Senior Lead Substation Project Engineer

Lead Substation Project Engineer

Location: Boise, ID. Other potential sites: Hailey, ID; Billings, MT; Salt Lake City, UT; Lakewood, CO.

Work arrangement: on‑site, hybrid, or remote depending on candidate location, experience, and business needs.

This Opportunity

Provides subject matter technical support and leadership for multi‑site/phase due diligence, investigation, remediation, impact assessment, permitting, improvement, design, development, and construction of utility, industrial, and commercial scale projects in the public and private sector. Tasks include research, design, concept development, planning, and construction of transmission and distribution substations, power distribution, power regulation, renewable energy, and protection and control systems. Provides situational guidance to PMs and managers, ensures documentation and recommendations address risk, innovation, and future‑ready opportunities, and delivers work with quality that meets or exceeds industry standards.

Your Impact

• Provide oversight with collecting, compiling, and analyzing data from the physical work site, surveys, blueprints, GIS data, substation components, equipment specifications for procurement package development and pricing, IFR/IRC detailed design and review processes, and IEEE, NESC, ANSI, NCEC, and NERC standards and regulations for design work.
• Coordinate, review and approve electrical infrastructure design plans for mid‑level and complex projects, ensuring data integrity and compliance with all applicable codes, ordinances, and regulations.
• Apply advanced electrical engineering techniques to identify improvements for various infrastructure project phases including concept development, preliminary design, final design, procurement, construction, and operation.
• Perform professional electrical engineering work, conduct investigations and inspections of proposed and existing site conditions, resources, facilities, substation layout and bus arrangement, grounding grid design and lightning protection, and power plants to determine conformance with applicable rules, standards, and permits.
• Develop construction plans, specifications, cost estimates, prepare safety and phasing plans, and update infrastructure layout plans coordinating with owners, other disciplines, sub‑consultants, and clients.
• Manage design and construction of infrastructure projects from inception to completion, including rehabilitation and reconstruction, grading, drainage, pavement design, specifications, building materials, phasing, and construction safety plans.
• Oversee development and implementation of future‑ready technologies, monitoring devices, building materials, cabling, conduit, trenching design strategies, and operating strategies to ensure safety and functionality for end‑users and systems.
• Lead larger‑scale electrical engineering projects, ensuring contributors know requirements and deadlines, preparing and overseeing budgets, monitoring external events, tracking hours and expenses, supervising subcontractors, contract work, and employees.
• Assist with engineering review of permit applications, engineering design plans and specifications, standby plans, engineering contracts, and periodic construction inspections to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations and sound engineering practice.
• Meet with various public or private entities or individuals to discuss issues relating to electrical/engineering/construction challenges and programs.
• Ensure technical reports and presentations explain research, findings, and recommendations to address electrical, design, and/or construction issues or opportunities.
• Maintain a high level of quality and responsiveness to client requirements in alignment with WSP’s standards.
• Develop a client base for high‑level electrical engineering services and identify additional business development opportunities.
• Mentor staff to support their growth and professional development.
• Remain current in latest electrical engineering techniques and practices.
• Collaborate with professionals from various disciplines on federally, state, regional, and locally funded improvement projects and proposal opportunities.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision‑making regarding company funds, resources, and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.
• 10+ years of relevant post‑education experience as an electrical engineer providing design deliverables for capital projects in power generation, transmission, and distribution at a utility, industrial, or commercial scale.
• Engineer license required (multi‑state preferred).
• Highly proficient with electrical engineering principles, practices, process, design/build, and the application to permitting and project work‑related issues.
• Highly proficient with infrastructure design.
• Experience with infrastructure planning, design, and program/construction management; comprehensive experience in working with adjacent disciplines.
• Strong knowledge of relevant engineering and electrical construction laws, codes, regulations, compliance practices, and record‑keeping requirements.
• Highly proficient with technical computations and calculations involving engineering principles, understanding plans and specifications, and making factual comparisons to the appropriate regulations.
• Experience with planning and conducting inspections and investigations on various aspects of construction and design of facilities or structures.
• Highly effective interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing intricate ideas effectively and professionally to engineering and non‑engineering audiences.
• Strong self‑leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to interact persuasively, tactfully with clients, regulators, project managers, and employees at all levels of the organization.
• Works independently to provide guidance and leadership to mid‑level to senior level team or project members, with strict QA/QC adherence.
• Proficiency with technical writing, office automation, discipline‑specific design software (CADD, Aspen, CAPE, ETAP, WIN IGS, Inventor, AutoCADD electrical), technology, math principles, predictive models, spreadsheets, and tools.
• Experienced with providing critical review for documents and preparing technical deliverables and plans with high complexity.
• Well‑developed critical thinking and problem‑solving skills to apply technical knowledge and reach conclusions from testing results, data collation, computations, statistical analysis, and arrive at effective, economical solutions.
• Demonstrated effectiveness at coordinating and asserting leadership to subcontractors and others to safely and efficiently complete tasks.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and abiding by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• Must be flexible to a variety of schedules, prioritize responsibilities, and adapt to change in a high‑pressure environment.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project‑specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Engineering.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• 10+ years of substation design experience.
• Experience supporting or leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Benefits

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on health and financial stability, including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life coverage; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation; paid parental leave; and paid time off for bereavement, voting, and attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation

Expected Salary (Colorado only): $119,600 – $213,200.

Equal Opportunity Employer

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.