Sr Substation Engineer

AltaLink•Calgary, AB

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Manager of Lifecycle Maintenance Engineering, the Sr Substation Engineer will be part of AltaLink’s Operations department. The Lifecycle Maintenance Engineering team’s goal is to direct the optimization and balance of cost, risk and performance for AltaLink’s power system assets and systems throughout their lifecycle. This is done by assessing and trending risk, capital/operating expenditures and system performance; by applying lifecycle models and methodologies; and by creating a long-term view of maintenance activities and corresponding investment requirements. By understanding the cost, risk and performance implications of asset management decisions, AltaLink ensures that the needs of the power system are balanced with the needs of end users. The Sr Substation Engineer is a member of a small team of subject matter experts supporting the definition, implementation, and evolution of lifecycle plans and assessments for AltaLink’s substation equipment. The Substation Engineer will lead condition monitoring activities, conduct comprehensive life cycle assessments for substation equipment and components, analyzing performance, reliability, and efficiencies through the equipment’s operational lifespan with the goal of optimizing maintenance, refurbishments and replacements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
Professional Engineer registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) or qualifies for registration with APEGA.
Minimum 10 years’ experience in utility substation equipment, maintenance and life cycle management.
Proven ability/experience in the above noted responsibilities.
Experience in substation equipment maintenance and testing evaluations, conditional assessments, performance monitoring and analysis.
Experience working collaboratively with SMEs from other transmission disciplines including P&C, Scada, Lines and Telecom.
Strong understanding of maintenance best practices, reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) and condition-based monitoring.
Proficiency with data analysis tools, maintenance databases and expert systems with working knowledge of the following, or similar, considered as asset: OSI PI historian, Doble, TOA, breaker timing tests
Excellent analytical, risk assessment and decision-making skills.
Knowledge of applicable industry standards such as IEC, IEEE, CSA, and ANSI.
Demonstrated ability to take a leadership role for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues.
Strong writing, reporting and oral presentation skills.
Working in a regulated environment.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage a wide variety of issues on multiple projects simultaneously.
Must be able to work both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic team environment.
Effective communication and interpersonal skills to interface with team members and customers to promote positive customer outcomes.
Able to positively influence others
Must have a track-record of developing strong internal and external relationships.
Asset Management Strategies, Statistical and reliability analysis
Proven track record of good attendance.

Responsibilities

Supporting GTA business case development and answering regulatory requests.
Conduct life cycle assessments for substation equipment, including supporting the development of purchasing specifications, improving equipment maintenance standards, developing troubleshooting procedures, completing life extension alternative assessments, creating sparing plans and optimizing replacement selection criteria.
Leading the Condition Monitoring and Assessment (CMA) process for asset condition trending and analysis focusing on substation equipment.
Leading the Condition Monitoring initiative for equipment located in substations, including defining selection criteria and prioritization of monitoring devices, and collaborating with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to implement new condition monitoring programs.
Develop and implement comprehensive preventative maintenance programs for substation equipment to enhance the longevity and reliability while optimizing the effectiveness and efficiency of offline maintenance.
Analyze data from numerous expert systems and data sources, including operational and conditional data, historical records and failure reports, industry resources, to determine trending and make recommendations for future upgrades, replacements, and refurbishments of station equipment. Explore new methods and focus on continued improvement to the existing health and risk-based tools used for asset expenditure planning and replacement selections including the establishment of health indices and failure curves.
Evaluation of online asset monitoring technologies considering the integration into AltaLink’s systems to facilitate proactive and data-driven maintenance, real-time visibility and early fault detection. Develop maintenance programs for these devices, including troubleshooting and replacement plans.
Provide technical direction for development of the annual Scope of Work (SOW) and long-range plan (LRP).
Support substation asset replacement selections through AltaLink’s Capital Replacement and Upgrade (CRU) programs and defend the asset selections in AltaLink’s General Tarriff Application (GTA).
Collaborate with cross-functional teams during CRU project scope development and execution.
Maintain, support upgrades, provide oversight, and administration of engineering databases and integrations (e.g., Doble, TOA, Cascade, CABA, Fail/Saves).
Provide technical and on-demand support in the analysis and resolution of system disturbances and undesirable equipment performance.
Investigate and resolve systemic substation equipment defects and deficiencies.
Perform end of life expectancy assessments and equipment condition assessments.
Provide innovative solutions for system reliability, safety and efficiency improvements.
Perform substation equipment sparing assessments.
Provide technical support, direction, and training to substation field personnel, junior engineers and non-technical office personnel.
Demonstrate key behaviors and meet identified expectations outlined in our four cultural pillars – one team, continuous improvement, customer focus and personal accountability.