Pre-Construction Engineer

Potelco, Inc.•Sumner, WA

2d•$100,000 - $130,000•Onsite

About The Position

Potelco, Inc. is seeking a Pre-Construction Engineer to join their growing Pre-Construction team in Sumner, WA. This role serves as a crucial link between technical design and cost estimating during the pursuit and early project-development phases. The Pre-Construction Engineer will translate conceptual and partially developed engineering (30-90%) for substations, BESS yards, and utility-scale PV installations into constructible, accurately priced scope. This position involves close collaboration with the Director of Pre-Construction, Proposal Manager, Construction Technical Advisor, and Estimating team to mitigate technical risks before Potelco commits to a bid. The pay range for this role is $100,000 - $130,000, depending on experience.

Requirements

Minimum 5–8 years of relevant experience in electrical design, engineering, or design-assist roles, with demonstrated exposure to medium- and low-voltage systems on substation, BESS, or utility-scale solar PV projects.
Prior experience supporting EPC pursuits, proposals, or pre-construction/front-end engineering strongly preferred.
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field preferred; PE licensure is a plus but not required. Equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience will be considered.
Working knowledge of substation physical/electrical layout; protection & control familiarity is a plus but not required.
Familiarity with BESS yard design considerations, including equipment layout, fire code setbacks, and containerized system interconnection.
Experience with utility-scale PV design fundamentals: MV collection systems, inverter pad layout, and combiner/recombiner design.
Comfortable reading, redlining, and cross-checking civil, structural, and electrical drawings.
Strong understanding of how design decisions drive constructability and cost — able to work fluidly between design intent and estimating needs.
Proficiency with AutoCAD, and familiarity with Bluebeam and standard MS Office tools; exposure to estimating platforms (e.g., HCSS, B2W) a plus.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally under proposal deadlines.

Nice To Haves

PE licensure is a plus but not required.
Protection & control familiarity is a plus but not required.
Exposure to estimating platforms (e.g., HCSS, B2W) a plus.

Responsibilities

Review client- or partner-provided design packages (conceptual through 90% design) for substation additions/greenfield builds, BESS yards, and PV collection/interconnection systems, identifying gaps, conflicts, and constructability risks.
Develop and validate conceptual designs, one-line diagrams, and layouts for medium- and low-voltage systems to support proposal development ahead of full engineering.
Generate preliminary quantity takeoffs — conduit, cable and wire, grounding, structures, foundations, equipment pads — to support the Estimating team’s cost development.
Coordinate with utility interconnection requirements, permitting standards, and client technical specifications during the proposal phase.
Draft and track technical RFIs during bid development, and support responses to client clarification requests.
Partner with the Construction Technical Advisor to flag sequencing, logistics, and buildability risks introduced by design choices.
Interface directly with client engineers, EPC partners, and third-party design firms on technical scope clarifications during pursuit.
Support handoff of awarded projects from Pre-Construction to the engineering and construction teams, ensuring design intent and assumptions carry forward cleanly.
Other duties as assigned.