Principal Substation Engineer (Seattle/Portland/Boise)

This role will sit on-site at one of these office locations: Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; or Boise, ID.

About the role

The energy industry is undergoing rapid and dramatic changes, transforming the utility landscape to enhance safety, reliability, and sustainability. As a Principal Substation Engineer in Jacobs' Energy & Power Group, you will tackle the complexities of decarbonization and utility modernization to deliver a cleaner and more secure energy future. You will work closely with regional and global Transmission & Distribution (T&D) delivery teams to support utility/developer clients and operations teams as we expand our energy transition portfolio.

You will play a crucial role in directly interfacing with utility/developer clients on the development of Substation design deliverables for utility upgrades, including greenfield/brownfield and AIS/GIS substations, offshore wind facilities, and developer interconnection facilities. You will provide engineering overview, expertise, and direction while acting as an independent technical advisor representing owner’s interests. Additionally, you may act as an Owner’s Consultant/Owner’s Engineer (OC/OE).

As a Principal Substation Engineer, you will mentor team members across North America and globally with Jacobs Global Integrated Delivery (GID). You will work with a cross-functional team to support sales, proposal preparation, and the high-quality delivery of services to clients. Involvement with professional societies such as IEEE and PES, including participation in industry conferences and networking events, is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop Substation design deliverables from conceptual through IFC drawings, including general arrangement plans and sections, conduit and trench plans, grounding plans, bill of materials, conduit schedules, construction details, and more.
• Perform substation AC/DC station service calculations and studies, voltage drop calculations, and grounding system design.
• Design lighting and lightning protection for substations.
• Develop and review equipment vendor specifications, including control house/switchgear buildings and construction/commissioning specifications.
• Perform QA/QC of design calculations, construction drawings, and specifications.
• Act as an owner’s representative, including project scoping, preparing task orders, design review, owner’s compliance verifications, and providing engineering support through construction.
• Conduct field visits and walk-downs for client projects.
• Mentor junior staff, develop training modules, and establish processes for the group.
• Support sales and proposal preparation for new contracts.
• Engage in professional societies and industry events to promote company services and stay updated on advancements.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Power Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) within the United States.
• Minimum 12 years of direct Substation design experience with a utility or consulting organization.
• Advanced knowledge of high-voltage substation components, including transformers, circuit breakers, disconnect switches, circuit switchers, capacitor banks, station service transformers, reactors, rigid bus, Gas Insulated Substation (GIS), switchgear buildings, control houses, and underground cable potheads.
• Familiarity with CADD platforms such as Autodesk or Bentley products.
• Prior experience as an owner’s representative is strongly preferred.

Skills

• Strong communication and technical writing skills.
• Team player with excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to train, mentor junior staff, and develop training modules.
• Willingness to perform field visits and provide on-site engineering support.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance.
• 401(k) plan with company stock purchase options at a discount.
• Deferred compensation plan or Executive Deferral Plan for eligible employees.
• Unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) for full-time salaried/exempt employees.
• Seven paid holidays and caregiver leave.
• Additional rewards for certain roles, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonuses, and stock.

Pay

The base salary range for this position is $155,600.00 to $204,000.00. Individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.