Engineer Prin

American Electric Power•Tulsa, OK

20h•Onsite

About The Position

The Principal Engineering function provides senior technical leadership to support Southwest Power Pool (SPP) planning activities, ensuring alignment with company policy, regulatory obligations, and strategic planning objectives. This role bridges deep engineering expertise with policy interpretation, stakeholder engagement, and governance support, ensuring technically sound, consistent, and defensible positions across SPP processes. This function is intended to elevate technical rigor, improve consistency in external engagements, and proactively inform internal policy development as SPP planning, market, and interconnection requirements continue to increase in complexity. At AEP, the company is committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions, putting the customer first, and redefining the future of energy by reducing its carbon footprint, empowering the communities served, and building an engaged, talented workforce.

Requirements

Ten (10) or more years of related engineering experience along with a Bachelor's degree in engineering in a program accredited by ABET
OR Eight (8) years of related engineering experience along with a Master's degree or PhD in engineering from a program accredited by ABET
Individuals with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Technology can satisfy this degree requirement, if they obtain a certified Professional Engineering (PE) license
Bachelor's degree in engineering (non-ABET) plus a Master's degree or PhD in engineering from a university with an ABET accredited Bachelor's program

Nice To Haves

Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) in any U.S. state or Puerto Rico is preferred for this position unless approval to waive this requirement is given by the organization's EVP
Confirmation is preferred to ensure the PE obtained in Puerto Rico aligns with NCEES standards

Responsibilities

Serve as a senior technical authority for SPP planning processes, including: ITP, Base Reliability, and LGIM studies
Support model development, data validation, and assumption review
Evaluate thermal, voltage, and stability performance
Provide independent technical review of study results, assumptions, and methodologies to ensure consistency with internal planning standards and NERC reliability criteria
Support transmission solution development and evaluation, including cost drivers, constructability considerations, and risk identification
Act as a technical escalation point for complex or disputed planning issues within SPP forums
Translate SPP tariff language, business practices, and stakeholder-approved policies into clear internal guidance for engineering and planning teams
Identify gaps or misalignments between SPP requirements and internal policies, standards, or procedures
Support development and maintenance of internal policies, process documents, and planning guidelines to ensure: Compliance with SPP, NERC, and FERC requirements, Consistency across operating companies and regions, Defensible positions in regulatory, stakeholder, and audit settings
Provide technical input to policy-related revision requests, whitepapers, and stakeholder discussions
Represent the company as a senior technical subject matter expert in SPP working groups, task forces, and stakeholder meetings
Provide clear, technically grounded positions that balance reliability, cost, and policy considerations
Support leadership with concise technical briefings, executive summaries, and decision-support materials for key SPP issues
Coordinate with legal, regulatory, and commercial teams to ensure technical positions align with broader organizational strategy
Promote consistency in assumptions, modeling approaches, and technical positions taken across SPP activities
Support development of internal review and validation checkpoints for: Study data submissions, Model updates, Major solution recommendations
Identify emerging technical and policy risks within SPP processes and proactively advise leadership on mitigation strategies
Support responses to SPP data requests, compliance inquiries, and disputes with clear technical justification
Provide mentorship and technical guidance to planning engineers and analysts
Share best practices, lessons learned, and evolving SPP expectations to strengthen organizational capability
Support development of internal training or reference materials related to SPP planning, modeling, and policy interpretation