Senior Substation Physical Engineer

Senior Substation Physical Engineer –

Location: Remote – Nationwide
Travel: Remote with travel as needed for client relationships, site visits, and project needs
Pay Range: $97,000–$190,000 DOE (Compensation will be based on experience, technical qualifications, education, professional registration, and overall level of responsibility).
Employment Type: Direct Hire
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Target Start Date: September 21, 2026

Position Overview

Our client is seeking a Senior Substation Physical Engineer to provide technical leadership, engineering expertise, and design oversight for electric substation projects throughout the United States.
This is a remote position with travel as needed for client meetings, site walkdowns, constructability reviews, construction support, and other project-related activities.
The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience in physical substation design within a utility or engineering consulting environment, strong knowledge of applicable electrical codes and industry standards, and the ability to lead and mentor engineers and designers.
Projects range from small equipment upgrades to large transmission and distribution substations, with voltage classes extending up to 500 kV.
The position may be filled at the Senior Engineer I, II, or III level based on experience and qualifications.
Senior Engineer Levels

• Senior Engineer I: 7+ years of relevant experience
• Senior Engineer II: 10+ years of relevant experience
• Senior Engineer III: 15+ years of relevant experience and PE required

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and oversight for substation engineering and consulting projects.
• Act as project lead and/or independent technical reviewer for assigned projects.
• Lead, mentor, and develop engineers and designers.
• Participate in project conceptualization, work planning, engineering execution, and project closeout.
• Develop and review physical substation design deliverables.
• Prepare or provide technical guidance for:
  • Equipment layouts
  • Substation plans and sections
  • Physical arrangements
  • Grounding and ground grid designs
  • Lightning protection
  • Control building arrangements
  • Cable routing
  • AC/DC power systems
  • Bills of material
• Perform engineering calculations, studies, and technical reports.
• Prepare and review equipment and installation specifications.
• Review substation design drawings and engineering deliverables for accuracy, quality, and constructability.
• Coordinate design activities with civil, structural, electrical, protection & control, and other engineering disciplines.
• Work with Project Management to develop project plans and provide project updates.
• Participate in project planning, scheduling, and execution.
• Provide technical support during construction.
• Conduct field visits for site walkdowns, constructability reviews, construction support, and project meetings.
• Communicate directly with clients and external partners to resolve technical issues and support project execution.
• Support proposal development and scope development.
• Support business development and marketing initiatives as a technical resource.
• Identify opportunities to improve engineering processes, tools, technology, and project execution.
• Provide technical training, leadership, and mentoring to engineers and team members.
• Perform quality reviews for other engineers and designers.
• Successfully collaborate with remotely located team members.
• Additional assignments may include relay setting development, 3D modeling/design, or participation in industry/professional technical committees.

Required Qualifications

MUST HAVE

• 7+ years of relevant substation engineering/design experience for Senior Engineer I.
• 10+ years for Senior Engineer II.
• 15+ years and PE required for Senior Engineer III.
• Direct experience with physical substation design.
• Experience creating and/or reviewing substation physical design drawings.
• Experience with equipment layouts, plans and sections, grounding, lightning protection, control building arrangements, cable routing, AC/DC systems, and bills of material.
• Experience working in an electric utility, engineering consulting, or similar substation design environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited college or university, or related field with equivalent experience.
• Strong knowledge of applicable electrical codes, standards, and industry practices, including NESC, IEEE, ANSI, NEMA, NEC, and client standards.
• Ability to organize and manage multiple complex assignments and competing priorities.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead staff, delegate assignments, and drive positive project results.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong client relationship and customer service skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional and remotely located teams.
• Proficiency with software applications used for substation design.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel to project sites as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) registration for Senior Engineer I or II.
• Experience with substations up to 500 kV.
• Transmission and distribution substation experience.
• Utility-scale substation experience.
• Experience with large and complex substation projects.
• Experience with 3D modeling and substation design.
• Experience with relay settings or Protection & Control.
• Construction support and field engineering experience.
• Experience performing constructability reviews and site walkdowns.
• Experience developing proposals and scopes of work.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior engineers and designers.
• Participation in professional engineering organizations or technical committees.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a senior-level Substation Physical Engineer with a strong technical background in electric substation design who can work independently while providing leadership and mentorship to a team.
This individual should be comfortable taking ownership of complex substation design assignments, reviewing engineering deliverables, coordinating across disciplines, interacting directly with clients, and supporting projects from conceptual design through construction.
The strongest candidates will have experience with high-voltage transmission and distribution substations, particularly physical design involving equipment layouts, grounding, lightning protection, cable routing, control buildings, AC/DC systems, and associated engineering deliverables.

Work Environment

• 100% Remote
• Nationwide project assignments
• Travel as needed for:
  • Client meetings
  • Site walkdowns
  • Constructability reviews
  • Construction support
  • Project meetings
• Must be comfortable working with geographically dispersed engineering and project teams.

Drug & Alcohol Testing

This position requires the ability to pass a post-offer drug and alcohol test, including marijuana, in compliance with applicable Federal regulations. The position is also subject to random testing as a condition of continued employment.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status.

EEM