Engineer Principal

Summary

This engineer position reports to SRP's PAC Strategy department. The PAC Strategy department is responsible for strategic activities of SRP's Protection, Automation & Control (PAC) division. Responsibilities include acting in a lead role in the research & development of new technologies, capital planning, NERC compliance, various strategic initiatives, standards development, and development and delivery of training. 

Protection, Automation & Control (PAC) is a multifaceted electrical engineering and technology services organization that designs, constructs, operates, and maintains SRP's protection and control systems throughout our generation, transmission, & distribution facilities. PAC's mission is to proactively plan and deploy a well-coordinated, inter-operable protection, monitoring, and control infrastructure that will enable the integration of new technologies to meet the changing needs and preferences of our customers in a reliable and cost-efficient manner. 

What You'll Do

• Actively participate in initiatives, conferences, workgroups, studies, or industry forums that could impact SRP's protection and control systems and support the inclusion of SRP's interests (e.g., EPRI, NATF, industry conferences, etc.) 
• Keep informed of technical developments, industry codes and safety and/or regulatory requirements which have impact upon our protection and control systems 
• Knowledgeable of FERC and NERC requirements as they pertain to electric utility substation reliability requirements 
• Manage all aspects of various compliance specific procedures and plans to implement, maintain, and evidence compliance 
• Perform activities directly supporting compliance, such as periodic vulnerability assessments, patch reviews and baseline configuration management 
• Utilize SRP's 5400sq. ft. Technology Innovation Laboratory in the evaluation of new products to leverage enabling technologies that enhance our protection and control system standards (e.g., IEC 61850, Synchrophasors, server based control and protection, distributed generation, ADMS, etc.) 
• Develop and maintain protection and control standards (e.g., designs, settings/configurations, etc.) consistent with SRP's power system requirements  
• Provide technical support and training on SRP's protection and control standards 
• Lead, coach, direct, and assist technical employees and teams on technical issues 
• Develop protection and control system life cycle replacement plans through the evaluation of asset performance, health, and risk 
• Provide leadership/direction for major or complex engineering and construction projects and/or studies. May be asked to serve as project manager for these projects  
• Assist in contract project specification and technical evaluation of contract project bids 
• Support factory acceptance witness testing of protection and control equipment specified with apparatus, switch gear, and panels 
• Frequent contacts with supervision and engineers of other departments. Deals with industrial customers, consulting engineers, contractors, manufacturers' representatives, public agencies, and other utilities or companies.

What It Takes To Succeed

• Proficiency in protective relay coordination and settings calculations for protection systems a plus 
• Experience with electrical system analysis software such as ASPEN, ETap, SKM, PSS/E and PSLF a plus 
• Proficient with substation protection and control design and industry standards a plus 
• Substation integration/automation, SCADA, RTU, programming a plus 
• Experience with field testing and commissioning of substation equipment a plus

Responsible for budgets, schedules, and management of resources for programs and projects of major scope. Demonstrated network of internal and external contacts including customers, outside agencies, and suppliers of significant equipment and services. Occasional travel to suppliers' facilities, industry functions, and SRP facilities. Ability to work effectively with various organizations within SRP. Ability to use engineering tools required for the job. Must have a valid driver's license.

Required Qualifications

EITHER I OR II

I - Completion of a bachelor's degree in Engineering from an ABET accredited curriculum, an International Engineering Alliance (IEA) recognized institution or ABET Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA)

     And

1. Additional specialty training (MS Engineering, MBA, or 18 graduate level college semester hours from an accredited institution in an engineering related field)

      OR

2. Any state or internationally recognized Professional Engineering registration by the International Professional Engineers Agreement.

II - Any state or internationally recognized Professional Engineering registration by the International Professional Engineers Agreement.

   And

 Additional specialty training (18 graduate level college semester hours from an accredited institution)

Experience

Ten (10) years full time professional experience actively engaged in engineering practice.

Must have demonstrated the successful accomplishment of work as defined for this position.

Contributed to the authoring, publishing and/or presenting of internal or external technical papers.