Senior Engineer - Generation Electrical & Controls

Puget Sound Energy • Dayton, WA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Puget Sound Energy’s Generation Electrical & Controls (GEC) department is looking for an Electrical Engineer with experience in Industrial Processes and Controls, Protective Relaying, electrical maintenance, asset management or in closely related fields, to join our team.

GEC is a centralized group providing electrical engineering support for all PSE owned generating facilities including hydro, gas turbine, wind, solar and battery storage. This support includes professional engineering services in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of these facilities.

The successful candidate will review and verify complex engineering plans, designs, drawings, specifications, standards, evaluations, and studies utilizing specialized analytical skills. The candidate should possess knowledge of, or must be able to learn, plant electrical and mechanical systems related to power generation and storage. They must be able to communicate successfully with personnel possessing a wide variety of technical backgrounds, and be able to ensure compliance with codes, standards, and design, operation, and maintenance requirements and ensure that problem solutions are tailored to PSE’s business environment. In addition, they will need to provide quick, professional responses to assist generating plant staff with troubleshooting operational problems on complex plant control systems as well as a variety of power generation equipment.

The ideal candidate would have significant power plant controls experience. Tasks for this position include but are not limited to the following:

Support commissioning and troubleshoot operational issues related to wind and solar generation (primary function), instrumentation, PLCs, DCSs, SCADA, and various power generation equipment.
Propose recommendations for control system upgrades, component replacements and design improvements.
Manage projects from inception to project close-out including:

create the project scope, budget and schedule
support construction and installation phases
lead commissioning and initial start-up
ensure successful implementation and accurate documentation
development of maintenance plans and plant procedures

Prepare specifications and request-for-proposals as well as evaluate proposals from vendors.
Evaluate the condition of critical electrical components; specify new and replacement components as required.
Design and/or modify HMIs, PLC, and DCS logic using various programming methods, including ladder logic, structured text and function block “languages”.
Creating or modifying P&IDs, loop drawings, schematics and wiring diagrams.
Mentor and train other engineers and technicians.
Support emergency response work as requested including immediate and extended restoration efforts driven by weather or other system failures.
Validate NERC compliance and develop/execute action plans to close compliance gaps.
Perform Arc Flash studies and develop reports.

The work will consist of a mix of field and office responsibilities in central and southeast Washington State as well as the Billings, Montana area, primarily in support of various wind and solar projects. The field work typically ranges from 40-60 percent of the total depending upon assignments and takes place at the various PSE generating locations. Some overnight stays may be necessary when working at distant locations. This is a hybrid work position with some flexibility in selecting an office location.

This job is considered “safety sensitive” as defined in RCW 49.44.240 and is subject to pre-employment drug screening that includes screening for the presence of marijuana and marijuana metabolites.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree or PE license in electrical, mechanical, civil or other appropriate engineering field.
• Substantial experience in planning, design, specification preparation, technical field work, project cost estimating and scheduling (typically achieved after 8 or more years practice as a degreed engineer). Years of acquired experience is provided as a guide and alone does not constitute readiness for job level as individual’s skill acquisition rates can vary significantly.
• Demonstrated organization, documentation, prioritization, and project management skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in wind or solar generation.
• Experience with Low and Medium Voltage electrical systems.
• Solar and Wind site asset maintenance and inspection experience.
• Experience with Low Voltage electrical studies including Arc Flash and low voltage protection coordination.
• Protective Relay experience, both electrical design and settings, as well as related NERC compliance.
• Possession of, or ability to acquire, a Professional Engineering license.
• Experience working on complex engineering projects.
• Industrial Controls along with SEL RTAC experience; Industrial Networking and NERC compliance experience a plus
• Knowledge of and experience with computer networking, firewalls, architecture, protocols, routers, and controllers
• Experience with MET towers is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Interprets and/or modifies available guidelines for application to existing problems or processes.
• Reviews and verifies complex designs, standards, studies and analyses.
• Provides a detailed design review of internal or external technical documents.
• Prepares cost estimates and project evaluations without direct supervision.
• Plans and develops project budgets with appropriate documentation.
• Ensures compliance with codes, standards, and design, operation, and maintenance requirements.
• Identifies potential areas of weakness with assigned work and initiate corrective action.
• Documents and shares work with others to strengthen the depth of skills within PSE’s engineering workforce.
• Communicates solutions to personnel possessing a wide variety of educational and employment backgrounds, including in public forums in both verbal and written forms.
• Ensures that problem solutions are tailored to PSE’s business environment.
• Supports emergency response work as requested including immediate and extended restoration efforts driven by weather and other system failures.
• May lead or coordinate the work of junior engineers, engineering assistants, field technicians, and others who assist on specific projects. (This includes contractor/consultants.)
• Performs job duties at various PSE generating sites and requires employees operate a vehicle up to eight hours per day while maintaining a clean driving record free of moving violations.
• Traverse at least one mile per day over uneven ground, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• In order to access equipment, must climb and descend wind turbine generators, stairs, ladders, and temporary scaffolding, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Benefits

• Employees are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance.
• There are additional voluntary options of supplemental life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent daycare, and an Employee assistance program (EAP).
• For long term savings, PSE offers a 401(k) investment option and a cash balance retirement plan.
• Employees will also receive Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays throughout the calendar year.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior