Substation Project Engineer

Strata Careers • Durham, NC

13h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Substation Project Engineer is responsible for supporting the engineering, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, and closeout of Substation electrical projects, with a primary focus on substations, transmission-related scopes, and interconnection facilities for utility-scale solar and battery energy storage projects. This role serves as a key technical and project execution interface between engineering, procurement, construction, subcontractors, consultants, utilities, and internal project stakeholders. The Project Engineer supports safe, cost-effective, schedule-driven, and technically compliant project delivery in accordance with contract requirements, applicable codes, utility standards, and PGS quality expectations.

Requirements

• B.S. degree in Electrical, Civil, or Mechanical Engineering from an ABET-accredited university, or related technical discipline.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in substation and/or transmission line engineering, design, or project engineering roles.
• Working knowledge of applicable industry standards and codes, including IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, and NEMA.
• Demonstrated ability to review engineering deliverables produced by external consultants, EPC contractors, or engineering service providers, and to identify design errors, omissions, or non-conformances.
• Represent PGS in technical coordination meetings with consultants, engineering partners, and, as needed, clients and regulatory authorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to coordinate across engineering, project management, procurement, and construction disciplines.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, scaling organization.
• Ability to travel occasionally, up to 15%, to project sites and factory acceptance test locations.

Nice To Haves

• Engineer in Training (EIT) certification, with progress toward Professional Engineer (PE) licensure.
• Familiarity with power system analysis software such as ETAP, PSCAD, or PSS/E.
• Experience working with distributed, multi-firm, or offshore engineering teams.
• Experience in solar, BESS, or broader renewable energy interconnection projects.
• Experience with document control systems, data rooms, submittal management, RFI tracking, punch list tracking, and project closeout documentation.

Responsibilities

• Support the engineering execution of substations, transmission lines, gen-tie facilities, interconnection facilities, protection and controls systems, and related infrastructure from proposal state to project award through closeout.
• Coordinate with internal engineering teams, external engineering consultants, procurement, construction, commissioning, and project management to ensure alignment on scope, schedule, budget, quality, and safety requirements.
• Review engineering design packages, studies, drawings, specifications, calculations, equipment submittals, relay settings, protection and controls drawings, grounding designs, cable schedules, SCADA/communications drawings, and construction deliverables for completeness, constructability, and compliance with project requirements.
• Support the development, review, and maintenance of project technical documentation, including design basis specifications, single-line diagrams, general arrangements, grounding plans, control schematics, wiring diagrams, equipment lists, test plans, commissioning documentation, and as-built records.
• Assist in managing engineering deliverable schedules, consultant performance, design review cycles, comment resolution, and technical action items to support project milestones and construction readiness.
• Track, log, and help resolve technical RFIs, design clarifications, field change requests, non-conformance items, and engineering support during construction, testing, commissioning, and energization.
• Support procurement of long-lead Substation equipment, including transformers, circuit breakers, disconnect switches, instrument transformers, relays, control buildings, protection panels, station service equipment, battery systems, fiber/telecom equipment, and other substation materials.
• Review vendor drawings, technical submittals, equipment data sheets, bills of material, factory test procedures, and operation and maintenance manuals for conformance with project specifications and utility requirements.
• Participate in factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, equipment inspections, and resolution of technical issues with vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors.
• Support construction teams by reviewing work plans, installation details, test results, turnover documentation, punch lists, and commissioning packages.
• Assist with permitting, project planning, schedule development, progress tracking, cost forecasting, risk identification, and reporting related to engineering and technical scopes.
• Support technical compliance with interconnection agreements, utility requirements, power purchase agreements, EPC contracts, owner specifications, permits, and applicable project documents.
• Coordinate with utilities, independent engineers, owner’s engineers, AHJs, EPC partners, subcontractors, and consultants to resolve technical issues and support successful project execution.
• Conduct technical evaluations, feasibility reviews, constructability reviews, value engineering assessments, and risk assessments for proposed Substation project scopes.
• Support estimating, proposal development, EPC bid reviews, subcontractor evaluations, project handoff, and lessons learned activities by providing technical and execution-focused input.
• Ensure designs and work activities comply with applicable codes and standards, including IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NFPA, OSHA, NEMA, IEC, utility standards, and project-specific requirements.
• Support testing, commissioning, energization, and turnover activities, including coordination of test plans, commissioning checklists, relay testing documentation, outage planning, and utility witness requirements.
• Lead and represent PGS in technical coordination meetings with consultants, engineering partners, and, as needed, clients and regulatory authorities.
• Maintain accurate project records, design review logs, RFI logs, submittal logs, punch lists, commissioning documentation, lessons learned, and technical closeout packages.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, accountability, continuous improvement, and proactive communication across engineering and project execution teams.

What This Job Offers

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