Senior Substation Designer

About the role

The power industry is evolving rapidly to support grid modernization, renewable energy integration, electrification, and growing demand from industrial facilities and data centers. As a Senior Substation Designer, you will deliver Protection & Control (P&C) and Physical Design packages for electrical utility, industrial, and data‑center substation projects. You will work closely with engineers, project managers, clients, and contractors to develop detailed design packages, coordinate multidisciplinary activities, and support projects from conceptual engineering through construction support and commissioning. You will also mentor junior designers and help maintain design quality, consistency, and compliance with client and industry standards.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain complete P&C point‑to‑point wiring design packages for utility and industrial substation projects.
• Prepare panel wiring diagrams, field interconnection wiring diagrams, control panel layouts, relay panel arrangements, and communications/SCADA wiring drawings.
• Develop cable schedules and cable routing plans.
• Perform DC and AC distribution breaker and fuse sizing.
• Develop station one‑line diagrams, general arrangement drawings, equipment layouts, and elevations.
• Develop grounding plans, lightning protection, conduit and raceway layouts, cable trench layouts, cable tray layouts, and control building layouts.
• Coordinate equipment locations and clearances; verify existing site conditions and gather field data during site walkdowns.
• Participate in constructability reviews during design development.
• Coordinate design development with civil, structural, communications, and protection engineering disciplines and integrate into design packages.
• Collaborate with engineers, project managers, clients, and contractors throughout project execution.
• Review design standards, calculations, vendor drawings, and client requirements to ensure consistency and compliance.
• Review design deliverables for quality, accuracy, and adherence to project requirements.
• Develop Bills of Materials for P&C and Physical packages.
• Manage drawing revisions and project documentation throughout the project lifecycle.
• Support construction activities and commissioning efforts as required.
• Resolve field design issues and provide technical support during project execution.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives and QA/QC processes.
• Implement and use digital design tools and technologies to enhance design quality and project execution.
• Support proposals, estimating, and project planning activities.
• Support geographically distributed and global design teams.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior designers and drafters.

Requirements

• Associate Degree in Engineering Technology or a related discipline.
• Minimum 12 years of substation design experience.
• Demonstrated experience in both P&C and Physical Design for AIS and GIS substations.
• Experience supporting substation projects from 12 kV through 500 kV.
• Understanding of project execution from conceptual engineering through construction support and commissioning.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, MicroStation, or comparable design software.
• Strong understanding of substation equipment, grounding, lightning protection, raceway design, SCADA systems, relays and relay panels, breaker and fuse applications.
• Strong understanding of equipment clearances.
• Strong knowledge of NEC, NESC, IEEE standards and utility requirements.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining quality and schedule commitments.
• Preferred qualifications:
  • Experience supporting utility, EPC, industrial, and data‑center projects.
  • Proficiency with Bentley Substation, Revit, AutoCAD Electrical, Bluebeam, and 3D design platforms.
  • Familiarity with IEC 61850 and digital substation concepts.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance.
• 401(k) plan with company stock purchase at a discount.
• Eligibility for deferred compensation plan or Executive Deferral Plan.
• Unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) for full‑time salaried/exempt employees.
• Seven paid holidays and caregiver leave.
• Potential merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and additional stock awards.

Pay

Base salary range: $110,600.00 – $145,200.00, determined by work location and factors such as skills, experience, and education.

Schedule

Hybrid working policy: employees split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations, enabling in‑person collaboration while providing flexibility.