Engineering Technologist

Company introduction

Duke Energy operates a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) for Behind-the-Meter and customer-sited assets, supporting the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of distributed energy resources across the distribution network.

Role summary / purpose

The DERMS Engineering Technologist supports the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) for Behind-the-Meter and customer-sited assets. This role serves as an operator with responsibility for monitoring distributed energy resources (DERs), evaluating alarms and grid conditions, preparing dispatch actions, and executing approved actions under the direction of authorized distribution operations personnel. The role also maintains DERMS operational readiness, operational procedures, data quality, system interfaces, and accurate records.

Key responsibilities

DERMS Operations and Monitoring

• Monitor DERMS dashboards, alarms, communications status, DER availability, telemetry quality, operating envelopes, and distribution-system constraints.
• Assess thermal, voltage, power-quality, and equipment-limit indications and escalate abnormal conditions in accordance with approved operating procedures.
• Prepare DER dispatch, curtailment, charge, discharge, or program actions for review and approval by authorized distribution operations personnel.
• Execute approved commands, confirm receipt and response, compare expected and actual performance, and document outcomes in the operating record.
• Support demand-response events, scheduled DER tests, and restoration to normal operating status while maintaining situational awareness.
• Participate in the on-call rotation and respond to after-hours DERMS incidents, failed interfaces, data-quality issues, or unsuccessful control actions.

Battery OEM Testing and Onboarding

• Coordinate test schedules, prerequisites, test data, access, and readiness reviews with battery OEMs and internal stakeholders. Testing is expected to be performed remotely or from an assigned facility.
• Execute approved laboratory, integration, interoperability, and operational acceptance test procedures for battery energy storage systems and associated gateways or aggregators.
• Validate device registration, identity, certificate use, connectivity, telemetry, time synchronization, alarms, availability, nameplate and capability data, and command acknowledgement.
• Test charge and discharge controls, active and reactive power functions, operating-envelope compliance, ramp rates, limits, default behavior, loss-of-communications response, recovery, and fail-safe operation, as applicable.
• Capture reproducible evidence from DERMS, OEM, gateway, and interface logs. Record defects, expected results, actual results, severity, ownership, and retest status.
• Troubleshoot failed tests with OEM and internal technical teams. Distinguish between device, communications, configuration, data-model, certificate, and DERMS issues and coordinate corrective actions.
• Prepare an onboarding recommendation and supporting evidence package for review.

System Maintenance, Data, and Integration

• Perform approved routine DERMS administration, configuration checks, health checks, release validation, and post-maintenance verification.
• Monitor and reconcile DER inventory, grouping, program enrollment, grid-model associations, device capabilities, and customer or service-point mappings.
• Identify stale, missing, inconsistent, or implausible data and coordinate corrections with GIS, ADMS/DMS, SCADA, OMS, CIS, integration, and data-governance teams.
• Monitor interfaces, message queues, APIs, protocol gateways, historian feeds, and user-interface connections. Escalate or coordinate recovery when integrations fail.
• Support user acceptance testing, regression testing, operating-procedure updates, training exercises, and post-implementation reviews.
• Maintain shift logs, test records, onboarding evidence, incident records, configuration documentation, and lessons learned in accordance with recordkeeping requirements.

Cybersecurity, Safety, and Compliance

• Follow cybersecurity, change-management, access-control, certificate-management, and critical-infrastructure protection requirements.
• Verify that control actions remain within approved authority, operating envelopes, interconnection requirements, and distribution-system safety limits.
• Protect operational and customer information and promptly report suspected certificate, account, device-identity, communications, or cybersecurity anomalies.
• Stop testing or operational activity and escalate when conditions are unsafe, results are unexplained, required approvals are missing, or system behavior departs from an approved procedure.

Requirements - education & experience

• Either a graduate from a college or university with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (or equivalent), or 4 to 6 years of experience and Associate Degree in Engineering Technology (or equivalent), or 10 to 15 years equivalent experience with no degree.
• Relevant experience in utility operations, DERMS, SCADA, ADMS/DMS, energy storage, power systems, industrial controls, systems integration, or a related technical environment.
• Foundational understanding of electric distribution systems, distributed energy resources, battery energy storage, telemetry, alarms, and supervised control-room practices.
• Ability to interpret procedures, one-line diagrams, interface specifications, test scripts, logs, and technical requirements.
• Ability to work a standard business-hours schedule and participate in an on-call rotation.
• Strong written documentation, structured troubleshooting, communication, and cross-functional coordination skills.

Nice-to-have / preferred skills

• Experience testing or commissioning battery energy storage systems, smart inverters, DER gateways, aggregators, or OEM cloud interfaces.
• Exposure to IEEE 2030.5/CSIP, IEEE 1547, public key infrastructure (PKI), DNP3, Modbus, OpenADR, APIs, DER telemetry, or ICCP, where applicable.
• Experience with alarm management, incident response, defect tracking, user acceptance testing, regression testing, and operational documentation.
• Relevant NERC, IEEE, ISA, cybersecurity, networking, SCADA, industrial-controls, or battery-storage credentials.

Employment details - type, location, hours

Work is primarily performed remotely or from an assigned operations or testing facility. No routine travel is required. The role requires extended computer and multi-screen work, sustained attention to alarms and operating data, and participation in scheduled on-call coverage.

Growth & development opportunities

Training and qualification will be provided on the protocols, applications, operating procedures, cybersecurity controls, and command-authorization practices designated as mandatory for this position. Before independently performing assigned duties, the employee must demonstrate proficiency through required training, simulations, supervised operations, and practical evaluations.

Impellam Group and its brands are equal-opportunity employers committed to diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other factor determined to be unlawful under applicable law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application, interview process, pre-employment activity, and the performance of crucial job functions.

If you require additional disability considerations, modifications, or adjustments please let us know by contacting View email address on aplitrak.com or fill out this form to request accommodations.