Principal Electrical Engineer, ATS Grid & Electrification Innovation

Requisition ID # 171763 

Job Category: Engineering / Science 

Job Level: Manager/Principal

Business Unit: Strategy & Growth

Work Type: Onsite

Job Location: Danville; San Ramon

Department Overview

Applied Technology Services (ATS) has been providing technology-based, innovative, high-value services to the Company for over 40 years. ATS is a multidisciplinary team of over 120 engineers, scientists, and technicians. The ATS vision is to be a forward-thinking, technological leader providing high-value solutions and services needed across the Company.

Position Summary

The Principal Electrical Engineer, ATS Grid & Electrification Innovation position is located within the Grid & Electrification Innovation (G&EI) organization within ATS. G&EI operates state-of-the-art laboratories for electric transmission and distribution (T&D) hardware & software validation, engineering studies & analysis, real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, energy efficiency codes & standards testing, advanced metering, customer electrification & decarbonization, as well as data fusion and predictive waveform analytics.

Our highly qualified staff leverage unique technical engineering design & fabrication skills to solve PG&E’s most complex engineering challenges in anomaly detection, system protection, electric reliability, DERs, V2X & electrification, microgrids, ADMS, DERMS, and Integrated Grid Planning (IGP).  The incumbents maintain knowledge of and implement to all Company and regulatory safety and quality processes and procedures. This is an on-site position, based in our San Ramon Technology Center office.

The Principal Electrical Engineer, ATS Grid & Electrification Innovation will be at the leading edge of this through performing complex power system analysis, engineering studies, and HIL testing of emerging T&D grid technologies, applications, and devices. The position will involve partnership with a broader team within PG&E including the T&D planning, standards and asset strategy, system protection, and automation engineering teams. Work may range from general technical consultation to comprehensive support from planning through production implementation of new technologies.

The selected candidate must live within PG&E’s service territory.

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job.  The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, and internal equity.  Although we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed towards the middle or entry point of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.​

A reasonable salary range is:

Minimum Base Salary (Bay Area)            $155,000.00

Mid Base Salary (Bay Area)        $210,000.00

Maximum Base Salary (Bay Area)           $265,000.00

The ATS Grid & Electrification Innovation staff provides:

• Technology literature review and feasibility assessment
• Electric T&D technology evaluation
• Electric power system modeling and analysis
• Engineering studies
• Advanced metering evaluation
• Distributed energy resource integration assessment
• Laboratory testing
• Travel required; frequency depends on the assignment and is typically less than 5%.

 Job Responsibilities

• Completes assignments of broad scope and complexity with few precedents or standards requiring integration of information from a variety of sources
• May partner with stakeholder organizations to develop electric grid design and operational enhancement strategies.
• Develop existing and new relationships with other PG&E functional areas to understand expectations, concerns and ensure strong customer satisfaction.
• Develops test protocols, models, technologies and analyzes data
• Evaluates the performance of parts, assemblies or systems under simulated operating conditions, and records results
• Compiles project test results and preparation of reports and recommendations for client and Leadership
• Performs engineering studies and prepares system models and analysis tools
• Expands knowledge in other areas of specialty or field, developing breadth or further develops expertise and specialization in one area
• Identifies innovations and the cost-reduction potential of new and existing technologies
• Continually identifies testing or process improvements
• Provides mentoring and guidance to junior level peers
• Represents PG&E and provides testimony or information related to projects or other issues to external customers, agencies or other parties.
• Recognized outside the company as an authority on a particular engineering/technical field or discipline. Represents PG&E and speaks at conferences or seminars. May write articles in trade journals. Influences industry developments.

Qualifications

Minimum:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with emphasis in a discipline related to assignments. (i.e., mechanical, civil or electrical engineering, etc.)
• 10 years related working experience

Desired:

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Power system emphasis desired)
• 10 years or more or equivalent combination of job-related experience and postgraduate degree with specific experience in at least 5 areas of the following: Electromagnetic Transient Analysis, HIL Testing, Power System Equipment Testing, Power Flow Modeling and Analysis, Metering, Telecommunications and Networking, Test Automation, Controls and Data Acquisition, Engineering Analytics, Power Electronics, Renewable Generation, Grid integration, Electric Vehicles, Electric Grid Planning and Design, and DERs
• Experience with utility modeling software such as CYME, PSCAD, RSCAD, PSS/E, PSLF creating, configuring, and validating power system models, including transmission, distribution, and DER integration scenarios
• Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing including interfacing with physical protection and control devices (relays, PMUs, IEDs)
• Experience developing technical papers and presentations for electric power industry organizations such as IEEE, CIGRE, and IEC
• Ability to work safely around high voltage test equipment, in substation and power plant environments.
• Strong investigative and analytical problem-solving skills
• Professional Engineer’s License
• Broad understanding of engineering research and testing concepts, theories, practices, methods, techniques in the area of specialization, as well as a general knowledge of other engineering specialties
• Understanding of quality assurance and quality control concepts and practices
• Excellent interpersonal and project management skills
• Leadership skills
• Communication, presentation, and teamwork skills
• Project management skills
• Good customer service orientation
• Experience with utility SCADA, ADMS, and EMS platforms
• Programming experience including National Instruments LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB