Substation Physical Design Engineer

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Substation Physical Design Engineer based in the United States.

The Substation Physical Design Engineer will play a key role in designing and developing safe, reliable, and efficient electrical substations that support modern power infrastructure. This position involves working on new installations, existing facility upgrades, expansions, and modernization projects across distribution and high-voltage systems. You will develop detailed physical layouts, equipment arrangements, engineering drawings, and construction packages that meet technical, safety, and regulatory requirements. Collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering teams, project professionals, clients, and utility stakeholders, you will help transform complex electrical engineering requirements into practical, constructible designs. This opportunity offers a technically challenging environment where you can contribute to meaningful energy projects, strengthen your expertise, and take ownership of high-impact engineering work. The role is well suited to an analytical, detail-oriented professional who values collaboration, innovation, and continuous development.

Accountabilities

• Lead Substation Physical Design: Design and support new and existing electrical substations, ranging from distribution facilities to high-voltage installations, while meeting client, utility, industry, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop Physical Layouts and Drawings: Prepare equipment arrangement plans, general arrangements, elevation views, sections, and detailed construction drawings for greenfield, brownfield, expansion, and modernization projects.
• Prepare Engineering Design Packages: Develop and review technical documentation, including plan and profile drawings, grounding plans, conduit and cable trench layouts, raceway systems, foundation drawings, material lists, and construction packages.
• Perform Equipment Layout and Clearance Studies: Evaluate equipment placement, electrical clearances, safety requirements, and constructability to ensure compliant and practical substation designs.
• Develop Equipment Specifications: Prepare engineering specifications and documentation for major substation equipment, including power transformers, circuit breakers, disconnect switches, instrument transformers, capacitor banks, reactors, bus systems, and associated support structures.
• Conduct Engineering Calculations: Perform calculations and technical assessments related to bus clearances, equipment positioning, cable routing, grounding systems, and overall station constructability.
• Coordinate Multidisciplinary Design Activities: Participate in design reviews, technical discussions, interdisciplinary coordination meetings, and client meetings to align engineering deliverables with project objectives and customer requirements.
• Ensure Code and Standards Compliance: Apply relevant engineering codes, standards, and industry practices, including IEEE, NEC, NESC, utility specifications, and client-specific engineering requirements.
• Support Design Quality and Project Delivery: Review technical deliverables for accuracy, completeness, safety, and consistency, helping ensure designs are practical to construct and suitable for reliable long-term operation.

Requirements:

• Education: A bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering is preferred.
• Relevant Experience: At least 5 years of experience in substation physical design or power distribution engineering.
• Substation Design Expertise: Strong understanding of substation layouts, equipment arrangements, electrical clearances, grounding systems, cable routing, and construction documentation.
• Engineering Drawing and Documentation Skills: Ability to develop, interpret, and review technical drawings, equipment layouts, engineering specifications, material lists, and construction packages.
• Technical Standards Knowledge: Familiarity with applicable IEEE, NEC, NESC, utility, client, and regulatory requirements governing substation design and electrical safety.
• Engineering Calculation Skills: Ability to perform or support technical calculations involving equipment placement, bus clearances, grounding, cable routing, and constructability.
• Professional Engineering Credentials: A Professional Engineer (PE) license is pre…