Lead Substation Engineer - P&C - Power Delivery

About the role

The Lead Substation Engineer - P&C serves as an engineer on electric substation design projects for high-voltage utility systems and renewable energy interconnection projects. He/she will apply NESC, NEC, and other applicable codes and standards in the engineering design and will also independently produce: one-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, potential and current schematics, control schematics, alarm schematics, protection and control specifications, and I/O mapping.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee execution of substation Protection and Control scope across multiple concurrent projects, maintaining full technical ownership of studies, deliverables, and engineering quality.
• Serve as Engineer of Record (EOR), performing final technical reviews and providing approval and PE stamping of protection and control, and design deliverables.
• Guide engineers, designers, and analysts across one or more projects, ensuring consistent application of standards, protection philosophies, and study methodologies.
• Coordinate across disciplines (system protection, SCADA, telecom, transmission, distribution) to ensure complete integration of system protection with control systems and field implementation.
• Lead client communication and technical strategy, including protection philosophy discussions, design reviews, issue resolution, and alignment on project scope and expectations.
• Interpret contracts and project scope requirements to ensure protection deliverables align with contractual, regulatory, and reliability requirements.
• Identify scope gaps, inconsistencies, and potential scope creep across studies and deliverables; coordinate resolution across stakeholders.
• Support and contribute to proposals, engineering estimates, and change order development, including scope definition for protection studies and settings development.
• Monitor and influence project performance from a technical delivery perspective, including schedule, study quality, coordination accuracy, and client satisfaction.
• Lead project coordination meetings, including technical reviews, study alignment, and milestone tracking across project teams.
• Contribute to resource planning and staffing discussions, providing input on study workload, technical expertise, and execution strategy.
• Oversee QA/QC processes P&C design deliverables, ensuring adherence to company standards and industry requirements.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineering staff, including training on protection and control, tools, and industry standards.
• Support procurement and construction activities, including protection and control implementation, testing, commissioning support, and resolution of complex field issues.
• Identify and drive improvements to protection and control tools, study methods, templates, and processes to enhance efficiency, consistency, and technical quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from an ABET-accredited engineering program.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• 6+ years of relevant experience in substation protection and control engineering.
• Proven ability to lead engineering teams and guide technical execution across multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong understanding and application of applicable codes and standards (e.g., NESC, NEC, IEEE, and NERC PRC requirements).
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multidisciplinary engineering efforts and deliver fully integrated protection solutions.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with proven experience leading client interactions and technical discussions.
• Ability to identify risks, resolve complex technical issues, and make sound engineering decisions with minimal or no oversight.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and strong working knowledge of protection analysis and relay coordination tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience serving as Engineer of Record for P&C scope on substation projects.
• Experience leading proposal efforts, including P&C scope definition, study planning, and resource estimation.
• Experience coordinating multi-discipline teams across large or programmatic work.
• Familiarity with utility-specific protection philosophies, NERC compliance requirements, and regional grid practices.

About Westwood Professional Services, Inc.

At Westwood, our purpose is to create a better world for people through our work. We transform the energy grid, design resilient infrastructure, and develop communities that will flourish today and for future generations. With over 50 years of experience and a legacy of innovation, we stand at the forefront of our industry, dedicated to understanding the unique needs of the markets we serve.

Our approach revolves around people. We are committed to building a culture that attracts, retains, and develops high performers. Our team values relationships, innovation, dedication, initiative, and growth. We believe fostering a collaborative “One Team” mentality yields superior outcomes in everything we do.

We customize our technical capabilities and geographic reach to meet our clients where they are and help them realize their vision. We are partners in our clients’ success, driving to provide solutions that make a lasting difference. Safety, sustainability, and operational excellence are not just facets of our work; they are intrinsic to our identity, guiding every decision we make.

We are deeply invested in the communities we serve. Through our projects and giving-back initiatives, we enrich the lives of those we serve, engage others within our industry, and create a lasting impact on communities around the world. To us, success transcends the completion of projects; it is reflected in the lives we have positively impacted by our work.