Technical Lead - Energy

About the Role

As a Technical Lead supporting the Behind-the-Meter (BTM) Power Generation team, you will provide senior-level technical leadership while promoting collaboration, quality, safety, and successful project delivery. You will lead complex technical workstreams, manage engineering studies, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and develop sound technical recommendations and project deliverables maintaining high standards of quality and safety.

Projects may include brownfield and greenfield industrial, commercial, government, and data center developments. Generation sources may include natural gas, hydrogen, small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), diesel, solar, hydroelectric power, energy storage, and hybrid generation systems.

Join us as we Rise to the Challenge at KCI, where we’re building an enduring community that provides unparalleled value to our employee-owners. We invest deeply in supporting and developing our team, rewarding integrity and commitment. Our employees enjoy freedom to innovate, unlimited growth, a voice that matters, and a stake in the company’s success.

About the Company

KCI Technologies, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned engineering, consulting, and construction firm serving clients throughout the United States. Recognized as an industry leader, KCI employs cutting-edge technologies and strategic growth initiatives. Employee ownership fosters an entrepreneurial spirit and shapes strategic planning. KCI is currently ranked #50 on Engineering News-Record’s list of the Top 500 design firms in the nation.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for power generation engineering, including conventional, renewable, distributed, and behind-the-meter generation systems.
• Conduct electrical power system studies, including load flow, short-circuit, protective device coordination, and reliability analyses.
• Lead utility-scale power plant projects across multiple phases: planning, design, operations, modernization, and construction support.
• Perform power plant and equipment life-assessment investigations, including condition assessments, remaining-life evaluations, performance reviews, and recommendations for repair, replacement, or modernization.
• Engineer microgrids, including distributed generation, energy storage, controls, islanding, load management, resiliency, and grid synchronization.
• Conduct technical and financial analyses, including economic feasibility studies, capital and operating cost evaluations, lifecycle-cost analysis, technology comparisons, and return-on-investment assessments.
• Ensure environmental compliance, including air emissions, water use and discharge, noise, fuel storage, environmental permitting, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Manage utility interconnection processes, including interconnection applications, feasibility and impact studies, utility coordination, technical requirements, protection schemes, and applicable tariffs and standards.
• Develop and evaluate generation concepts, equipment configurations, single-line diagrams, design criteria, specifications, and technical reports.
• Support brownfield and greenfield projects for industrial, commercial, government, and data center facilities.
• Apply knowledge of applicable codes and standards, including IEEE, NFPA, NEC, NERC, FERC, and utility-specific requirements.
• Evaluate plant reliability, resilience, efficiency, operability, constructability, maintainability, safety, and technical risk.
• Provide multidisciplinary coordination, technical problem-solving, client consultation, and strong written and verbal communication.

Client and Project Management Support

• Demonstrate energy market leadership by developing and maintaining strong client relationships, monitoring project performance, identifying emerging client needs, and pursuing follow-on opportunities.
• Assist with work-in-progress (WIP) and accounts receivable (AR) tracking, including invoice status, outstanding balances, and required follow-up.
• Identify and communicate prospective client and project leads to leadership to support discipline growth.
• Serve as Quality Manager on select projects, ensuring compliance with applicable quality procedures and project-specific requirements.
• Serve as Project Manager on select projects, with responsibilities that include:
  • Managing project scope, schedule, budget, staffing, quality, and deliverables.
  • Delivering projects on time and within budget while fully meeting the agreed-upon scope and client expectations.
  • Meeting with clients at least monthly to review project progress, upcoming milestones, risks, decisions, and action items.
  • Managing projects within established corporate requirements and approved project budget parameters.
  • Preparing and submitting monthly progress reports, invoices, and supporting documentation.
  • Monitoring project financial performance and initiating corrective action when schedule or budget variances arise.
  • Developing and implementing project-specific safety plans.
  • Ensuring compliance with applicable federal, state, and local safety requirements, as well as corporate and client-specific safety procedures.

Training, Development, and Compliance

• Comply with all KCI policies and procedures.
• Ensure projects fulfill Quality Management System (QMS) requirements.
• Maintain technical proficiency through continuing education in power generation, microgrids, utility interconnection, power-system studies, and emerging energy technologies.
• Maintain applicable professional licenses and certifications and fulfill all continuing-education requirements.
• Complete required corporate, client, safety, ethics, cybersecurity, and regulatory training within established timeframes.
• Mentor technical staff, share lessons learned, and support internal training and professional-development initiatives.
• Ensure work complies with applicable laws, codes, industry standards, environmental requirements, and corporate quality and safety procedures.

Financial Management and Reporting

• Develop assigned contracts with scope and fees for supervisor review and signature by authorized Energy Market staff.
• Develop and maintain project budgets, labor plans, billing schedules, and financial forecasts for assigned projects.
• Optimize project schedules by identifying areas where tasks can be done concurrently.
• Achieve or exceed budgeted individual utilization target (85% typical).
• Deliver all projects on time and within budget while fully meeting the scope.
• Prepare inter-practice work agreements (IPWA) and/or outside subcontracts as required.
• Set up new opportunities and provide weekly new opportunity data to supervisor and business development team.
• Search for ways to improve efficiency while lowering project cost.

Project Execution and Technical Oversight

• Develop project execution plans defining technical workflows, deliverable requirements, review milestones, decision points, and discipline interfaces.
• Establish and maintain the project basis of design, ensuring that technical decisions, assumptions, deviations, and revisions are documented throughout execution.
• Serve as subject matter expert (SME) for assigned projects, resolving complex engineering issues and escalating matters requiring broader leadership or client direction.
• Conduct site visits and gather data, including measurements, sketches, notes, and photographs as needed.
• Prepare required phases of design including applicable calculations, drawings, specifications, and cost estimates for approval.
• Read and interpret technical documents required for project execution.
• Manage discipline interfaces through interface registers, responsibility matrices, and documented handoffs to prevent scope gaps, overlaps, and conflicting design requirements.
• Establish verification and validation requirements, including independent technical reviews, interdisciplinary checks, and closure of review comments.
• Monitor the maturity and integration of engineering deliverables, ensuring that design inputs and outputs remain coordinated across disciplines.
• Confirm engineering and documentation readiness for procurement, construction, system turnover, startup, and commissioning.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor of Science Degree in engineering.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience.
• Proven experience in planning, organizing, estimating, scheduling, and monitoring engineering projects.
• Proven experience in project management roles, with a track record of successful project delivery.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively interact with clients, team members, and stakeholders.
• Knowledge of industry standards and best practices related to construction management, quality assurance, and safety protocols.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues and implement effective solutions in a fast-paced environment.
• Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.).
• Successful completion of the KCI PM Training and Contract Training (for current employees) or ability to complete within six months (for new hires).

Preferred

• Master’s Degree in engineering or MBA.

Benefits

We offer a competitive compensation package, family-friendly benefits, a collaborative working environment, and the training, mentoring, and resources you need to advance in your career.