Substation Automation Engineer - Grid Modernization

Date: May 19, 2026 Location: Burlington, MA, US Walnut Creek, CA, US Denver, CO, US Irvine, CA, US Bloomington, MN, US Chicago, IL, US Company: Black & Veatch Corporation Opportunity Lead the transition of IEC61850‑based digital and virtual substations from pilot to production, shaping real-world grid modernization outcomes. Design and standardize secure, vendor‑agnostic substation automation architectures that improve resilience, flexibility, and scalability. Serve as a technical leader and subject‑matter expert, influencing system architecture, best practices, and emerging standards. Collaborate with utilities, technology partners, and industry groups (including vPAC Alliance) to help define the future of protection, automation, and control. Candidates located near any Black & Veatch U.S. Regional Office may be considered, with preference for Boston (MA), Chicago (IL), Denver (CO), Minneapolis (MN), Irvine (CA), or Walnut Creek (CA). Key Responsibilities Develop SCL engineering artifacts including ICD, CID, and SCD files, datasets, logical node mappings, reporting and control blocks, and GOOSE publications and subscriptions. Configure and validate MMS, GOOSE, and SV messaging for protection, automation, monitoring, and SCADA applications. Design and document station‑bus and process‑bus network architectures using PRP/HSR, VLANs, QoS, multicast management, and traffic segmentation practices. Design deterministic real‑time networking paths for time‑sensitive protection and automation applications, incorporating latency budgeting, PTP timing performance, and behaviors defined for substation‑class devices meeting IEC61850‑3 and IEEE1613 environmental and EMC requirements. Diagnose and optimize real‑time network behavior through traffic‑capture analysis, timing‑accuracy evaluation, and system‑level tuning techniques for time‑critical digital‑substation workloads. Develop PTP‑based time‑synchronization architectures including grandmaster, boundary, and transparent clock configurations and incorporate timing considerations into the system design. Integrate multi‑vendor IEDs with protection settings and logic, coordinating measurements, controls, alarms, and event data with SCADA and HMI systems. Apply IEC61850 data‑modeling concepts to confirm interoperability across mixed fleets of protection and control devices. Incorporate cybersecurity principles into system architecture, including authentication, role‑based access control, network segmentation, secure communications, and device hardening. Apply cyber‑informed engineering principles by identifying high‑consequence functions and integrating protective measures directly into system architecture, embedding security decisions from the earliest stages of engineering. Develop and configure virtualized protection, HMI, gateway/RTU, and related substation applications on platforms including VMware ESXi with vCenter, vSAN, and NSX; Red Hat KVM or OpenShift Virtualization; and SEAPATH’s real‑time, high‑availability hypervisor platform designed to run virtualized protection, automation, and control workloads with deterministic performance and PTP‑synchronised operation on industrial servers meeting IEC61850‑3 and IEEE1613 criteria. Contribute to, or develop toward contributing to, IEEE and IEC standards and collaborative initiatives related to IEC61850, digital substations, time synchronization, and cybersecurity. Support participation in technical bodies and industry groups such as IEC, IEEE, CIGRE, ISA99, and vPAC Alliance workstreams. Support the advancement and practical application of virtualised protection, automation, and control concepts in alignment with the architectural direction established by the vPAC Alliance. Produce engineering documentation including network specifications, SCL models, timing plans, interface definitions, and system diagrams used across design, laboratory validation, and field implementation. Collaborate with project managers, technical leads, clients, and vendors to align designs with project goals, operational requirements, and industry best practices. Preferred Qualifications Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks for operational technology environments, including secure communications and system‑hardening practices. Interest or participation in IEEE and IEC standards development related to IEC61850, time synchronization, digital substations, and cybersecurity. Experience deploying or supporting virtualised protection, automation, and control applications on VMware ESXi/vCenter/vSAN/NSX, Red Hat KVM or OpenShift Virtualisation, and SEAPATH’s real‑time, high‑availability hypervisor platform for vPAC workloads. Experience deploying virtualised substation workloads on industrial servers certified to IEC618503 and IEEE1613 environmental and EMC requirements. Familiarity with vPAC architectural principles and emerging practices for hosting protection, automation, and control systems on virtualised platforms. Interest in or experience with virtualised protection, automation, and control concepts. Professional Engineer (PE) license. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from a recognised accredited programme in the applicant’s home country or the country in which the applicant is practising. Minimum of 5 years related work experience. All applicants must be able to complete pre‑employment onboarding requirements (if selected) which may include criminal/civil background check, drug screen, and motor vehicle records search, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Work Environment / Physical Demands This position would require working in a typical office environment. The position may entail prolonged periods of sitting and computer use, and the professional would ideally be able to maintain focus and attention to detail throughout the workday. The position may also require physical tasks during site visits, including crouching, grasping, and standing/walking for extended periods of time. Hybrid or flexible work options may be offered after the first 90 days of employment based upon manager discretion, job performance and work assignments. Compensation & Benefits In accordance with local law, the annual compensation range is applicable for the job and location associated with this requisition: $114,933.00 - $237,640.00. Benefits include a company matched 401k plan, adoption reimbursement, vendor discounts, an employment referral program, AD&D insurance, pre‑taxed accounts, voluntary legal plan, and the B&V Credit Union. Professionals may also be eligible for a performance‑based bonus programme. EEO Statement BVH, Inc., its subsidiaries and its affiliated companies, complies with all equal employment opportunity laws and regulations. Black & Veatch does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, veteran status, pregnancy status or other status protected by law. For our EEO Policy Statement, please click here. #J-18808-Ljbffr