Senior Substation Automation Engineer - Grid Modernization

Senior Substation Automation Engineer - Grid Modernization

Together, we own our company, our future, and our shared success. As an employee-owned company, our people are Black & Veatch. We put them at the center of everything we do and empower them to grow, explore new possibilities and use their diverse talents and perspectives to solve humanity's biggest challenges in an ever-evolving world. With over 100 years of innovation in sustainable infrastructure and our expertise in engineering, procurement, consulting and construction, together we are building a world of difference.

The Opportunity In this role, you may have the opportunity to:

• Lead the transition of IEC 61850‑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 the following locations - Kansas City (KS), Atlanta (GA), Raleigh (NC), Dallas (TX), Houston (TX), Orlando (FL), Portland (OR) or Phoenix (AZ).

Key Responsibilities

• IEC 61850 Engineering & Modeling
• Substation Networking & Time Synchronization
• Protection, Automation & SCADA Integration
• Cybersecurity & System Hardening
• Virtualization of Substation Functions
• Industry Engagement & Technical Leadership
• Project Delivery & Collaboration

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 IEC 61850, time synchronization, digital substations, and cybersecurity.
• Experience deploying or supporting virtualized protection, automation, and control applications on VMware ESXi/vCenter/vSAN/NSX, Red Hat KVM or OpenShift Virtualization, and SEAPATH's real-time, high-availability hypervisor platform for vPAC workloads.
• Experience deploying virtualized substation workloads on industrial servers certified to IEC 618503 and IEEE 1613 environmental and EMC requirements.
• Familiarity with vPAC architectural principles and emerging practices for hosting protection, automation, and control systems on virtualized platforms.
• Interest in or experience with virtualized protection, automation, and control concepts.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from either a recognized accredited program in their home country or the country in which the professional is practicing or equivalent experience in Engineering work.
• Minimum of 11 years related work experience.
• All applicants must be able to complete pre-employment onboarding requirements (if selected) which may include any/all of the following: criminal/civil background check, drug screen, and motor vehicle records search, in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.
• Holds an active engineering registration or licensure to support engineer of record (EOR) requirements for BV projects in applicable countries, and supports where necessary.

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 be 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.