Principal EPC Engineer - Power & Energy Systems Architect

Principal EPC Engineer — Power & Energy Systems Architect

Location: Odessa, TX,  Hayward–Pleasanton, CA (hybrid, with site travel)    
Reports to: CEO / VP Infrastructure    
Type: Full-time

Position Summary

STN is seeking a Principal EPC Engineer to serve as the single technical authority for all engineering, procurement, and construction of power and energy systems across our AI/GPU data center campuses. This is a hands-on architect role: you own the electrical one-line from utility interconnection through the rack, and you architect on-site generation and storage. You will lead high-voltage and medium-voltage distribution design and the behind-the-meter gas microgrid that keeps our compute load resilient. You are the person who signs off that the power system is buildable, code-compliant, and bankable.

Core Responsibilities

High-Voltage (HV) Systems

• Own utility interconnection design and coordination (ERCOT/TSP), including the point-of-interconnection, main step-up transformer, and HV switchyard architecture.
• Architect substation and HV switchgear layouts, protection & relaying schemes, grounding, and arc-flash studies.
• Direct interconnection studies, SCADA/telemetry requirements, and compliance with NERC/ERCOT and applicable interconnection agreements.

Medium-Voltage (MV) Systems

• Design the MV collection network — feeders, switchgear, ring-bus or radial topology, and MV-to-LV transformation to the data hall.
• Coordinate protective device settings, selectivity, and fault-current studies across the MV distribution.
• Integrate MV distribution with BESS PCS tie-ins and generation step-up so storage, generation, and utility power operate as one coordinated system.

Gas Microgrid & On-Site Generation

• Architect the behind-the-meter gas microgrid: aeroderivative gas turbines (e.g., TM2500 / LM6000-class), fuel supply and conditioning, and synchronization/paralleling with utility and BESS.
• Design microgrid controls and islanding/black-start logic, load-shedding, and seamless transfer between grid-connected and islanded operation.
• Own emissions and combustor strategy (SAC + SCR vs. DLE), water/NOx balance, and TCEQ air-permitting coordination.
• Integrate LFP BESS as the bridging/resilience layer (not traditional UPS) and coordinate the row-level transient layer with bulk storage.

EPC Program Ownership

• Serve as design authority across all EPC packages — set standards, review and stamp deliverables, and hold EPC contractors and OEMs to spec.
• Own the electrical scope of RFPs, vendor/EPC selection, and technical evaluation of quotes (pricing, warranty, DoD/performance terms, reference history).
• Drive value engineering, LCOE modeling inputs, long-lead procurement planning (turbines, transformers, switchgear, BESS), and critical-path management.
• Interface with permitting, AHJs, insurers, and lenders' independent engineers to keep designs bankable and code-compliant.

Required Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering (or related); PE license strongly preferred (TX PE or ability to obtain).
• 10+ years in EPC of power systems for data centers, utilities, industrial, or large-scale generation.
• Demonstrated ownership of HV interconnection AND MV distribution design on projects at the tens-to-hundreds-of-MW scale.
• Direct experience architecting on-site generation and/or microgrids — gas turbine paralleling, synchronization, and islanding.
• Fluency with NEC, IEEE, NERC, and ERCOT interconnection requirements; power-system studies (load flow, short circuit, arc flash, protection coordination).
• Experience integrating BESS at grid scale and coordinating storage with generation and utility supply.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hyperscale / AI data center power design experience (liquid-cooled, high-density racks).
• ERCOT market and TCEQ air-permitting familiarity.
• Hands-on with tools such as ETAP, SKM, or PSS/E; SCADA/EMS and microgrid controls.
• Track record standing up a discipline or serving as sole senior authority on a fast-moving development program.

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

• Own and defend the full electrical one-line for the Odessa campus from POI to rack.
• Deliver a permit-ready, bankable design for HV interconnection, MV distribution, and the gas microgrid.
• Establish STN's EPC engineering standards and vendor-evaluation framework so future sites scale off a repeatable playbook.

Compensation:

Odessa, TX: $150,000-$180,000/yr., DOE
Pleasanton, CA: $160,000-$200,000/yr., DOE

Benefits:

• Health Coverage – Medical, Dental & Vision
• FSA Health and Dependent Care available
• 401(k) Plan
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Observed Holidays Paid
• Cell Phone Allowance
• Collaborative, growth-driven culture

Candidates must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents. We are unable to provide sponsorship at this time.

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check and reference verification. All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.