Power System Principal Engineer (System Engineering)

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduation with a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Engineering, or in a field related to the job, eight (8) years of experience in engineering, acquired either before and/or after licensing as a professional engineer.
• Some positions may require prior supervision or lead experience.
  

Licenses Or Certifications

• Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Texas; or if currently licensed in another state, the ability to obtain a Texas PE license within one (1) year of employment.
  

Notes to Applicants

This position resides in the Austin Energy Distribution System Engineering Division and will work with a broad range of work groups and professional disciplines. Develops system protection one lines, device settings, and device testing, and will work with fault analysis software to include device coordination studies with substation feeder relays and other protective devices. Will also work with Distributed Energy Resources and Customer Energy Solutions groups to perform renewable energy interconnection studies and distribution impact studies, and other related duties as required.

Employment Application

• The City of Austin employment application is an official document; incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Please be sure to detail on the application all current and previous employment that you wish to be considered as part of your qualifications.
• The Employment Record should be complete with job titles, employment dates, job duties, functions, and responsibilities for each position held. Starting salary will be based on overall relevant experience from your application.
• R�sum�s will not be accepted and statements such as "see r�sum�" will not be accepted. You may use "N/A" for fields that are not applicable.
• Please note that Austin Energy may close the job posting at any time after 7 days from the date of the initial advertisement. Once the job posting has closed, applications cannot be changed.
• This position requires six years of directly related Utility electrical experience, including two years as a journeyman electrician. Please include all your relevant work experience that meets this requirement.
  

If You Are Selected As a Top Candidate

• Verification of your education (which may include high school graduation or GED , undergraduate and/or graduate degrees) will be required. You must provide proof of education from and accredited organization/institution.
• If you are identified as a top candidate and are in the military or a veteran, you will need to provide a copy of your DD-214 prior to confirming a start date.
• This position requires a criminal background investigation.
  

Travel

• If you are selected for this position, and meet the Driver Safety Standards in the City of Austin Driver Safety Program, you may drive when necessary to multiple locations as part of your regular job duties. Otherwise, you are responsible for getting to and from these locations.
  

Work Schedule

• This position is categorized as Essential Personnel with the City of Austin. Essential staff are required to work during emergencies or bad weather fi they are scheduled to work and, in some cases, when they are not scheduled. Essential employees ensure the continuance of key operations for the City of Austin.
• Work hours may include after hours, holidays, and weekends.
• Shifts may change according to departmental needs.
• Employee may be required to work additional hours outside of regular work schedule.
  

Working with Austin Energy provides a number of health and wellness benefits such as low-cost medical, dental, vision, paid leave time, a highly competitive retirement plan, career development opportunities and more. Please click HERE for more information.

Pay Range

$47.51 - $61.76

Hours

Monday - Friday 8am-5pm

Job Close Date 01/12/2023

Type of Posting External

Department Austin Energy

Regular/Temporary Regular

Grant Funded or Pooled Position Not Applicable

Category Professional

Location SCC

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum eight (8) years of experience overseeing projects and providing technical guidance
• Experience working with medium-voltage electrical distribution equipment and materials
• Experience interpreting electrical one-line diagrams relating to medium voltage electrical distribution
• Experience reading and/or writing technical specifications
• Experience utilizing AutoCAD
• Experience with coordinating system protection with medium-voltage distribution equipment using Time-Over-Current coordination curve software such as CYME or Milsoft Light Table
• Experience using fault analysis software such as CYME or Milsoft Windmil
• Experiencing designing, programming, commissioning, and testing protective relaying equipment, relaying schemes, distribution automation systems and associated communication equipment for medium-voltage electric distribution
• Experience performing power quality analysis and grounding analysis
• Experience with inverter-based renewable resource interconnections to the utility grid
• Experience working with electric meters, metering software systems, ERCOT Emergency Response Systems ( ERS ) and ERCOT polled settlement ( EPS )
  

Duties, Functions And Responsibilities

Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

Develops or oversees development of technical specifications and standards by applying knowledge of the principles and practices of engineering discipline, including the methods, materials, equipment and techniques used. Review, analyze and interpret plans, specifications, contracts and other related documents. Manages and coordinates engineering programs, projects or teams. Plans, researches, designs, and implements engineering studies and projects and/or program areas by applying advance technical knowledge of engineering discipline. Manages and negotiates contracts by reviewing monthly progress reports, verifying final quantities and costs, compiling requisite documentation, reviewing change orders, and auditing as-built records. Acts as a liaison among consultants, contractors, subcontractors, manufacturers, fabricators or suppliers and City. Negotiates problems of changes, errors or deficiencies and ensures compliance with project specifications and requirements. Leads teams of technical personnel including assigning and monitoring tasks to assure consistency with standards, quality and completeness. Reviews standards and updates as needed, technical training to staff and field personnel by reviewing business needs, evaluation of personnel, creating and applying training documentation, presentation and analysis of training. Develops and monitors budget of projects. Assist in develop, managing and submit proposed budget forecast planning for short and long term city planning. Monitor projects for regulatory compliance. Keep up with the latest developments in the utility industry, to meet North American Electric Reliability Council ( NERC ), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( FERC ), Electric Reliability Council of Texas ( ERCOT ) and Texas Public Utility Commission (TX PUC ) standards and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities- Supervision And/or Leadership Exercised

• May be responsible for the full range of supervisory activities including selection, training, evaluation, counseling, and recommendation for dismissal.
  

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

• Knowledge of engineering design principles applicable to electric utility operations such as, generation, transmission, distribution and other related fields.
• Knowledge of advanced mathematical techniques such as trigonometry, calculus, and coordinate geometry.
• Knowledge of engineering standards, codes, practices, procedures, materials, and equipment used in the design, construction, and operation of the electric utility systems.
• Knowledge of established engineering principles and methods.
• Knowledge of preparation of cost estimates and engineering and feasibility reports.
• Ability to perform more complex engineering calculations and to analyze engineering problems.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements within the local, state and federal ordinances and laws.
• Skill in oral and written technical and/or general communication including preparation of written reports.
• Skill in negotiations and handling conflict resolution.
• Knowledge of City of Austin purchasing and contract policies and procedures.
  

Criminal Background Investigation This position has been approved for a Criminal Background Investigation.

EEO/ADA

City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974-3210 or TTY (512) 974-2445.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*). * Are you a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Texas; or if licensed in another state have the ability to obtain a Texas PE license within one (1) year of employment? * Describe your experience overseeing projects and providing technical guidance.

• The minimum qualifications for the position of Power System Principal Engineer require: graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in Engineering, or in a field related to the job, eight (8) years of experience in engineering, acquired either before and/or after licensing as a professional engineer. Some positions may require prior supervision or lead experience. Licenses and Certifications required: Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Texas; or if currently licensed in another state, the ability to obtain a Texas PE license within one (1) year of employment. Do you meet all of the requirements listed?
• Yes
• No
• A. I am currently a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Texas.
• B. I am currently a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in a state other than Texas and have the ability to obtain a Texas PE license within one (1) year of employment.
• C. I am not a licensed Professional Engineer (PE).
  

(Open Ended Question) * Do you have experience using Autocad? * Give a brief description of your AutoCad experience.

• Do you have experience reading and/or writing technical specifications?
• Yes
• No
• Yes
• No
  

(Open Ended Question) * Describe your experience coordinating system protection with medium-voltage electric distribution equipment using time-over-current coordination curve software such as CYME or Milsoft Light Table.

• Do you have experience performing fault calculations?
• Yes
• No
  

(Open Ended Question)

• Describe your experience designing and programing protective relays.
  

(Open Ended Question)

• Describe your experience designing protective relay schemes and distribution automation?
  

(Open Ended Question)

• Describe your experience performing power quality analysis and grounding analysis.
  

(Open Ended Question)

• Describe your experience working with inverter-based renewable resource interconnections to the utility grid.
  

(Open Ended Question)

• Do you have the ability to travel to multiple sites as part of the regular job duties?
• Yes
• No
  

Optional & Required Documents

Required Documents Optional Documents