Engineer I, II, III or Principal

PPL Corporation•Louisville, KY

About The Position

The Substation Project Development Engineer is the single point of accountability for applying technical expertise during the development of LG&E and KU Electric Transmission Substation projects. The role applies value engineering principles to develop scopes of work that resolve identified problems while considering opportunities for long-term system improvements. The position applies physical, electrical, and relay design strategy; assigns and oversees internal and external engineering resources; and establishes budgets, schedules, and deliverables for assigned work. It regularly interfaces with asset management, project managers, project controls analysts, engineers, and contractors, and educates project managers in support of their assigned programs. The engineer coordinates with and influences functional organizational leads and subject matter experts throughout electric transmission. The company may assign the position to work on-site, remotely, or in a combination of both, and the assigned work location may change. Remote work may require physical presence in the office or on-site for face-to-face interaction and coordination. The position may also be assigned an emergency and storm role, which may require working after normal hours to restore power or respond to issues affecting customer service.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering or engineering technology from an ABET-accredited program.
Engineer I: Be a self-starter, goal-oriented, action-focused, and pragmatic.
Engineer II: Minimum of two years of related experience, including prior engineering experience in an electric utility; be a self-starter, goal-oriented, action-focused, and pragmatic, with a drive to expand business and technical knowledge.
Engineer III: Five or more years of engineering experience, or a master's degree in engineering plus three years of engineering experience, or a PhD in engineering plus two years of engineering experience; working knowledge of the electric utility industry and regulations; prior engineering experience in an electric utility; be a self-starter, goal-oriented, action-focused, and pragmatic, with a drive to expand business and technical knowledge.
Principal Engineer: Ten or more years of engineering experience, or a master's degree in engineering plus eight years of engineering experience, or a PhD in engineering plus seven years of engineering experience; prior engineering experience in an electric utility; be a self-starter, goal-oriented, action-focused, and pragmatic, with a drive to expand business and technical knowledge.

Nice To Haves

Ability to analyze and solve engineering problems from a business perspective.
Substation experience.

Responsibilities

Review requests from Asset Management to validate scoping requirements and assess technically correct, cost-effective designs.
Recommend solutions to reliability and maintenance problems, applying knowledge of substation engineering from distribution through transmission voltages, including 12kV/14kV and 69kV to 500kV.
Provide engineering expertise and technical support during planning for large, complex substation design projects, and assist with constructability reviews and outage sequencing preparation.
Develop technical expertise in substation equipment design, including power transformers, circuit breakers, disconnect switches, AC and DC systems, microprocessor relays, and protection schemes.
Work with Central Engineering to develop requirements across disciplines and work groups, including Standards, SCADA, Protection, Civil, and Design Engineering.
Build relationships that facilitate knowledge transfer, cross-functional understanding, and effective presentation of work products.
Collaborate with functional groups to identify project requirements and work with stakeholders to establish executable project plans that meet requirements and consider improved design recommendations.
Support initiatives such as developing innovative procedures, improving design recommendations, and recommending new or better equipment purchases.
Provide technical review of financial authorization documentation, including Investment Proposals.
Ensure contractor services and deliverables for functional groups and project requirements meet quality expectations and are obtained in time to support required in-service dates.
Ensure project documents are complete, current, and stored appropriately.
Educate the business and technical community on Project Development processes, including mentoring Project Managers supporting substation investment initiatives.
Perform an emergency and storm role if assigned, potentially working after normal hours.
Perform other duties and projects as assigned.