Power System Engineer (Distribution Reliability)

City of Austin

4d•$91,080 - $117,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Distribution Reliability Power System Engineer is responsible for ensuring the reliability, resilience, and maintainability of distribution systems and equipment. This role focuses on minimizing downtime and preventing failures through proactive maintenance strategies, system performance analysis, and risk management practices. The engineer supports key initiatives within the Electric System Resilience Plan (ESRP) and contributes to customer service, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence. Key responsibilities include evaluating under-performing feeders by analyzing ADMS outage data and supporting the Energy Control Center through the development of switching instructions for load transfers during emergency conditions. The engineer conducts circuit lockout investigations, power quality assessments, and analyzes data from power quality meters to recommend solutions to issues such as harmonics, transients, and voltage variations. Additional responsibilities include providing engineering support during operational events, assisting with customer escalations, participating in root cause analyses, supporting planning and field operations, evaluating new distribution equipment, and ensuring effective use of tools and applications that enhance outage analysis and distribution system performance. Under minimal supervision designs, and assists in the design of electric utility system facilities, including: generation, electric substations, overhead and underground transmission and distribution lines, network systems, protection systems, supervisory control systems (SCADA), market operation and settlement systems, street lighting, and other electric system facilities. This position exists only in the Power Production and Electrical Services Delivery department of Austin Energy.

Requirements

Graduation with a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Engineering, plus five (5) years of experience related to engineering.
Knowledge of engineering design principles applicable to electric utility operations such as, generation, transmission, distribution, market operations and other related fields.
Knowledge of advanced mathematical techniques such as trigonometry, calculus, and coordinate geometry.
Knowledge of engineering standards, codes, practices, procedures, materials, and equipment used in the design, construction, and operation of the electric utility systems.
Knowledge of established engineering principles and methods.
Knowledge of preparation of cost estimates and engineering and feasibility reports.
Ability to perform more complex engineering calculations and to analyze engineering problems.
Knowledge of regulatory requirements within the local and state ordinances and laws.
Skill in oral and written technical and/or general communication including preparation of written reports.
Skill in negotiations and handling conflict resolution.
Knowledge of City of Austin purchasing and contract policies and procedures.
Solid knowledge of electrical engineering principles and advanced mathematics.
Ability to perform complex technical electrical engineering work with minimal guidance.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify potential issues and develop effective, data driven solutions.
Proficiency with general computer applications, including databases, spreadsheets, and word processing software.
Understanding of business environments and standard business processes.

Nice To Haves

Experience using engineering load flow analysis tools such as Synergi, CYME, or similar platforms.
Experience with reliability engineering principles and statistical analysis.
Experience evaluating, integrating, or implementing new technologies, applications, and equipment.
Demonstrated proficiency in written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

Ensuring the reliability, resilience, and maintainability of distribution systems and equipment.
Minimizing downtime and preventing failures through proactive maintenance strategies, system performance analysis, and risk management practices.
Supporting key initiatives within the Electric System Resilience Plan (ESRP).
Contributing to customer service, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence.
Evaluating under-performing feeders by analyzing ADMS outage data.
Supporting the Energy Control Center through the development of switching instructions for load transfers during emergency conditions.
Conducting circuit lockout investigations and power quality assessments.
Analyzing data from power quality meters to recommend solutions to issues such as harmonics, transients, and voltage variations.
Providing engineering support during operational events.
Assisting with customer escalations.
Participating in root cause analyses.
Supporting planning and field operations.
Evaluating new distribution equipment.
Ensuring effective use of tools and applications that enhance outage analysis and distribution system performance.
Prepares standards, equipment specifications, design procedures, test procedures.
Performs power system studies such as protective relay coordination, fault studies, load flows, service reliability, power quality, voltage stability, power system market operations and settlement studies, etc.
Prepares engineering design and develops drawings and other documents for generation, transmission, distribution, substations and SCADA/EMS.
Prepares circuit maps, control diagrams, charts, data bases, and plans for different electrical facilities.
Provide assistance to all classes of customers, developers, and to other City Departments on technical matters relevant to electric utility services.
Provide technical and financial inputs for projects in electric utility planning and budget process.
Investigate and analyze engineering design problems; develop appropriate solutions; draft reports and make presentations.
Prepares safety procedures for electric facilities.
Assist in efforts to keep up with the latest developments in the utility industry, to meet North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Texas Public Utility Commission (TX PUC) standards and regulatory requirements.
Work closely with field personnel to support project energization.
May provide leadership, work assignments, evaluation, training, and guidance to others.