Power System Principal Engineer - Electrical

City of Austin

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Under general direction, provides professional technical and specialized engineering expertise to assure delivery of services to customers, advancement of new technologies and processes, and/or development and maintenance of technical utility standards. This position serves as an electrical engineering subject matter expert in supporting Power Production's power generating and district cooling assets. Duties include: Provide expert field engineering support to plant operations and plant maintenance of 4160V and 480V equipment. Oversee construction and installation, bid spec development and bid reviews. Lead electrical engineering efforts on capital improvement projects. Seal work under jurisdiction and complete work in a timely manner. Specify electrical equipment including; motors, switchgear, MCC, distribution panels, cables, protection relays, etc. Work with the drafting department for drawing development and drawing updates. Direct plant electrical technicians and present solutions to plant management that are economical, concise, logical and easy to implement. Provide credible recommendations to plant management that give decisive and focused solutions to; plant malfunctions, plant safety, and ongoing improvements to plant operations. This position has been designated as a Critical Employee position. Critical Employees are considered necessary and vital and supports activities that impact City or department operations. This work can be done while at a designated work site or while working at an alternate work location. Critical employees who are able to work at an alternative work location are required to do so. Schedules may be modified, and employees may be reassigned to another area during extraordinary situations or emergency conditions to provide essential services.

Requirements

Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Engineering, or in a field related to the job, eight (8) years of experience in engineering, acquired either before and/or after licensing as a professional engineer.
Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Texas; or if currently licensed in another state, the ability to obtain a Texas PE license within one (1) year of employment.
Knowledge of engineering design principles applicable to electric utility operations such as, generation, transmission, distribution and other related fields.
Knowledge of utility standards and regulatory requirements, 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) compliance requirements.
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.
Knowledge of regulatory requirements within the Local, State and Federal ordinances and laws.
Knowledge of City of Austin purchasing and contract policies and procedures.
Skill in oral and written technical and/or general communication including preparation of written reports.
Skill in negotiations and handling conflict resolution.
Ability to perform more complex engineering calculations and to analyze engineering problems.

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of Industrial Codes, Standards, and Best Practices; NERC, NEC, IEEE, NFPA, OSHA.
Experience in specification, procurement, and installation of low and medium voltage switchgear (4160V, 2400V and 480V).
Experience in testing and maintaining low and medium voltage equipment.
Experience with motor relay protection design and settings.
Experience with modeling software; ETAP, SKM.
Experience with controls and interlocks.
Experienced Project team leader and/or project management.
Ability to travel to multiple work locations for regular work duties.

Responsibilities

Develops technical specifications and standards by applying knowledge of the principles and practices of engineering discipline, including the methods, materials, equipment and techniques used.
Plans, researches, designs, and implements engineering studies and projects and/or program areas by applying advance technical knowledge of engineering discipline.
Manages and negotiates contracts by reviewing monthly progress reports, verifying final quantities and costs, compiling requisite documentation, reviewing change orders, and auditing as-built records.
Acts as a liaison among consultants, contractors, subcontractors, manufacturers, fabricators or suppliers and City.
Negotiates problems of changes, errors or deficiencies and ensures compliance with project specifications and requirements.
Manages and monitors engineering projects for compliance.
Reviews, analyzes, and interprets plans, specifications, contracts and other related documents.
Develops and monitors project budgets and assists in developing, managing and submitting proposed budget forecast planning for short- and long-term city planning.
Monitor projects for regulatory compliance and maintains knowledge of 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.
May provide leadership, work assignments, evaluation, and guidance to others.
Provide expert field engineering support to plant operations and plant maintenance of 4160V and 480V equipment.
Oversee construction and installation, bid spec development and bid reviews.
Lead electrical engineering efforts on capital improvement projects.
Seal work under jurisdiction and complete work in a timely manner.
Specify electrical equipment including; motors, switchgear, MCC, distribution panels, cables, protection relays, etc.
Work with the drafting department for drawing development and drawing updates.
Direct plant electrical technicians and present solutions to plant management that are economical, concise, logical and easy to implement.
Provide credible recommendations to plant management that give decisive and focused solutions to; plant malfunctions, plant safety, and ongoing improvements to plant operations.