Substation Engineer

Dashiell, an operating unit of Quanta Services (trading as PWR), is a leading national provider of technical and construction services supporting critical electric infrastructure. We serve electric utilities, power generation, industrial, renewable, and energy markets with integrated capabilities spanning planning and system studies, engineering and design, maintenance and testing, program management, construction, and turnkey EPC delivery. With more than 60 years of experience executing large, complex projects, Dashiell specializes in medium- and high-voltage electrical infrastructure and delivers safe, reliable solutions across the full project lifecycle. Backed by the scale, resources, and safety culture of Quanta Services, Dashiell partners with clients to build and maintain the infrastructure that powers communities and economies.

About the role

The Substation Engineer performs engineering work with a focus on substation engineering design including both physical and protection & control practices. Requires knowledge of substation systems from 34.5kV to 500kV with familiarity with basic principles related to the engineering design of high voltage substations. The position will be based in our Ruston, LA office and will report to Dashiell’s Supervising Engineer. Successful candidates may be placed in a Design Engineer I, II or III title depending on skill and experience level.

Responsibilities

• Work within a project team to create all design documents and drawings for a project, including creating wiring diagrams from schematics, generating bills of materials, and applying field mark-ups of project as-built drawings with minimal supervision.
• Perform engineering support tasks such as relay burden, lighting, load flow, and short circuit calculations with minimal supervision.
• Apply engineering application software to complete engineering tasks such as ground grid design, relay coordination, transformer sizing, and load flow and short circuit studies with minimal supervision.
• Review project schedules and work with a project engineer to ensure projects remain on schedule.
• Apply engineering standards including NEC, NESC, IEEE, and ANSI.
• Properly use the document management system.
• Apply corporate standard engineering practices.
• Supervise project activities.
• Communicate and coordinate project activities with project engineer, customer representatives, and others as needed.
• Spend time at job sites to gain hands-on knowledge and additional training in substation construction and design.
• Take personal responsibility for the quality and accuracy of his/her work.
• Bring potential project-related problems and possible solutions to the attention of the responsible party.
• Travel out of town for short periods of time as required by projects and assignments.
• Perform special projects and complete other duties as assigned or requested.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, or equivalent degree, from an accredited program.
• At least 1 year of experience in substation engineering design with the ability to be considered for higher level title with more years of hands-on engineering experience in substation design.
• Familiarity with electrical relays currently utilized in the electric power utility industry.
• Experience in application of relays and metering in an electrical substation at 138kV and above.
• Experience in the design of electrical schematics for relay applications and control systems.
• Experience in the design of connection drawings and cabling.
• Strong knowledge of AC/DC fundamentals.
• Knowledge and understanding of three-phase power systems.
• Knowledge and understanding of per-unit mathematics and symmetrical components.
• Knowledge and understanding of substation components and their functions.
• Knowledge of design documents and drawings necessary to complete a project.
• Knowledge of engineering standards including NEC, NESC, IEEE, and ANSI.
• Knowledge of common word processing, spreadsheet, and email software.
• Ability to communicate effectively with co-workers, vendors, clients, etc.
• Ability to work in a team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relay coordination experience.
• Professional engineer license (may qualify for Engineer or Project Engineer titles).

Physical Requirements

• Minimal physical effort; primarily desk-based work with prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer for a minimum of 8 hours a day.
• Occasional outdoor exposure to year-round weather conditions and noise.
• Must be able and willing to travel overnight for trainings and/or meetings as required (10%).
• Working extended hours, including weekends, may be required periodically.
• May occasionally lift up to 25 pounds at a time.

Benefits

• Company-paid life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and long-term disability insurance.
• Employee assistance program.
• Medical coverage through a traditional PPO or one of two high-deductible health plans (with FSA or HSA options).
• Dental and vision coverage.
• Supplemental life insurance, short-term disability, critical illness insurance, group accident insurance, and hospital indemnity insurance.
• 401(k) plan with immediate vesting.