Senior High Voltage CAD Designer

AES US•Louisville, CO

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

The High Voltage Engineering team delivers both pre-construction development engineering and execution engineering for high voltage facilities associated with renewable energy power plants, with voltage ranges from 35kV up to 500kV. We are currently looking for a dynamic, team-oriented Senior HV CAD Designer to support high voltage substation and transmission design while also supplementing PV and BESS land development design needs. This hybrid role will remain aligned primarily with the HV group, with approximately 75% of the individual’s work focused on high voltage design and approximately 25% supporting PV and BESS land development efforts. The ideal candidate is proficient in the technical aspects of drafting, enjoys working in a fast-paced environment, and is comfortable collaborating with multiple internal and external stakeholders throughout the design process.

Requirements

Associate degree or higher, or a two-year AAS degree, with emphasis on Computer Aided Design, Drafting and Design Technology, engineering, or equivalent experience.
Minimum of 5 years of proven drafting/design experience, including high voltage substation and/or transmission CAD design experience.
Proficiency in AutoCAD, Bluebeam, Microsoft Office applications, and related drafting tools.
General knowledge of electrical systems, drawings, diagrams, terminology, and code considerations for high voltage substations.
Familiarity with HV equipment such as main power transformers, circuit breakers, relay panels, and related substation components.
Ability to support PV and BESS land development design tasks, including site plans, layouts, single line diagrams, and coordination of civil and electrical design inputs.
Strong communication skills with the ability to lead and support design discussions among internal stakeholders.
Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple projects and tasks in a fast-paced environment.
Detail-oriented approach with strong problem-solving, critical thinking, verbal communication, and written communication skills.
Experience creating and maintaining CAD tools, templates, blocks, symbol databases, or design standardization resources.

Nice To Haves

Experience creating Bills of Materials for substation, transmission, PV, or BESS projects.
Experience with AutoCAD Civil 3D, PLS-CADD, shapefiles, GIS-based inputs, and renewable energy site development data.
Familiarity with solar PV designs, BESS layouts, civil and grading design, site design constraints, and land development considerations.
Experience coordinating with land, permitting, real estate, survey, and construction teams on renewable energy projects.
Familiarity with regional civil constraints such as wetlands, floodplains, karst topography, access limitations, and other site development considerations.
Ability and willingness to continue learning across high voltage, PV, and BESS design disciplines while maintaining primary alignment with the HV group.

Responsibilities

Perform approximately 75% of work in support of the High Voltage Engineering group, developing up to 30% substation packages in AutoCAD and/or Bluebeam for facilities ranging from 35kV up to 500kV, including single line diagrams, substation layouts, control building layouts, electrical elevation views, substation access, site access, relay panel elevations, and related design exhibits.
Provide drafting support for transmission line engineering by developing technical exhibits that represent transmission structure pole designs, rights-of-way, and existing transmission line crossings for RFP and development-stage documents.
Perform approximately 25% of work in support of PV and BESS land development efforts, including preliminary AutoCAD site plans, project layouts, early-stage design packages, single line diagrams, civil and electrical construction details, and related design documentation.
Collaborate with HV Project Engineers, Substation Leads, Transmission Leads, Development Engineers, Engineering Managers, real estate, survey, land, permitting, and project management teams to support integrated renewable project development.
Integrate and analyze survey data, shapefiles, site constraints, and input from subject matter experts to support accurate HV, PV, and BESS design layouts.
Develop and maintain substation, transmission, PV, and BESS CAD standards, templates, tools, blocks, and symbol databases to improve consistency, quality, and design efficiency.
Develop databases of major equipment for substation, transmission, PV, and BESS projects and support the development of Bills of Materials as a by-product of design packages.
Coordinate with land and permitting teams to evaluate substation pads, PV/BESS layouts, site access, equipment access, wetlands, cultural or archeological areas, floodplain impacts, topography, and other development constraints.
Coordinate with HV Project Engineers, Substation Leads, and major equipment manufacturers to confirm adequate turn radii, access routes, and site access for equipment delivery.
Generate drawings that align with company drawing standards, templates, quality control procedures, completeness expectations, accuracy requirements, and applicable code considerations.
Review external consultant substation designs with emphasis on minimum clearances, structure design, electrical components, and alignment with AES design standards.
Develop and maintain documentation control processes to ensure project drafting and engineering documentation are uploaded successfully to AES project data rooms.
Work independently and collaboratively to meet established deadlines, communicate proactively with project teams, and support design discussions among technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Growth opportunity for a leadership role within the design team.