Senior Systems Engineer - Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Integration and Analysis

MPR Associates•Alexandria, VA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

MPR Associates, Inc. (MPR), a thriving multi-discipline, specialty engineering services and consulting firm, is actively seeking a capable and motivated Senior Systems Engineer – DER Integration and Analysis to join our team. If you are seeking a unique, challenging, and rewarding career opportunity, MPR may be the right company for you. Founded in 1964, MPR has a wide and growing client base in the fields of power and energy, federal services, and health and life sciences, in the United States as well as internationally. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, we also have offices in East Lyme, Connecticut and Burlington, Massachusetts. MPR makes challenging projects successful, delivering safe and reliable technical solutions across the entire project or product life-cycle to benefit our clients and society as a whole. We hire the best and brightest, which results in a high-performance culture built on trust and respect, making MPR an exceptional place to work. The Senior Systems Engineer will provide strategic guidance and technical leadership to electric utilities, solar/energy storage project and technology developers, commercial/industrial entities, and regulatory bodies in enabling increased application of energy storage, solar and other DER technologies as alternatives to and to complement conventional generation and T&D investments. The candidate will work closely with the MPR T&D leadership team to develop market and client strategies and align MPR’s growth, skills, and tools development with future industry needs. This is a full time position based out of MPR’s Virginia office; a remote candidate will be expected to periodically travel to the Virginia office. The Senior Systems Engineer is expected to support a broad range of services including: Systems engineering for developing and deploying advanced grid technologies including those that enable energy storage and other DER implementation Leadership associated with standards development and industry consensus building Solar and/or energy storage technology and project development and implementation Development of customer resiliency solutions including microgrid design and implementation Technical support of regulatory agencies in implementing policies that impact the safety, reliability and cost of energy delivery Utility strategy, planning, and operations support Client project and program management Support projects from other MPR business groups in a systems engineering role as required The individual’s primary responsibility is client-facing management of MPR projects including understanding client business and project objectives, preparing proposals/task authorizations, identifying and securing/instructing appropriate resources, and providing direction and oversight of the project team in a manner that builds MPR and individual team member capabilities. The successful candidate will actively maintain client communications in a manner that ensures effective project delivery while building client confidence and ensuring a sustainable long-term client relationship. Additionally, the candidate will: Advance their personal “brand” and client relationships throughout the industry Advise MPR leadership on aligning MPR skills, capabilities and services with ongoing and future customer and industry needs

Requirements

4 year technical degree is required
5 to 15 years working experience in a project/systems engineering role in T&D and/or DER technology, including demonstrated experience with several of the following:
Transmission and/or distribution system planning
DER technologies including battery energy storage systems and solar technologies
Specification and qualification for electrical/electronic components used in power delivery – including power inverters in particular
Power systems analysis software tools and associated applications
Creating business/product use cases and technical specifications/requirements
Microsoft Office Software
Strong communication skills; both written and oral
Self-motivated and disciplined, ability to work efficiently in a telework environment if required
Ability to lead and work within teams
Motivated to tackle new problems and take on new responsibilities
Effective time management and organization skills
Strong questioning attitude and the ability to accept that in others
As required by project assignments. Estimated level is up to 10-20%, typically not exceeding 2-3 days at a time.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree is a plus
P.E. license is a plus
Experience with industry standards including UL 1741 and IEEE 1547 is considered a plus
Familiarity and/or working knowledge of applications and use of some or all of the following are a plus:
Power systems design and analysis tools including EMTP, eTAP, PSCAD, PSS/e, PSLF, Aspen, PLS-CADD, Synergi, Windmill, and/or CYME
Data analytics software including Azure Databricks, SAS, and/or Tableau
MathWorks Software (MATLAB, SIMULINK)
Cloud data management platforms including AWS and/or Azure

Responsibilities

Systems engineering for developing and deploying advanced grid technologies including those that enable energy storage and other DER implementation
Leadership associated with standards development and industry consensus building
Solar and/or energy storage technology and project development and implementation
Development of customer resiliency solutions including microgrid design and implementation
Technical support of regulatory agencies in implementing policies that impact the safety, reliability and cost of energy delivery
Utility strategy, planning, and operations support
Client project and program management
Support projects from other MPR business groups in a systems engineering role as required
Client-facing management of MPR projects including understanding client business and project objectives, preparing proposals/task authorizations, identifying and securing/instructing appropriate resources, and providing direction and oversight of the project team in a manner that builds MPR and individual team member capabilities.
Actively maintain client communications in a manner that ensures effective project delivery while building client confidence and ensuring a sustainable long-term client relationship.
Advance their personal “brand” and client relationships throughout the industry
Advise MPR leadership on aligning MPR skills, capabilities and services with ongoing and future customer and industry needs