Associate Director, Power Systems Engineering

Scout Clean Energy•Boulder, CO

4d•$170,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Power Systems Engineering leads Scout’s Power Systems Engineering function and serves as its senior technical authority for electrical systems across utility-scale wind, solar, and battery energy storage projects. The position combines individual-contributor expertise in electrical engineering with leadership of a multidisciplinary team of up to five direct reports across Electrical Engineering, SCADA, Commissioning, and QA/QC. The role establishes and maintains technical specifications, governs electrical system design, supports project execution, and ensures operational readiness for projects in development and construction. It provides technical ownership and oversight for major power system equipment and systems, including generation and storage equipment, inverters and power conversion systems, transformers, protection systems, SCADA and power plant controls, substations, and transmission lines. The role does not perform detailed engineering design, but participates in multidisciplinary design reviews with third-party Owner’s Engineers. The Associate Director leads technical governance, quality, commissioning, grid integration, and operational support activities; develops standards and best practices; and serves as a technical interface among internal project teams, utilities, OEMs, EPC contractors, and consultants. Travel to project sites in the United States is required, with the posting also describing site travel in the United States and Canada during construction, commissioning, and major operational events. Remote candidates are expected to travel to the Boulder office monthly; the role is also described as hybrid, with a 3/2 schedule preferred for candidates near the office. The position reports to the Senior Director of Engineering.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
10 or more years of experience in one or more of power systems engineering, protection and controls engineering, substation engineering, utility engineering and operations, renewable energy engineering, or commissioning and grid integration.
Demonstrated experience with utility-scale solar, wind, and/or battery energy storage projects.
At least five years of experience leading engineering or technical teams.
Experience directly managing engineers or other technical professionals, including performance management, coaching, mentoring, and career development.
Ability to build, scale, and lead technical organizations while maintaining engineering quality and operational discipline.
Experience allocating resources across multiple projects and managing competing priorities.
Success leading multidisciplinary teams through complex technical challenges and major project milestones.
Strong knowledge of high-voltage power systems, protection and control systems, SCADA and PPC systems, utility interconnection requirements, commissioning and energization processes, and major power generation, transmission, and energy storage equipment.
Ability to review and provide technical guidance on power system studies, protection philosophies, relay settings, SCADA architectures, PPC control strategies, equipment specifications, and commissioning programs prepared by internal engineers, consultants, EPC contractors, and equipment manufacturers.
Experience supporting interactions with utilities and transmission providers.
Strong communication, leadership, organizational, and decision-making skills.
Ability to travel to project sites as required.
Valid driver’s license.
Current authorization to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
Professional Engineer (PE) license.
Experience leading teams of five or more technical professionals.
Experience building or transforming an engineering, commissioning, reliability, or technical services organization.
Experience managing geographically distributed teams supporting multiple utility-scale projects simultaneously.
Experience developing corporate engineering standards, technical governance programs, and competency frameworks.
Experience with utility-scale BESS technology and PCS integration.
Experience with substation design, commissioning, and operations.
Experience reviewing protection coordination studies and relay settings.
Familiarity with SEL protection relays, RTAC platforms, and substation automation systems.
Familiarity with ETAP, SKM, ASPEN, PSCAD, EasyPower, or similar power system analysis software.
Familiarity with SCADA, historian, PPC, and operational technology platforms.
Familiarity with NERC, WECC, ERCOT, SPP, MISO, PJM, CAISO, or other utility and ISO/RTO requirements.
Experience supporting operating renewable energy fleets.
PMP certification or formal project management training.
Experience with industry-standard engineering, protection, SCADA, and power system analysis software.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, develop, and resource Scout’s Power Systems Engineering team, including setting goals and performance expectations, coaching, mentoring, conducting reviews, supporting career development, and workforce planning.
Establish team metrics, KPIs, operating procedures, and practices that support technical excellence, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
Provide technical oversight and governance for collection systems, substations, transmission interconnection facilities, protection and control systems, plant SCADA, Plant Power Controllers, Energy Management Systems, utility communications, and operational technology networks.
Establish electrical design standards and philosophies, review critical design decisions and deviations, ensure applicable requirements are met, and incorporate lessons learned across projects.
Serve as the primary subject matter expert for protection and control systems, including protection philosophies, relay settings, coordination studies, testing, validation, utility compliance, and investigations of protection events and system disturbances.
Provide technical ownership and governance for SCADA, PPC, data acquisition, utility interfaces, telemetry, remote controls, alarms, OT infrastructure, and fleet monitoring and reporting systems.
Lead technical oversight of commissioning and grid integration, including review and approval of plans and test procedures, equipment energization, substation and collection system commissioning, protection testing, SCADA integration, PPC testing, utility witness testing, and performance and reliability testing.
Establish and maintain quality, performance, reliability, and operational-readiness programs for electrical assets throughout their lifecycle.
Oversee equipment evaluation, technical due diligence, vendor assessments, specifications, fleet standardization, FAT and SAT programs, field inspections, contractor quality performance, and nonconformance processes.
Lead or support failure investigations, root cause analyses, corrective actions, warranty support, and reliability improvements for electrical equipment and systems.
Provide advanced technical support to Asset Management & Operations, including troubleshooting equipment, SCADA, PPC, BESS, and grid issues and identifying fleet-wide trends.
Lead technical communications with EPC contractors, OEMs, utilities, consultants, and transmission providers; communicate risks and mitigation plans; and maintain company standards, specifications, and engineering documentation.
Partner with Preconstruction, Construction, Interconnection, and Asset Management & Operations throughout the project lifecycle.
Provide leadership during critical project milestones, major equipment failures, grid events, and commissioning activities.
Travel to project sites as required.