Senior Engineer, System Resiliency

AESO•Calgary, AB

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) is responsible for the safe, reliable, and economic planning and operation of the Alberta Interconnected Electric System. We provide open and non-discriminatory access to Alberta’s interconnected power grid and also facilitate Alberta’s competitive wholesale electricity market. The AESO strives to foster an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace where people feel respected and welcomed for who they are, together we deliver high performance and innovative results. Reporting to the Principal Engineer, System Resiliency, we are looking for a Senior Engineer to perform engineering studies, as well as lead and support our internal and external coordination activities related to restoration and resiliency plans. You will be a subject matter expert (SME) and go-to person for system resiliency related tasks and provide coaching and mentoring through internal training, creating guidelines, and streamlining internal processes. In this position, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining Power System Restoration Plans (PSRP). You will work with relevant Transmission Facility Owners (TFOs), Generation Facility Owners (GFOs), and natural gas providers on system restoration coordination, natural gas coordination, procedures, and improvement opportunities. You will also play a critical role in leading our coordination activities internally across the AESO including operations, training and compliance, planning, and customer connection teams. This full-time opportunity offers a competitive salary.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
Registered with, or eligible to be registered with APEGA (P.Eng.).
10+ years’ experience in transmission system planning or operation primarily focused on the Alberta electric system or within other ISOs or utilities.
Knowledge of ARS, ISO rules, NERC reliability guidelines, and standards.
Experience regarding power system modelling and studies including PSCAD and the use of Python to facilitate engineering analyses and studies.
Excellent background related to power system operational concerns, including generation types and characteristics, frequency response, operating reserves, transient behaviors, contingencies, and operating limits.
Understanding of protection and control, SCADA systems, and phasor measurement units (PMUs) and their applications.
Well-developed understanding of the Alberta electricity industry, its electricity market, and the roles of NERC and WECC in North America.

Responsibilities

Perform power flow, dynamic, and electromagnetic transients (EMT) studies on system restoration cranking paths including motor start, transformer and line energization, cold load pickup.
Mentor other engineers in advanced power system studies including EMT studies.
Lead the development and updates of the AESO’s PSRP and assist in AESO’s blackstart service procurement process.
Support related coordination activities for natural gas.
Act as the SME for advanced studies for connection projects including transformer energization and anti-islanding.
Actively participate and provide inputs for planning, development, execution and evaluation of the AESO’s annual power system restoration training.
Collaborate with various parties including internal and external stakeholders on operational, connection projects, and system development activities impacting system restoration plans.
Support system events analysis and implement lessons learned from extreme events.
Support emergency response and coordination with Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) and Provincial Emergency Operations Center (PECC).
Act as SME or support other SMEs in the development and implementation of Alberta reliability standards (ARS) or ISO Rules and respond to request for information (RFIs) from external stakeholders on existing ARS or ISO Rules.