Lead Designer (Transmission and Distribution)

About Ampirical
At Ampirical, we're shaping the future of the power grid with precision, innovation, and purpose. Just as the ampere is the foundation of electric current, Ampirical is a core force driving the energy sector forward. We focus on quality, forward-thinking solutions, and empowering our team to grow and thrive.

We don't just build projects—we build careers. If you're looking for a place where your contributions matter and your professional development is supported every step of the way, we'd love to meet you. Watch this video to get a glimpse into our culture.

Why Ampirical?

Salary Range : $xx,xxx - Commensurate (dependent on experience, education, and qualifications)

Profit-Sharing Bonus : Semi-annual, performance-based (10% to 20% of salary)

Day-One Benefits : Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k)

with 4% match and immediate vesting

PTO : Starting at 80 hours of vacation & 40 hours of sick time per year + 10 paid holidays

Flexible Work Schedule : Every other Friday off

Career Development : Advancement opportunities, tuition reimbursement

Perks : Gym membership stipend, wellness program, fertility benefits, pet insurance, and more

Your Role: Lead Designer
The Designer Lead — T&D is a senior technical leader and organizational designer responsible for managing multiple concurrent transmission and distribution line design scopes, overseeing a team of 6 or more designers and senior designers, establishing discipline-wide standards and design criteria, and bridging the gap between technical execution and project management within a non-manufacturing electric utilities services company. This role owns the quality assurance framework for T&D design deliverables, leads complex proposal development, manages project budgets, coordinates procurement activities, drives process improvement initiatives, mentors emerging leaders, and serves as a primary client relationship lead. The Designer Lead operates at the intersection of senior technical design expertise and organizational leadership — developing toward Design Supervisor capability — and requires completed leadership training. 8+ years of experience required; Bachelor's degree in Engineering Technology or related technical field (non-ABET) preferred; Leadership Training required; OSHA 10 required.

What You'll Do:
Technical Leadership and Design Excellence:

Manage multiple concurrent T&D transmission and distribution line design scopes; serve as the primary technical authority across assigned projects; ensure design accuracy, code compliance, and deliverable quality across all scopes.

Demonstrate expert-level knowledge of T&D line design principles across both transmission and distribution systems; apply this expertise to oversee highly complex design challenges and resolve non-standard technical situations with no oversight.

Team Management & Organizational Leadership:

Directly manage a minimum of 6 team members including Designers I through III, Sr. Designers, and Designer III Team Leads; provide regular performance feedback, delegate tasks effectively, and support individual professional development.

Mentor emerging team leaders within the T&D design group; develop and deliver structured training sessions, technical bootcamps, and onboarding support for new and junior team members.

Identify opportunities for process improvement within the T&D design function; drive adoption of enhanced workflows, tools, and design templates; lead lessons learned sessions and connect technical decisions to broader organizational goals.

Coordinate across multi-discipline T&D teams, project managers, and engineering staff to ensure alignment on scope, schedule, resource allocation, and quality expectations.

Complete and maintain required leadership training; champion a collaborative, accountable, and high-performance team culture within the T&D design group.

Project Control & Quality Assurance:

Perform comprehensive quality checks on T&D design deliverables across all assigned scopes; ensure technical accuracy, adherence to client standards, and completeness before submission; act as final reviewer for low-to-medium risk projects.

Manage budgets for small to large T&D design projects; develop and maintain project budgets, track labor and material costs, review budget vs. actuals, communicate forecast adjustments, and ensure financial alignment with project managers.

Support scheduling and resource planning across multiple T&D design scopes; develop task schedules, estimate hours, monitor progress against project plans, and adjust timelines and resource allocations as needed.

Lead participation in field visits for complex T&D projects; coordinate on-site design validation, resolve construction conflicts, communicate design intent to field teams, and feed observations back into design standards.

Client Engagement & Business Development:

Lead high-level client communication for assigned T&D accounts with minimal oversight; lead portions of client meetings, respond to inquiries independently, manage scope discussions, and build trust through technically sound and timely communication.

Lead proposal development for T&D design scopes; draft technical sections, scopes of work, budget estimates, and schedules; coordinate inputs across disciplines; review RFPs and ensure compliance with client requirements.

Own client relationships for assigned T&D accounts; anticipate client needs, proactively resolve issues, and ensure alignment between deliverables and client expectations across concurrent project scopes.

Procurement & Standards Development:

Coordinate with procurement teams to ensure T&D material alignment with design requirements; review vendor quotes and submittals for compliance; track procurement status and flag risks; identify alternative substitutions to resolve material procurement issues.

Develop and maintain T&D discipline-wide design criteria, templates, checklists, and standard operating procedures; ensure consistent application across all teams and project types.

Contribute to the continuous development of T&D design standards and organizational best practices; collaborate with Design Supervisors and Engineering Directors on discipline-wide improvement initiatives.

What You Bring

Education : Bachelor's degree in Engineering Technology, Construction Management, or a related technical field (non-ABET) preferred; High School/GED required.

Experience : Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in T&D transmission and/or distribution line design or a related technical field; experience managing multi-person teams or serving in a senior team lead role required; candidates without a qualifying degree may be considered with 2 or more additional years of directly relevant experience.

Skills : Expert-level knowledge of T&D line design principles across both transmission and distribution systems; demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent complex design scopes with no oversight.

Proven ability to directly manage 6 or more team members; experience providing performance feedback, mentoring emerging leaders, developing design templates and criteria, and leading structured training programs for multi-discipline T&D teams.

Advanced proficiency with T&D simulation tools, single pole modeling software, distribution design platforms, GIS systems, Microsoft Office Suite, and Bluebeam; experience applying and enforcing governing codes (NESC, NEC, IEEE) and client-specific standards independently.

Demonstrated proficiency in proposal generation, project budget management, procurement coordination, field visit leadership, and high-level client communication; completion of required leadership training and OSHA 10-Hour Construction Safety.

Ampirical is an Equal Opportunity Employer, meaning we do not discriminate based on the following characteristics in our hiring and employment practices: Age, sex, color, race, creed, national origin, religion or religious attire, marital status, pregnancy (child birth or related medical conditions), citizenship status or amnesty, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, sickle-cell trait, status as a tobacco user or non-user, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law.

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