Senior Engineering Manager

Mesa Associates•Knoxville, TN

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Engineering Manager – Physical Substation Design provides strategic leadership, technical oversight, and operational management for the Physical Substation Engineering department. The role leads engineering managers, engineers, designers, and technical specialists responsible for planning, designing, and executing transmission and distribution substation projects, from distribution voltage levels through EHV (500 kV+). The position supports engineering excellence, project profitability, client satisfaction, employee development, compliance with applicable standards, and the company’s strategic objectives. This role oversees physical substation engineering projects from conceptual design through construction support; establishes engineering standards, quality procedures, and workflows; and manages schedules, budgets, staffing, risk, and project delivery. It also develops client relationships, supports business development and contract negotiations, drives operational improvements and technology adoption, manages departmental financial planning, and coordinates work across engineering disciplines and offices. The position is a hybrid arrangement based in Mesa’s Madison, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; or Knoxville, Tennessee office.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline from an accredited university.
Professional Engineer (PE) license, or ability to attain one within 12 months.
At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in electric utility substation engineering.
At least 4 years of engineering leadership or management experience.
Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Extensive knowledge of physical substation design for transmission and distribution systems.
Strong understanding of utility engineering standards and design practices.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or Business Administration (MBA).
Experience supporting investor-owned utilities, municipalities, or cooperatives.
Knowledge of digital design and 3D modeling platforms.
Experience implementing engineering quality management systems.
PMP certification.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership, mentoring, and direction to Engineering Managers, Lead Engineers, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Develop department goals, annual business plans, staffing strategies, and performance objectives.
Foster a culture of safety, quality, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Recruit, develop, coach, and retain engineering professionals; build succession plans and technical career development programs.
Provide executive oversight for physical substation engineering projects from conceptual design through construction support.
Ensure designs comply with client specifications, utility standards, IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, ASCE, OSHA, and applicable regulatory requirements.
Establish engineering standards, best practices, quality procedures, and design workflows.
Oversee engineering reviews and technical risk assessments, and provide guidance on complex engineering issues.
Monitor engineering schedules, budgets, staffing utilization, and project profitability.
Collaborate with Project Managers to deliver projects safely, on schedule, within budget, and to quality standards.
Identify project risks and implement mitigation strategies.
Support proposal development, project planning, and resource forecasting.
Improve engineering execution and project delivery processes.
Develop and maintain relationships with utility clients, EPC partners, and key stakeholders.
Represent the department as an executive-level technical representative in client meetings.
Participate in project pursuits, interviews, presentations, and business development activities.
Support contract negotiations and strategic client initiatives.
Develop departmental KPIs and monitor performance metrics.
Implement process improvements that enhance productivity, consistency, and quality.
Drive adoption of engineering technologies, digital workflows, and automation tools.
Support quality management and operational efficiency initiatives.
Manage departmental budgets and labor utilization; support revenue forecasting and financial planning.
Participate in strategic planning and annual budgeting activities.
Partner with Protection & Control, Civil/Structural, Transmission Line, Construction, Procurement, and Project Management teams.
Coordinate engineering resources across multiple offices and business units, and promote collaboration and knowledge sharing across disciplines.