Senior Manager / Director, Utility Engineering

Nscale

13d•$150,000 - $230,000•Remote

About The Position

NScale is seeking a Senior Manager / Director of Utility Engineering to lead utility strategy and execution for its North America data center portfolio, with a focus on high-density AI and GPU workloads. This leader will be responsible for securing, designing, and optimizing critical utilities to support hyperscale, energy-intensive AI compute at low cost and high reliability. The role involves being the primary technical owner for utility interfaces, focusing on power, and leading external partners to deliver projects on aggressive schedules. Responsibilities include leading technical scope development and decision-making for behind-the-meter and utility-scale generation strategies, overseeing design, constructability, operability, and commissioning readiness. The position requires close collaboration with development, design, operations, energy, and finance teams to deliver utility solutions that meet capacity, sustainability, and cost objectives across multiple markets. The final title and level will be determined by the candidate's experience and qualifications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or related field.
8–12+ years of experience in utility engineering, power systems, or grid-connected infrastructure, with significant exposure to large-scale data centers, industrial loads, or hyperscale cloud environments.
Deep understanding of transmission and distribution systems, interconnection processes, protection and controls, and utility planning.
Proven experience working directly with electric utilities, ISOs/RTOs, or transmission owners on high-capacity interconnections.
Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects from concept through energization, ideally across multiple regions or countries.
Strong ability to interpret and produce electrical one-lines, protection schemes, and system studies (load flow, short-circuit, reliability).
Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical utility issues into clear business trade-offs and recommendations for non-engineers.
Demonstrated experience with power generation projects and/or generation plant electrical design, such as: Designing or overseeing design of generation plant one-lines, MV distribution, synchronization/paralleling, protection and controls; Managing generator plant concept-to-commissioning delivery (including equipment specification and long-lead procurement); Integrating generation with critical power architectures (UPS/BESS, islanding strategies, microgrid controls).

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Energy Systems, or similar.
Professional Engineer (PE) license or equivalent credential.
Experience with high-density AI / GPU or HPC data centers, including unique power profiles and redundancy requirements.
Familiarity with renewable energy integration, energy storage, microgrids, and low-carbon or sovereign energy strategies.
Experience working in fast-paced growth environments or startups, where speed and execution are paramount.
International experience dealing with utilities, regulators, and grid operators in multiple jurisdictions.
Experience with generator OEMs, EPCs, and commissioning providers for large-scale standby/prime power plants supporting mission-critical facilities.

Responsibilities

Develop and own the long-term utility strategy to support high-density AI / GPU data centers across existing and new regions.
Evaluate and select sites based on grid capacity, reliability, renewable/low-carbon options, interconnection queues, and regulatory constraints.
Build and maintain load forecasts based on AI / GPU growth scenarios and translate them into concrete utility capacity plans.
Develop power supply strategies that include both grid supply and on-site/behind-the-meter generation, evaluating trade-offs across reliability, schedule, fuel availability, emissions, and total cost of ownership.
Lead technical and commercial engagements with utilities, ISOs/RTOs, transmission owners, and large energy providers from early-stage site diligence through energization.
Negotiate and manage interconnection agreements, service agreements, and tariffs in partnership with legal, regulatory, and energy procurement teams.
Track and influence grid upgrade timelines and constraints that impact data center development schedules.
Own the end-to-end technical strategy for on-site power generation used to support data center capacity, schedule acceleration, and resilience.
Lead generation plant concept development through design completion, including architecture decisions and design basis for: Generation technology selection, Electrical topology and one-lines, Protection and controls philosophy, Integration with UPS/BESS/microgrid controllers and operational modes.
Oversee generation interconnection and utility coordination for behind-the-meter and/or utility-parallel operation, including studies, compliance, and operational requirements.
Drive equipment specification and procurement alignment for generator sets, switchgear, transformers, e-houses, controls systems, and balance-of-plant, with focus on long-lead risk and schedule certainty.
Support commissioning planning and field execution for generation systems, including performance verification, reliability demonstration, and handoff to operations.
Define technical requirements and design standards for utility interfaces to high-density GPU data centers (substations, transformers, switchgear, protection, metering, etc.).
Collaborate with internal and external design teams on one-line diagrams, protection schemes, redundancy strategies (N, N+1, 2N), and fault / reliability studies.
Provide engineering leadership on integration of alternative or on-site energy sources (renewables, storage, generators, microgrids, etc.) to improve resilience and cost.
Serve as the utility engineering owner for a set of data center development projects from due diligence through energization.
Work closely with development, construction, and operations to align utility milestones with project schedules and capacity needs.
Visit sites as needed to support commissioning, troubleshooting, and design clarifications in the field.
Identify risks early (grid constraints, upgrade requirements, permitting, schedule slippage) and implement pragmatic mitigations.
Ensure that utility designs meet or exceed reliability targets suitable for AI / GPU workloads with high power density and utilization.
Partner with operations, reliability, and capacity planning to monitor actual performance versus design assumptions and close gaps.
Continuously refine designs and standards to reduce losses, improve PUE / energy efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership.
Lead internal and external partners, setting clear priorities and delivering against aggressive timelines.
Act as the subject matter expert for utility and grid topics, educating internal stakeholders including executives, development, finance, and product teams.
Communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders about utility risks, trade-offs, and options.
Contribute to overall infrastructure strategy, including how power availability, cost, and carbon intensity influence data center and AI capacity roadmaps.