Senior Power Systems Engineer

Wärtsilä • Herndon, VA

4d

About The Position

Wärtsilä is seeking a Senior Power Systems Engineer to lead dynamic model development and validation for their energy storage and hybrid renewable systems. This role is a key member of the Power Systems team, with a primary focus on creating and maintaining high-fidelity dynamic models of inverter-based resources (IBR) such as battery energy storage systems (BESS), solar PV, and hybrid plants. The engineer will drive modeling excellence in industry-standard tools to support grid integration studies, stability assessments, and the development of automated power system workflows.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Power Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of relevant experience with a strong emphasis on hands-on dynamic model development (not just simulation studies).
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and validating models for inverter-based resources, renewable energy systems (BESS, solar PV, hybrid plants), and power plant controllers.
• Proficiency in PSCAD, PSS®E, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, and at least one scripting language (Python, MATLAB, or Fortran).
• Solid understanding of power system dynamics, control theory, and grid integration of inverter-based resources.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on development, validation, and maintenance of detailed dynamic simulation models for Wartsila BESS, renewable energy systems, inverter-based resources, and power plant controllers in tools such as PSCAD, PSS®E, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, and other industry platforms.
• Build and refine models from first principles, ensuring accurate representation of control algorithms, protection schemes, and plant-level behavior.
• Optimize model parameters for grid stability, voltage/frequency response, and dynamic performance of standalone BESS as well as hybrid BESS + solar PV (or wind) plants.
• Translate complex simulation algorithms into practical software modules (Python, Fortran, or similar) to enable automated modeling workflows and faster project delivery.
• Perform integration studies and dynamic assessments for hybrid renewable plants, focusing on real-world model-to-field correlation and continuous model improvement.
• Serve as a technical modeling expert supporting project developers, utilities, and grid operators.
• Collaborate with business development and project teams during pre-sales, proposals, and execution phases to deliver accurate dynamic models and technical solutions.
• Provide model-related support during design, commissioning, and operations, including troubleshooting model performance issues and ensuring seamless handover.
• Deliver training and knowledge transfer to customers and internal teams on model assumptions, usage, and best practices for dynamic studies.
• Enhance internal modeling tools, libraries, and automation scripts to increase accuracy, speed, and standardization across projects.
• Capture lessons learned from projects and contribute to updates in modeling guidelines, best practices, and template libraries.
• Stay current with evolving grid requirements for inverter-based resources and renewable integration.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior