Physical Substation Design Engineer

About the role

This position is located in Birmingham, AL and involves producing engineering drawings, specifications, and material requirements for substation projects with a focus on safety, quality, scheduling, and costs. The role requires site visits for projects, including pre-construction meetings, during construction, and post-construction, with approximately 25% overnight travel.

Responsibilities

• Create and modify scaled 2D drawings and 3D models for electrical substations, including:
  • Foundation Layouts
  • Grounding Layouts
  • Conduit Layouts
  • Switchgear Assembly Layouts
  • Substation Layouts
  • Switch House Layouts
  • Electrical Bus Design
• Specify and order materials for electrical substation design packages, including stock, non-stock, and shop-fabricated materials.
• Transmit drawing packages and supporting specifications using the Transmission Engineering job transmittal program.
• Coordinate and communicate with engineers and other departments involved in electrical substation design.
• Provide support to OPCO’s Substation Construction, Field Services, Project Management, and Substation Maintenance teams.
• Accurately enter weekly time and process business expense receipts promptly.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Engineering Technology or Associate Degree with at least 5 years of related industry experience or High school diploma with at least 8 years of significant related industry experience.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office products.
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) with the ability to explain technical issues clearly.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently as a self-starter.
• Ability to work well in a team environment and build relationships at all levels.
• Effective time management and organizational skills to handle multiple projects with competing deadlines.
• Customer-focused mindset with a willingness to meet customer needs and solicit feedback.
• Ability to mentor others and teach job-related skills.
• Strong spatial awareness to envision equipment/materials and their connections in three-dimensional space.
• Willingness to travel (approximately 25%) and ability to work successfully in a remote/virtual environment with internet access.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of electrical substation equipment.
• Experience in Transmission and/or Distribution Substation Operations for an electric power utility company.
• Good understanding of utility electric grid operations.
• Knowledge of basic electrical power system theory.
• Strong understanding of the National Electric Safety Code, National Electric Code, and OSHA safe operating practices.
• Ability to create electrical substation physical drawings from single-line or three-line diagrams.
• Experience using 3D modeling software (SDS Inventor, Autodesk Inventor, or Autodesk 3D (P4A)).
• AutoCAD training or experience.
• Experience with document management and estimating systems.
• Experience using Primavera (P6) or progress reporting software.