Engineering Manager

About the role

Piedmont Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit organization serving over 34,000 electric accounts across multiple counties in North Carolina. The Cooperative is committed to community engagement, economic development, youth education, energy advocacy, and emergency preparedness. We foster an inclusive, positive culture that supports employee growth, development, and equal employment opportunities based on merit and business needs. To serve our members to the best of our ability, our culture will always remain at the forefront of the Cooperative.

Responsibilities

• Engage in system planning and design by developing long-range plans, load forecasts, and construction work plans
• Oversee the design of new facilities and upgrades to existing ones, ensuring compliance with codes like the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) and National Electrical Code (NEC)
• Manage projects with planning, scheduling, and the execution of all engineering projects, from substations to transmission lines and ensure all projects are completed on time and within budget
• Assume a leadership role with supervising, coaching, and mentoring a team of engineers and technical staff
• Provide technical oversight by directing engineering and technical design for all electrical system projects
• Oversee system modeling, analysis (e.g., voltage drop, fault current), and protection coordination
• Adhere to all compliance, standards and requirements by ensuring all engineering and construction activities comply with applicable federal, state, and cooperative standards, including those from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS)
• Conduct all financial and contractual management by developing and managing the engineering budget
• Oversee the development of specifications and contracts for materials and construction, primarily through competitive bidding
• Manage all stakeholder coordination and collaborate with other departments (such as Operations), regulatory bodies, and other utilities to ensure seamless operations and project execution
• Act as a key contact with member support and resolve member inquiries regarding power quality issues

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or other relevant field of study required
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in the electric utility or power industry required
• 8+ years’ experience in the industry with a strong emphasis on system design, planning, and project management strongly preferred
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a leadership, supervisory, or team lead role
• Current and active Professional Engineer (P.E.) license through the state of North Carolina
• Current and active driver’s license with a clean driving record
• Strong working knowledge of system design, planning, and project management
• Strong working knowledge of RUS specifications, NESC, NES and other relevant standards and codes
• Ability and skillset to navigate through engineering software systems such as GIS, SCADA, and OMS.
• Ability to lead and manage a team through small to large-scale projects
• Ability and skillset to drive team performance, professional development, training and complete team performance appraisals
• Working knowledge of all Microsoft Office applications