Planning Engineer, Utility Telecommunications

ENMAX•Calgary, AB

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Planning Engineer, Utility Telecommunications plays a critical role in designing and coordinating telecom infrastructure that supports grid reliability, particularly through tele-protection systems, outage planning, and operations planning. This includes ensuring resilient communication paths for fault detection, coordinating outage schedules to prevent service disruptions, and supporting operational readiness through training and risk reviews. At ENMAX, this role is part of the OT Infrastructure, Communications & Security Team and works directly with Utility Communications, the Control Centre, Field Services, and Protection & Control to manage tele-protection systems.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years of relevant experience with an electrical utility environment, power engineering consulting firm, or telecommunications manufacturer, with extensive experience on design, implementation, and operation of tele-protection infrastructure
Technically familiar with tele-protection standards, directional schemes, latency requirements, and relay coordination over MPLS
Expertise in planning, designing, and implementing full IP/MPLS solutions, including routing, provisioning, and traffic engineering for OT networks
Proficiency in GIS-based fibre tracking, strand connectivity, and physical path analysis to identify shared infrastructure risks and optimize network resilience
Ability to configure and manage monitoring tools for fibre networks, detect anomalies, and support RCA investigations for outages impacting SCADA and tele-protection
Competence in designing standardized LAN models using software-defined switches, VLAN segmentation, and secure routing for substation environments
Use of GIS tools to manage fibre assets, update As-Built and As-Design records, and reconcile field conditions with digital models
Managing relationships with third-party providers, tracking leased fibre outages, and mitigating impacts on control centre visibility and tele-protection
Familiarity with Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) standards, ISO protocols, and penalty frameworks tied to telecom reliability and outage response

Nice To Haves

Self-motivated and committed to continuous learning and staying current with emerging technologies
Excellent organizational, documentation, and time management skills
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively manage customer and team member expectations
Ability to provide strategic direction and contribute to the development of the technology roadmap
Ability to act as an effective liaison between management and individual contributors
Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and build alignment across teams
Ability to support and foster a culture focused on safety, innovation, collaboration, and teamwork

Responsibilities

Manage changes and monitor status of telecommunications equipment
Coordinate with vendors and contractors to support telecommunications equipment throughout the lifecycle
Review, update and authenticate diagrams and engineering drawings of telecommunications equipment in substations
Participate in telecommunication industry groups
Support Telecommunication Electricians with fibre outage evaluations, risk assessments, and work coordination with Field Services
Lead outage impact assessments for planned and unplanned events, including tele-protection failures and fiber reroutes
Develop and maintain fibre outage contingency plans, including load flow studies and mitigation strategies for system overloads
Support fibre outage-related RCA investigations, gathering input and aligning findings across stakeholders
Facilitate coordination meetings with internal stakeholders (project managers, engineers, schedulers) to resolve scheduling conflicts
Collaborate with AESO Real-Time Operations, contributing to restoration strategies and risk mitigation plans