Expert Digital Substation Network Specialist- Flexible Location

Requisition ID # 168604 

Job Category: Information Technology 

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Business Unit: Electric Engineering

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: West Sacramento; Fresno; Oakland; San Ramon

Department Overview

The Electric Engineering team ensures the delivery of safe and reliable electric service to our customers. Electric Engineering is responsible for PG&E’s electric distribution and transmission operations, including planning, engineering, maintenance and construction, assets management, business planning, restoration, and emergency response.  

Position Summary 

PG&E is integrating IEC 61850 global standards in their electric substations. The transformation to communication-based protection and control systems requires advanced expertise in networking technologies to ensure secure, reliable, and high-speed system performance.

The Expert Network Specialist is responsible for configuring, commissioning, and maintaining the process bus within a Digital Substation environment, ensuring secure, deterministic, and high-performance communication between merging units and protection relays. The role requires advanced technical knowledge in network architecture, IEC 61850 communication models, time synchronization, and cybersecurity controls to support protection, control and automation functions.  The specialist conducts detailed testing, troubleshooting complex networks, and collaborates with protection engineering to ensure seamless integration of digital protection and control technologies.

The successful candidate will be a liaison working closely with System Protection, System Automation, Compliance, Substation Test, and IT teams to ensure protection and control network systems remain highly reliable while maintaining full compliance with WECC PRC and NERC CIP requirements.

Position duties may include but are not limited to-

• • Performs the most complex operation, management, and maintenance of network and telecommunication systems, linked systems and peripherals to enhance network operations, in accordance with processes and procedures associated with protection and control systems in electric substations. 
  • Responsible for high complexity technical support and administration of critical infrastructure network components (e.g. ethernet switches, fiber optic cables, etc.) associated with protection and control systems in electric substations. 
  • Configures, Commission and Maintains and operates systems and services associated with PG&E’s digital substation process bus infrastructure, providing 3rd tier support by analyzing, diagnosing and resolving the most complex problems.
  • Works closely with Substation Test, System Protection, System Automation, and other IT groups and team members to ensure electric substation protection and control network systems are maintained in an efficient manner and running optimally, and communicates all issues, changes, outages, and maintenance in accordance with processes, procedures, and policies. 
  • Supports development, recommends, and implements enhancements to processes, procedures, and training materials to continually improve efficiencies and knowledge across the team and organization.
  • Provides support for high-profile projects of highest complexity and follows project management principles for project implementation, which include collaboration with project team members, planning, prioritizing, and implementing deliverables, supporting projects on-site or in a remote manner.
  • Works closely with team members providing consultation, evaluation, testing and recommendations to other OT/IT Professionals and Stakeholders for technology-based products and services.
  • Builds functional expertise amongst the team and specifically peers by leading training, presentations, developing and documenting materials that can be used to support and transfer knowledge to others (installations, upgrades, troubleshooting, problem resolution, etc.)
  • Ensures compliance with industry, regulatory and company standards and assists in developing strategies and plans to resolve gaps. 
  • Develops and maintains training class curriculum, conduct internal classes and coordinate vendor training. 

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business need. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory and may require 20-30+% travel across the territory. The headquarter location is flexible and can be based out of Oakland, West Sacramento, Fresno, or San Ramon.

PG&E is providing the hourly rate 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 hourly rate 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.​

The hourly rate for this position ranges from $59.14 to $99.51

This job is also eligible to participate in PG&E’s discretionary incentive compensation programs.
 

Job Responsibilities

•          Performs the most complex operation, management, and maintenance of network and telecommunication systems, linked systems and peripherals to enhance network operations, in accordance with processes and procedures. 

•          Responsible for high complexity technical support and administration of critical infrastructure network components (e.g., routers, switches, load balancers, etc.).

•          Maintains and operates systems and services associated with PG&E’s telecommunications infrastructure, providing 3rd tier support by analyzing, diagnosing and resolving the most complex problems.

•          Works closely with other IT groups and team members to ensure systems are maintained in an efficient manner and running optimally, and communicates all issues, changes, outages, and maintenance in accordance with processes, procedures, and policies. 

•          Leads the development, recommends, and implements enhancements to processes, procedures, training materials to continually improve efficiencies and knowledge across the team and organization.

•          Provides support for high-profile projects of highest complexity and follows project management principles for project implementation, which include collaboration with project team members, planning, prioritizing, and implementing deliverables, supporting projects on-site or in a remote manner.

•          Works closely with team members providing consultation, evaluation, testing and recommendations to other IT Professionals and Stakeholders for technology-based products and services.

•          Builds functional expertise amongst the team and specifically peers by leading training, presentations, developing and documenting materials that can be used to support and transfer knowledge to others (installations, upgrades, troubleshooting, problem resolution, etc.)

•          Ensures compliance with industry, regulatory and company standards and assists in developing strategies and plans to resolve gaps. 

•          Develops and maintains training class curriculum, conduct internal classes and coordinate vendor training.

Qualifications-

Minimum:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business or related discipline, or equivalent experience or technical training.
• 6 years of network, telecommunications, or IT operations experience
• Certification applicable to the system being supported

Desired:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of industry standards such as but not limited to including IEC 61850
• Technical knowledge on communication protocols IEC61850, DNP3, Modbus, PTP, MMS, GOOSE, Sample Values, etc.
• In-depth technical knowledge on network redundancy protocols like Software Defined Network, RSTP, PRP, HSR etc.
• Expert-level knowledge in the field, recognized as a subject matter expert in substation protection and control system.
• In-depth technical knowledge of designated product line and/or service
• Advanced knowledge of operating or network systems and maintenance support
• Ability to resolve a wide range of complex operations issues
• Ability to evaluate existing and proposed systems and recommend upgrades and/or modifications
• Ability to train and mentor other specialists
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team