Distribution Engineer

At Leidos, the opportunities are boundless. We challenge our staff with interesting assignments that provide them with an opportunity to thrive, professionally and personally. For us, helping you grow your career is good business.

Leidos is seeking Distribution Engineers & Designers in Walled Lake, Michigan who are passionate about electric utility design engineering. We’re looking for someone who is dedicated to ensuring that every project, no matter how simple or complex, is of exceptional quality. You'll be working directly with clients to make sure that Leidos' reputation for high-quality work is always maintained. If you join us in this role, you'll gain expertise in a variety of areas, including NESC, Structural Pole Modeling, Electrical Power Calculations, GIS design training, Field Data Collection, and Client Design Standards. Your greatest work is ahead!

Location:

This position offers a hybrid working arrangement (3 days remote, 2 days onsite) in our Walled Lake, MI office. The selected candidate(s) will be expected to be available for in-person meetings and assignments throughout the customer territory in Michigan on an as-needed basis.

As a Distribution Engineer / Designer, you can expect to:

• Perform design engineering for electric utility customers, with a primary focus on underground (UG) and Underground Residential Distribution (URD) systems.
• Develop detailed engineering design packages for underground electric distribution projects, including new installations, system upgrades, service extensions, relocations, and infrastructure improvements.
• Design underground distribution systems involving primary and secondary cables, conduit systems, duct banks, manholes, handholes, vaults, transformers, and associated equipment.
• Develop engineering work packages using customer GIS and Work Management Systems (WMS), such as DDS, GDT, GE Smallworld, Bentley Expert Designer, and Maximo.
• Perform underground cable and conduit routing, equipment placement, and design calculations to support safe, reliable, and cost-effective distribution systems.
• Coordinate with other utilities and stakeholders to identify and resolve conflicts involving existing underground infrastructure, including electric, gas, water, sewer, and telecommunications facilities.
• Develop complex underground distribution design packages in urban, suburban, and residential environments, including projects involving limited space, existing infrastructure, and challenging field conditions.
• Support engineering activities involving cable sizing, cable pulling calculations, voltage drop, equipment loading, and electrical clearance requirements.
• Assist with the development of construction drawings, material lists, cost estimates, work permits, easements, and right-of-way (ROW) applications.
• Review engineering design packages with utility customers and coordinate design modifications based on client feedback, construction requirements, and applicable standards.
• Manage assigned project scope, schedules, and budgets while maintaining quality standards and meeting client deliverable expectations.
• Collaborate with internal engineering teams, utility representatives, permitting agencies, and construction personnel to support project execution.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in design workflows, processes, and deliverable quality.
• Work in both field and office environments, including conducting site visits, collecting field data, verifying existing underground infrastructure, and supporting design development.

What Sets You Apart (Background Requirements):

• 2+ years of relevant experience in electric utility distribution engineering or design, preferably with a focus on underground distribution systems.
• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, or Industrial Engineering preferred; additional relevant experience or technical certifications may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Experience working directly for an electric utility or utility engineering consulting company performing electric distribution design.
• Hands-on experience developing underground distribution design packages, including cable and conduit layouts, equipment placement, and associated construction documentation.
• Familiarity with underground distribution infrastructure, including duct banks, manholes, vaults, pad-mounted transformers, and primary and secondary cable systems.
• Working knowledge of applicable electric utility design standards, the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), and underground construction requirements.
• Understanding of underground distribution engineering principles, including cable sizing, cable pulling calculations, voltage drop, equipment loading, and electrical clearances.
• Ability to interpret utility drawings, construction plans, GIS data, and existing underground utility information.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

You Might Also Have Proficiency with:

• Designing complex underground distribution systems in dense urban environments, including underground network or networked distribution systems.
• Underground cable routing, conduit sizing, duct bank configurations, and manhole/vault design.
• Experience with utility relocations, road improvement projects, service upgrades, and underground infrastructure modernization.
• Performing cable pulling tension, sidewall pressure, voltage drop, and electrical load calculations.
• Developing bills of materials (BOM), engineering cost estimates, and Contribution in Aid of Construction (CIAC) calculations.
• MicroStation, AutoCAD, or other CAD-based tools used for underground electric distribution design.
• Utility GIS, work management, and job estimating software.
• Coordinating with municipalities, permitting agencies, and other utility providers on easements, ROW requirements, and construction permits.
• Experience supporting underground construction activities, field investigations, constructability reviews, and resolution of field design conflicts.

At Leidos, we pride ourselves on being a trusted and technology-focused solutions provider. Our Power Delivery Services Team is the go-to for utilities and mobile operators who need reliable power and telecommunication expertise. We've worked with over 50 investor-owned utilities, over 160 municipals/cooperatives, and we're continuing to expand our reach. Plus, we've got an amazing group of industry-leading construction partners who help us deliver meaningful Energy Delivery Solutions. Our recognition as an industry leader has been confirmed time and time again. Engineering News-Record (ENR) has ranked Leidos among the Top 10 T&D Firms and Top 10 Power Firms.

As a valued team member, you can look forward to a fast paced, diverse work environment and flexible work hours/work arrangements, as well as managers who will encourage career development and growth opportunities, including Professional Engineer License (PE), Project Management Professional (PMP), Leadership training, Formal Mentorship Programs, Management opportunities.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

November 2, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $73,450.00 - $132,775.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.