Electric Distribution Engineer, Associate

Pacific Gas And Electric Company • Oakland, CA

7h • Hybrid

About The Position

This entry-level job is represented by Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC), subject to collective bargaining.

The Associate Engineer in Asset Strategy is responsible for development and implementation of simple distribution overhead asset management projects and programs. The Associate level engineer job works under the general technical direction of more experienced engineers or management. With oversight, they will be expected to define scope, create a plan, and scheduling the work to meet significant goals. The ideal candidate will support senior engineers in developing, managing and improving performance of the electric distribution assets from a long and short-term, asset performance, capacity, and reliability, perspective. They will assist other engineers, team members, and management by developing, compiling, and providing technical data. This role will be responsible for updating and managing databases. An ideal candidate would have experience with statistical analysis and data interpretation with the ability to present complex data and technical information in a simple and easy to understand manner. The Associate Engineer will assist with internal and external requests. This will include participating in cross-functional teams to establish the safest, most reliable, and cost-effective electric distribution infrastructure system, and may communicate with regulators, customers and other external stakeholders to advance PG&E's objectives. The Associate Engineer will utilize engineering first principles, their expertise, and scientific work methods to identify, diagnose and solve technical problems. An ideal candidate will have some experience in distribution electric design and planning engineering with experience in using engineering modeling tools (e.g., CYME, Pole load calculations). They should have basic knowledge of distribution conductors, support structures, transformers, protection equipment, and switching equipment. An ideal candidate will have some familiarity of asset life cycle principles. The associate engineer will be expected to raise questions and provide ideas on potential engineering and technical solutions by using existing tools, methods and approaches or by making minor modifications and improvements. The responsibility level of this position increases with experience. Travel will be required 10-30% of the time throughout the PG&E service territory.

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the
job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be
based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience,
market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreements, and internal equity.

The annual salary range is:​

Minimum, $95,172
Maximum, $142,956

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from a college/university program accredited by Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET)

Nice To Haves

• Electrical engineering experience in an electric utility company
• Power system engineering
• Basic electrical engineering principles and theory

Responsibilities

• Submits long term and short-term reconstruction, capacity and reliability plan recommendations; manages projects within their local area of $100,000 or less; and reviews and recommends job estimates within DPA for capacity and reliability.
• Monitors area substation and circuit capabilities and track corresponding loads. Prepares proposals, including justification, for appropriate corrective actions to address deficiencies found.
• Performs planning studies to correctly model the electric distribution system and works with Mapping to ensure discrepancies are corrected in associated records system. Analyzes historical loads and project future growth. Prepares long-term and short-term plans to identify and correct area deficiencies. Prepares long-term and short-term plans to identify and correct area deficiencies. Prepares draft Preliminary Planning Reviews (PPR’s). Identifies alternatives to address deficiencies for Project Analysis (PA’s). Reviews and analyzes area distribution systems and takes appropriate actions to maintain power factors and primary voltage within established standards. Determines circuit and associated equipment capabilities within the assigned DPA.
• Prepares and initiate switching plans to alleviate normal and minimize emergency deficiencies. Prepares necessary documentation about distribution needs for estimating to complete job packages. Prepares settings for load tap changers and other line equipment. Reviews requests for new large customer load additions or increases in voltage and recommend actions to correct any deficiencies. Provides direction and reviews primary designs proposed by estimating to ensure adequate capacity and reliability. Prepares settings for distribution protective devices. Performs circuit protection reviews and makes recommendations for corrections. Determines protection requirements for rule 20, WRO projects and other major distribution projects which could impact the existing protective scheme. Prepares settings for Distribution Automation (DA) devices affecting distribution protection, voltage or emergency switching.
• Initiates service dependability solutions and actively participate in local reliability / root cause meetings. Works closely with construction to prioritize outage prevention work within DPA, addresses customer complaints (Help Tickets) for recurring outages assigned. Prepares initial responses for CPUC complaints for recurring outages. Supports local DO’s, DEC, construction, or storm room in emergency restoration efforts as required. Provide technical, address’ customer voltage complaints caused by primary voltage problems. When requested, address’ customer EMF requests involving distribution facilities as assigned, assist E&M and OM&C personnel to address customer voltage complaints caused by secondary voltage problems. Supports estimating, construction, and other departments as required. Reviews, modifies, and recommends switching clearances for feeders, banks and stations as requested by DO’s. Address’ customer EMF requests involving distribution facilities as assigned. Reviews switching arrangements, equipment settings, voltage levels, power factor needs, etc. to ensure the distribution system is operated in the most efficient manner.
• Prepare EASOP (economic analysis) for projects in DPA. Prepare other engineering analysis as assigned. Provide supervisor on-call support as required; maintain equipment records as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level