Planning Engineer (Full-Time) (Onsite 5 days then Hybrid after in Gainesville, VA)

Career Developers • Gainesville, VA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Career Developers Inc. is recruiting a Planning Engineer for the System Engineering team of a locally owned electric distribution system headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, serving more than 180,000 homes and businesses. The role is based in Gainesville, Virginia. It is onsite five days a week for the first four months, after which the schedule may become hybrid, with three days in the office and two days remote.

The Planning Engineer performs planning, engineering, operational, and economic studies and develops reliable, cost-effective solutions to design, construct, and safely operate the electrical system. The role develops technical standards, specifications, guidelines, and business processes; provides technical advice to other departments; and helps plan, organize, and control departmental activities concerning system improvements and new facilities. The position is expected to take initiative and independently identify solutions to system constraints and opportunities for improvement with minimal direction.

The role provides engineering support for short- and long-range system plans, capital-budget recommendations, electrical layouts and interconnections, protection studies and settings, construction work-order reviews, outage analysis, and the accuracy of GIS maps and CYME engineering models. It also coordinates planning with internal leaders, developers, and government agencies, supports regulatory compliance, and provides technical guidance and daily team leadership to less experienced engineers.

Requirements

• Three years of related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• Ability to work in Gainesville, Virginia.
• Ability to function independently in a multitask environment and as part of a team.
• Knowledge of company policies, procedures, and applicable federal, state, and local laws.
• Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and mathematical skills.
• Proficiency with general computer operation and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization.
• Ability to anticipate and meet changing customer and business needs by refocusing and realigning strategic and operational direction.
• Knowledge of power engineering and planning concepts, industry standards, and utility practices.
• Experience developing and monitoring capital and operational budgets.
• Ability to learn electrical distribution, transmission, and substation facilities design and specifications.
• Analytical reasoning skills and ability to apply theoretical concepts to practical situations.
• Problem-solving, decision-making, and project-management skills.
• Ability to review, interpret, and analyze maps, plans, drawings, data, and field information.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering.
• NCEES EIT certification or Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Electric utility experience.
• Substation experience.

Responsibilities

• Issue well-justified recommendations for the annual capital budget to address compliance, capacity, or reliability requirements.
• Use engineering analysis software, models, and databases to identify needed projects and support project justification.
• Develop short- and long-range plans for electrical system construction and improvement projects involving substations, transmission, and distribution.
• Design electrical layouts and interconnections for data centers, large commercial customers, and new subdivisions, independently or with minimal oversight.
• Determine system protection requirements and limitations by performing coordination, voltage-drop, and fault-current studies, and recommend ways to improve and optimize system performance.
• Develop protective-device settings to improve coordination.
• Develop technical standards and guidelines for internal and external use.
• Review construction work orders for adherence to short-range work plans, specifications, policies, guidelines, and procedures, and determine over-current and over-voltage protection requirements.
• Coordinate planning with management, principal engineers, developers, and government agencies so anticipated load growth aligns with proposed system improvements.
• Review outage data, identify outage trends and root causes, and develop appropriate system improvements and programs.
• Review the accuracy of system maps and data in the GIS and CYME engineering model.
• Provide guidance and technical expertise to less experienced engineers and provide daily team leadership.
• Interpret industry standards and regulations and provide technical support for regulatory compliance efforts.
• Follow Cooperative, OSHA, and VOSHA safety rules and Cooperative human resources practices, policies, and procedures.
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge through educational workshops, professional publications, networks, benchmarking, and participation in professional societies.

Benefits

• Competitive pay.
• Premier health benefits, including an onsite wellness center.
• Survivor and disability benefits.
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 4% base salary match and an additional match of the employee's contribution at a rate of 50% up to the first 12%.
• Life insurance.
• Vacation, sick, and holiday time.
• Educational assistance.
• Annual benefit (the posting does not specify the benefit).

What This Job Offers

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