Substation Staff Engineer

Overview

Join us as we Rise to the Challenge

At KCI, we’re building an enduring community that provides unparalleled value to our employee-owners. We make our mark designing and delivering our world-class solutions, so we invest deeply in supporting and developing our team. We reward integrity and commitment, and when we do well, you do well. Our employees have the freedom to innovate, unlimited growth, a voice that matters, a lifestyle that works, and skin in the game. Achievements are shared and celebrated. As a team, we are motivated to better ourselves, each other, and the world around us. 

THE COMPANY

KCI Technologies, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned engineering, consulting and construction firm serving clients throughout the United States. KCI is recognized as an industry leader, employing cutting-edge technologies, management practices and strategic growth initiatives. Employee ownership fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, encourages technical expertise, and shapes strategic planning.

KCI is currently ranked #50 on Engineering News-Record’s list of the Top 500 design firms in the nation.

KCI BENEFITS INFORMATION

We offer a competitive compensation package, family friendly benefits, a collaborative working environment, and the training, mentoring and resources you need to advance in your career.

We understand that you have choices, and we know that together we will make a great team!

KCI is committed to building a diverse and inclusive staff, and we encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and individuals with disabilities to apply.

KCI Technologies, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Duties, Responsibilities & Other

As KCI Energy’s Staff Engineer – Substation, you perform engineering assignments of increasing complexity supporting transmission and distribution substation projects. The role may be filled by an engineer whose primary technical experience or developing specialty is in Substation Physical and/or Protection & Control and/or Substation Studies and/or Settings/SCADA. Working under the direction of Project Engineers, responsible Professional Engineers, and experienced technical staff, you prepare assigned engineering work and support project delivery from conceptual engineering through construction and commissioning support.

You are expected to develop technical capability in at least one specialty—not necessarily all four—while building awareness of the other specialties and multidisciplinary interfaces. You are accountable for the accuracy, completeness, coordination, and technical quality of your assigned work. You collaborate with Engineers, Designers, and CAD Technicians; follow established standards and workflows; communicate questions and risks early; apply review feedback; and steadily increase your technical judgment and project responsibility.

Key Technical Skills Required:

• Demonstrate foundational technical knowledge and developing capability in Substation Physical and/or Protection & Control and/or Substation Studies and/or Settings/SCADA. Exposure to multiple specialties is preferred but is not required.
• Substation Physical: Support equipment selection and application, one-line diagrams, general arrangements, equipment layouts, bus and conductor design, electrical clearances, grounding, lightning protection, raceways, cable routing, control building arrangements, auxiliary AC/DC systems, equipment specifications, bills of material, and physical design calculations.
• Protection & Control: Support development of protection philosophies, one-line and three-line diagrams, AC/DC schematics, relay and control panels, wiring and interconnection diagrams, CT/VT application, tripping and interlocking schemes, control logic, telecom and SCADA interfaces, cutover plans, testing requirements, and commissioning support.
• Substation Studies: Support power-system model development and perform assigned analysis under technical direction, which may include load flow, short circuit, grounding, arc-flash, protection coordination, insulation coordination, temporary and switching overvoltage, transient recovery voltage, electromagnetic transient, dynamic stability, EMF, induced voltage, and other specialty studies.
• Settings/SCADA: Support protective relay settings and coordination, relay logic and configuration, RTU/IED/gateway integration, SCADA architecture, HMI and alarm configuration, point lists, I/O mapping, databases, communications networks and protocols, IEC 61850 integration, FAT/SAT, field testing, energization, and commissioning support.
• Develop working knowledge of and apply IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NFPA, utility standards, client specifications, and industry practices under appropriate technical guidance.
• Support coordination of assigned interfaces among Substation Physical, Protection & Control, Substation Studies, Settings/SCADA, Civil, Structural, Geotechnical, Transmission Line, Project Management, vendors, contractors, and clients.
• Develop awareness and practical experience in constructability, brownfield execution, outage and cutover planning, system performance, field support, commissioning, quality assurance, and risk management.
• Use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and engineering, design, modeling, settings, automation, and document-control tools applicable to the assigned technical specialty. Experience may include AutoCAD, MicroStation, Bluebeam, ProjectWise, ETAP, SKM, CDEGS, ASPEN OneLiner, CAPE, PSS®E, PSCAD, PowerWorld, relay configuration software, SCADA platforms, and IEC 61850 engineering tools.

The key responsibilities of this role include:

Project Engineering and Collaboration:

• Complete assigned engineering tasks under the direction of a Project Engineer, Senior Engineering Designer, or responsible Professional Engineer while supporting successful project delivery.
• Apply established engineering execution plans, design criteria, technical approaches, deliverable requirements, review processes, and multidisciplinary workflows.
• Prepare assigned calculations, models, settings, databases, specifications, reports, drawings, equipment requirements, procurement documents, testing documentation, and bills of material applicable to the developing technical specialty.
• Support assigned interfaces among Substation Physical, Protection & Control, Substation Studies, Settings/SCADA, Civil, Structural, Geotechnical, Transmission Line, and other disciplines.
• Coordinate day-to-day assigned work with Engineers, Designers, CAD Technicians, specialty disciplines, vendors, and other project resources.
• Assist with technical coordination involving clients, utilities, vendors, contractors, and internal project leadership.
• Participate in technical, design, constructability, client, vendor, and interdisciplinary review meetings and document assigned actions.
• Assist with scope development, estimating, resource planning, technical approaches, proposals, and presentations as assigned.

• Collaborate effectively with Engineers, Designers, and CAD Technicians; receive coaching and review feedback; and share developing knowledge with teammates.

• Prepare assigned deliverables to meet KCI quality standards, client specifications, applicable codes, regulatory requirements, and professional engineering obligations.

Ownership and Accountability:

• Take ownership of assigned engineering tasks from planning through completion and comment resolution.
• Maintain accountability for the accuracy, completeness, coordination, quality, and compliance of assigned work.
• Identify questions, design conflicts, missing information, schedule impacts, quality concerns, and constructability issues early and communicate them to experienced technical staff.
• Document engineering assumptions, calculations, and decisions; apply established methods; seek guidance when needed; and escalate material technical or project risks appropriately.
• Address review comments completely and prepare assigned work for the required technical review and approval before issuance.
• Perform engineering work under the responsible charge of an appropriately licensed Professional Engineer.
• Exercise delegated decision-making authority for defined assignments within established criteria, project requirements, and technical direction. Elevate decisions outside the assigned scope or authority to the responsible Professional Engineer.
• Accurately represent education, certification, and licensure status in all internal and external communications. Do not use the PE designation or represent yourself as a Professional Engineer unless actively licensed and permitted by the applicable jurisdiction.
• Do not independently offer professional engineering services, make final engineering decisions, assume responsible charge, serve as Engineer of Record, or sign or seal engineering documents.

 Training, Development, and Compliance:

• Actively participate in technical training, project coaching, and meaningful review discussions with experienced Engineers, Designers, and CAD Technicians.
• Complete required onboarding and training and participate in technical development, knowledge transfer, and professional licensure activities.
• Demonstrate accountability, collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to developing sound engineering judgment.
• Use established engineering standards, design guides, calculation tools, workflows, and quality practices and contribute improvement ideas and lessons learned.
• Comply with KCI policies, ISO requirements, Quality Management Systems, client standards, professional practice requirements, and industry best practices

 Financial Management:

• Support the Project Manager and Project Engineer by completing assigned work within established scope, budget, schedule, and delivery requirements.
• Plan and track assigned tasks and communicate progress, workload needs, and potential variances early.
• Recognize and communicate potential scope changes, schedule impacts, technical risks, and additional effort affecting assigned tasks.
• Support change management by documenting assumptions, technical impacts, required effort, and revised task requirements.
• Support efficient execution through preparation, standardization, constructability awareness, and effective use of engineering and design resources.

* Essential Duties and Responsibilities are the basic job functions that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. 

Qualifications

Education and/or Skills Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from an ABET-Accredited Program with a minimum of one year of relevant work experience.
• Proficiency in MicroStation, AutoCAD, or Revit.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Good communication and technical writing skills.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to think critically.

Education and/or Work Experience Preferred:

• Previous internships or work experience in the Engineering field.

Certificates, licenses, and/or Registrations Required:

• Valid Driver’s License
• Ability to maintain required certifications.

Certificates, licenses, and/or Registrations Preferred: 

• Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification

Pre-employment drug screening and background check are conditions of employment. Motor vehicle checks may be required based upon position.