Senior Electrical Engineer - Infrastructure Power Systems (Owner's Engineer)

Senior Electrical Engineer - Infrastructure Power Systems (Owner's Engineer)

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is hiring a Senior Electrical Engineer - Infrastructure Power systems (Owner's Engineer) in the Facilities division to serve as the Lab's Senior technical engineer for its high & medium voltage campus power systems (12kV-115kV). The senior individual contributor role operates at the intersection of technical authority and organizational influence, responsible for both day-to-day system ownership of the Lab's HV/MV infrastructure and serving as the primary engineering interface for capital projects designed by outside consultants and Engineers of Record, including assigned low voltage (100-1000V) capital projects.

Acting as the Laboratory's Owner's Engineer, the role carries two core responsibilities. As the system owner for the lab's HV/MV infrastructure, the incumbent maintains ongoing technical authority over campus power system operations, reliability, protection and maintenance support, serving as the internal expert operations staff turn to when the system needs answers. As the primary interface with Engineers of Record and outside consultant, the role oversees capital projects, including low voltage (100-1000V) projects, reviews system studies, protection schemes and design submittals while setting engineering standards and specifications for LV/MV/HV infrastructure. This work requires more than technical depth, it demands the ability to lead through credibility and influence. The incumbent does not manage projects directly but shapes outcomes by building trust with internal partners and external firms, clearly communicating complex technical risk to both engineers and non-technical decision-makers, and driving alignment across multidisciplinary teams with competing priorities, all while maintaining sound engineering judgment.

The position also requires hands-on engineering, including but not limited to: performing system studies, developing conceptual and limited-scope designs, preparing technical specifications, and providing technical leadership to support long-term system reliability and performance.

You will:

• Serve as the Laboratory's SME for high- and medium-voltage systems, advising on performance, safety, and reliability.
• Act as Owner's Engineer for LV/MV/HV capital projects, overseeing planning, design, construction, testing, and energization in coordination with Engineers of Record, consultants, contractors, and utility providers. Navigate competing technical perspectives and drive alignment on design intent, protection philosophy, and acceptance criteria across project teams where you do not hold direct supervisory authority.
• Collaboratively lead and review power system studies (short-circuit, load flow, protection coordination, arc-flash, grounding, capacity) and validate modeling assumptions.
• Oversee 115 kV utility interconnections and 12.47 kV campus distribution, including protection coordination, switching, grounding, fault analysis, and resilience. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with the serving utility to support ongoing interconnection requirements, system upgrades, and operational coordination.
• Develop and maintain LV/MV/HV engineering standards and specifications through engagement with operations, maintenance, construction management, and project delivery stakeholders to ensure standards are practical, enforceable and broadly understood. Ensuring compliance with codes (NEC, NFPA, NETA, CBC) and Lab requirements.
• Perform advanced analyses and limited-scope designs; prepare and review technical specs, calculations, and construction documents.
• Oversee protection, control, automation, metering, and SCADA/telemetry systems for HV/MV infrastructure.
• Support low-voltage projects interfacing with HV/MV systems.
• Contribute to infrastructure planning and modernization, assessing asset condition, capacity, risk, and reliability. Translate technical findings and risk assessments into clear recommendations for facilities leadership and institutional stakeholders to inform capital investment and prioritization decisions.
• Mentor engineering staff and support knowledge development.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Electrical Engineering (power systems emphasis preferred) AND a minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in medium- and/or high-voltage power systems engineering, including utility interconnection and campus/industrial power distribution systems (e.g., 12.47 kV and above); OR a Master's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering or related field and a minimum of five (5) years of such experience; OR an equivalent 12 years combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in the State of California.
• Demonstrated experience designing, analyzing, or providing technical oversight of medium- and/or high-voltage distribution systems.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise technical leadership and drive engineering outcomes in a matrixed or owner's-representative environment where the incumbent does not hold direct supervisory authority over project engineers, consultants, or contractors. Must be effective at building credibility and achieving alignment through expertise, persuasion, and relationship-building
• Demonstrated ability to constructively challenge engineering deliverables, negotiate technical resolutions with external design firms and utility partners, and resolve disagreements while maintaining productive professional relationships.
• Experience collaborating across functional boundaries with construction management, safety, environmental compliance, operations, and procurement staff to align technical requirements with project and institutional objectives.
• Demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams, mentor junior engineers, and clearly communicate complex technical issues to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently with little to no supervision, take initiative to identify technical or operational issues, and proactively develop practical engineering solutions that improve system reliability, safety, efficiency, or departmental processes.
• Ability to perform, review, and interpret power system studies (short circuit, protective device coordination, arc flash, load flow, and voltage drop) using industry-standard software such as SKM, ETAP, EasyPower, or equivalent.
• Demonstrated understanding of protection and control systems, including the development or review of relay settings and protective coordination strategies.
• Experience coordinating with electric utilities on system interconnection, upgrades, or operational requirements for high-voltage transmission or sub-transmission systems (e.g., 115 kV class or similar).
• Ability to provide construction support and field issue resolution.
• Experience acting in an owner's engineer, technical authority, or EOR-interface capacity.
• Experience in low-voltage power distribution (480V/208V systems) is required to support assigned projects as needed.
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of high-voltage (115 kV) and medium-voltage (12.47 kV and 4.16 kV) power distribution system design, operation, protection philosophy, and reliability principles.
• Demonstrated expertise in power system analysis, including short-circuit, load flow, protective device coordination, arc-flash, grounding, and capacity evaluations.
• Strong understanding of utility interconnection principles, fault contribution analysis, switching strategies, and distribution system resilience planning.
• Advanced knowledge of protective relaying, protection coordination, metering architecture, and SCADA/telemetry integration for HV/MV systems.
• Proficiency in power system modeling software (e.g., SKM PTW preferred, ETAP, Easy Power or equivalent) and ability to define modeling assumptions and evaluate system impacts.
• Advanced knowledge of electrical equipment selection and application for HV/MV systems, including switchgear, breakers, transformers, cable systems, and grounding systems.
• Thorough knowledge of applicable industry codes and standards, including NEC, NFPA 70E, NFPA 70B, NETA ATS, California Building Code (CBC), and relevant IEEE standards.
• Strong understanding of electrical constructability, maintenance considerations, and long-term system performance implications in a campus or utility-scale environment.
• Ability to review and technically evaluate engineering calculations, construction documents, and system studies prepared by Engineers of Record and consultants.
• Ability to develop technical specifications, engineering criteria, and acceptance standards for HV/MV infrastructure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly present technical analysis, system risk assessments, and engineering recommendations to diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate across multidisciplinary teams, manage competing priorities, and provide technical leadership on complex infrastructure projects.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, particularly in evaluating system reliability, risk, and operational impacts.

Desired skills/knowledge:

• Knowledge of DOE Orders, Federal standards, and mission-critical facility infrastructure requirements.
• Familiarity with power monitoring systems such as Schneider Electric Power Monitoring Expert (PME) and ION metering platforms.
• Participation in capital infrastructure planning, modernization strategy discussions, and long-range capacity assessments.
• Contribution