformers, circuit breakers, disconnect switches, instrument transformers, relays, control buildings, protection panels, station service equipment, battery systems, fiber/telecom equipment, and other substation materials.
• Review vendor drawings, technical submittals, equipment data sheets, bills of material, factory test procedures, and operation and maintenance manuals for conformance with project specifications and utility requirements.
• Participate in factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, equipment inspections, and resolution of technical issues with vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors.
• Support construction teams by reviewing work plans, installation details, test results, turnover documentation, punch lists, and commissioning packages.
• Assist with permitting, project planning, schedule development, progress tracking, cost forecasting, risk identification, and reporting related to engineering and technical scopes.
• Support technical compliance with interconnection agreements, utility requirements, power purchase agreements, EPC contracts, owner specifications, permits, and applicable project documents.
• Coordinate with utilities, independent engineers, owner’s engineers, AHJs, EPC partners, subcontractors, and consultants to resolve technical issues and support successful project execution.
• Conduct technical evaluations, feasibility reviews, constructability reviews, value engineering assessments, and risk assessments for proposed Substation project scopes.
• Support estimating, proposal development, EPC bid reviews, subcontractor evaluations, project handoff, and lessons learned activities by providing technical and execution-focused input.
• Ensure designs and work activities comply with applicable codes and standards, including IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NFPA, OSHA, NEMA, IEC, utility standards, and project-specific requirements.
• Support testing, commissioning, energization, and turnover activities, including coordination of test plans, commissioning checklists, relay testing documentation, outage planning, and utility witness requirements.
• Lead and represent PGS in technical coordination meetings with consultants, engineering partners, and, as needed, clients and regulatory authorities.
• Maintain accurate project records, design review logs, RFI logs, submittal logs, punch lists, commissioning documentation, lessons learned, and technical closeout packages.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, accountability, continuous improvement, and proactive communication across engineering and project execution teams.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

Required

• B.S. degree in Electrical, Civil, or Mechanical Engineering from an ABET-accredited university, or related technical discipline.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in substation and/or transmission line engineering, design, or project engineering roles.
• Working knowledge of applicable industry standards and codes, including IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, and NEMA.
• Demonstrated ability to review engineering deliverables produced by external consultants, EPC contractors, or engineering service providers, and to identify design errors, omissions, or non-conformances.
• Represent PGS in technical coordination meetings with consultants, engineering partners, and, as needed, clients and regulatory authorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to coordinate across engineering, project management, procurement, and construction disciplines.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, scaling organization.
• Ability to travel occasionally, up to 15%, to project sites and factory acceptance test locations.

Preferred

• Engineer in Training (EIT) certification, with progress toward Professional Engineer (PE) licensure.
• Familiarity with power system analysis software such as ETAP, PSCAD, or PSS/E.
• Experience working with distributed, multi-firm, or offshore engineering teams.
• Experience in solar, BESS, or broader renewable energy interconnection projects.
• Experience with document control systems, data rooms, submittal management, RFI tracking, punch list tracking, and project closeout documentation.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment:

Work is performed in a combination of office and field environments, including active construction and substation sites. Must be able to sit, stand, bend, twist, and lift up to 20 pounds. May be exposed to weather elements when in the field. Ability to wear the full complement of required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Limited out-of-town travel may be required.

Equal Opportunity Employer
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