Microgrid Controls Engineer

AES•San Diego, CA

11d•$145,000 - $181,050

About The Position

AES US Renewables & Power is seeking a Microgrid Controls Engineer to design, develop, test, implement, and commission microgrid control solutions. These solutions integrate natural-gas generation, battery energy storage systems, solar generation, utility interconnections, and site electrical loads. The role delivers safe and reliable automation, HMI, SCADA, protection, communications, and control-system solutions from design through field startup and turnover.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, controls engineering, computer engineering, or a related field.
Typically 4 to 8 years of experience in power-distribution controls, industrial automation, microgrids, SCADA, power-system control applications, or a related field.
Understanding of electric power systems, microgrid operations, distributed energy resources, natural-gas generators, BESS, and solar PV.
Knowledge of low- and medium-voltage switchgear, protection relays, power monitoring, control systems, and electrical distribution equipment.
Knowledge of industrial communications protocols such as Modbus, DNP3, and IEC 61850.
Experience with HMIs, SCADA platforms, industrial networks, data concentrators, and multifunction protection-relay controls.
Experience preparing sequences of operation, control drawings, submittals, test procedures, and bills of materials.
Field experience with electrical distribution systems, factory testing, startup, commissioning, troubleshooting, and electrical safe-work practices.
Ability to communicate technical topics clearly to internal teams, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience programming automation controllers or PLCs using ladder logic, structured text, function block diagrams, or CODESYS.
Experience with Ignition Perspective or comparable HMI and SCADA platforms.
Professional Engineer licensure.

Responsibilities

Design and implement microgrid control solutions integrating natural-gas generators, CCGT or SCGT assets where applicable, BESS, solar PV, utility service, switchgear, and site loads.
Develop, modify, test, and deploy software for automation controllers, programmable logic controllers, HMIs, SCADA systems, and data concentrators.
Develop control philosophies, sequences of operation, functional descriptions, state diagrams, alarm strategies, operating modes, and test procedures.
Program controls using methods such as ladder logic, structured text, function block diagrams, and CODESYS-compatible environments.
Implement operating modes such as grid-connected operation, islanding, resynchronization, load shedding, generator dispatch, BESS charge and discharge, black start, and transition management.
Review customer, project, utility, engineering, and equipment-vendor specifications and translate requirements into executable control designs.
Select control-system components and prepare bills of materials, technical specifications, and project submittals.
Provide sketches, markups, I/O requirements, network architecture, and technical direction to electrical designers and engineering partners.
Review distributed energy resource, generator, BESS, switchgear, relay, and equipment-vendor submittals and coordinate control and communications interfaces.
Configure and integrate industrial communications using protocols such as Modbus, DNP3, and IEC 61850.
Coordinate multifunction protection relays, power monitoring systems, automation controllers, SCADA, HMIs, plant controls, and industrial networks.
Participate in design reviews and customer meetings to confirm project requirements, resolve interfaces, and review submittals.
Prepare and execute factory acceptance testing, integrated system testing, site acceptance testing, field startup, and commissioning procedures.
Troubleshoot software, communications, controls, network, protection, and equipment-integration issues in factory and field environments.
Coordinate with Project Management, Electrical Engineering, I&C, Protection and Control, BESS, Generator OEMs, Operations, Cybersecurity, and external vendors to meet schedule, budget, quality, and safety requirements.
Maintain software configuration, backups, source files, test records, redlines, as-built documentation, and turnover materials.