Senior Substation Automation Engineer - Grid Modernization

TL;DR

Senior Substation Automation Engineer (Grid Modernization): Lead the transition of IEC 61850-based digital and virtual substations from pilot to production with an accent on secure, vendor-agnostic substation automation architectures. Focus on designing real-time networking, time synchronization, protection integration, cybersecurity hardening, and virtualization of substation functions.

Location: Preference for candidates located near US regional offices including Overland Park KS, Atlanta GA, Dallas TX, Cary NC, Orlando FL, Tualatin OR, Houston TX. Hybrid or flexible work options may be offered after first 90 days. Relocation eligible: Yes. No visa sponsorship.

Company

Employee-owned engineering firm with over 100 years of innovation in sustainable infrastructure, power SCADA, and grid modernization as a founding member of the vPAC Alliance.

What you will do

• Lead IEC 61850 engineering including SCL artifacts, MMS/GOOSE/SV configuration, and logical node mappings for protection, automation, and SCADA.
• Design substation networking with PRP/HSR, VLANs, QoS, and PTP time synchronization for deterministic real-time performance.
• Integrate multi-vendor IEDs with SCADA/HMI, applying data modeling for interoperability.
• Incorporate cybersecurity into architectures with authentication, segmentation, and cyber-informed engineering.
• Configure virtualized substation functions on VMware ESXi, Red Hat KVM, or SEAPATH hypervisors meeting IEC 61850-3 standards.
• Contribute to standards, industry groups like vPAC Alliance, and produce documentation for project delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or equivalent with minimum 11 years related experience.
• Active engineering registration/licensure for EOR requirements.
• Ability to complete pre-employment checks including background, drug screen, and motor vehicle records.
• Experience in IEC 61850 modeling, substation networking, protection integration, and SCADA.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with OT cybersecurity frameworks and virtualized platforms like VMware vCenter/vSAN/NSX or Red Hat OpenShift.
• Experience with vPAC principles and industrial servers for virtualized substations.
• Participation in IEEE/IEC standards and industry groups like CIGRE or ISA99.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work environment for work-life balance after initial period.
• Competitive compensation, 401k match, health/dental/vision insurance, wellness program from day one.
• Paid vacation, holidays, sick time; tuition reimbursement, adoption support, performance bonuses.
• Employee-owned ESOP with stock ownership and career growth opportunities.
• Inclusive environment valuing diverse perspectives; flexible schedules.