Design Engineer 2 - High Voltage

SOLV Energy is a leading provider of infrastructure services to the power industry, designing, building and maintaining utility scale solar, battery storage and high voltage substation projects nationwide.

Job Description Summary:

The Design Engineer II, Substation owns the preliminary substation design and engineering lifecycle for assigned utility-scale solar, BESS, and related interconnection projects. This role serves as the primary technical owner from BD kickoff through Design-to-Preconstruction handoff, aligning preliminary design, scope, schedule, risk, and technical assumptions before execution begins.

This role is fully remote. Specific location details and expectations will be discussed during the interview process.

Job Description:

*This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned 

Position Responsibilities and Duties: 

• Preliminary Substation Design and Technical Ownership 

• • Own the first-pass preliminary substation design approach for assigned pursuits and projects by reviewing all applicable requirements and project-specific inputs to define the design basis, key assumptions, equipment requirements, layouts, quantities, risks, and open items needed to support the 10% design deliverable. 

• • Review client provided documents, technical exhibits, PPAs, interconnection agreements, utility and ISO handbooks, owner standards, and related project information to identify requirements, assumptions, risks, opportunities, and scope outside of SOLV standards. 

• • Serve as the primary substation design subject matter expert for assigned projects and coordinate technical inputs from engineering consultants, procurement, estimating, scheduling, NERC support, revenue metering, security, and other specialty subcontractors. 

• • Lead development of the 10% substation design, including single-line diagrams, general arrangement drawings, equipment sizing, and related refinements, to support estimating with pricing. 

• Estimate and Scope Alignment 

• • Coordinate with estimating and scheduling to ensure the preliminary design, quantities, scope narrative, schedule, and commercial assumptions are aligned. 

• • Review estimates for technical completeness and identify gaps, exclusions, owner-furnished equipment, allowances, contingencies, and scope items that require clarification or escalation. 
  • Deliver the owner reviewed preliminary substation design to estimating and BD in accordance with the project stage-gate schedule. 
• Client and Project Engagement 

• • Participate in routine client meetings to review technical exhibits, explain preliminary design assumptions, identify risks, and clarify requirements outside of SOLV standards. 
  • Support contractual exhibit reviews, markups, and technical responses needed to facilitate LNTP, while escalating material commitments, non-standard requirements, and significant risk. 
  • Communicate design decisions, open items, risks, and required owner or utility inputs clearly to internal and external stakeholders. 
• EOR and Engineering Consultant Coordination 

• • Prepare and issue proposal requests to EORs and engineering subcontractors, including, NERC support, revenue metering, and other specialty disciplines as required. 
  • Review received proposals for technical scope, deliverables, exclusions, assumptions, and commercial alignment. 
  • Align EOR and subcontractor proposals with the project scope, estimate, schedule, and LNTP requirements, and submit the final proposal information to BD, scheduling, estimating, engineering controls, and other required stakeholders. 
• Handoff and Early Execution Readiness 

• • Prepare the engineering scope, proposal information, schedule inputs, EOR or consultant coordination details, assumptions, risks, and open items needed for handoff to the Preconstruction Engineering team. 
  • Support the handoff process by clearly transferring RFIs, client comments, design risks, procurement constraints, required decisions, and unresolved technical items to the HV engineering team. 
• Quality Assurance, Value Engineering, and Documentation 

• • Review and approve preliminary substation design deliverables for assigned projects and verify alignment with PPA, IA, utility, ISO, owner, SOLV, AHJ, and vendor requirements. 
  • Propose cost-effective, reliable, and constructible alternatives and resolve design challenges in collaboration with internal teams, EORs, consultants, vendors, and clients. 
  • Maintain accurate documentation of design iterations, technical decisions, client comments, proposal revisions, assumptions, and handoff materials. 
  • Use established checklists and standards, identify recurring issues, and recommend improvements for incorporation into department processes and standards. 
• Team Leadership and Development 

• • Assign and coordinate work for substation designers, engineers, interns, and technical support staff on assigned projects; review work for quality, completeness, and schedule compliance. 
  • Mentor junior team members and identify training or development needs related to substation design, protection and controls, metering, utility requirements, RFP review, estimating support, and project handoff. 

Minimum Skills or Experience Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from an accredited institution. 

• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure or equivalent certification is a nice-to-have, not a must. 

• Minimum of 3+ years of experience in electrical substation engineering. 

• Demonstrated proficiency in electrical design software (AutoCAD, ETAP, or similar). 

• Strong understanding of substation design principles, protection schemes, and industry standards (IEEE, NEC, NESC, etc). 

• Thorough understanding of local, state, and federal regulations related to electrical engineering and solar development. 

• Familiarity with utility interconnection requirements and contract language. 

• In-depth knowledge of applicable building codes, engineering principles, and industry best practices. 

• Effective communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders. 

• Ability to adapt to changing priorities, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and deliver results under tight deadlines. 

• Ability to travel up to 10% 

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without requiring employer sponsorship now or in the future.

SOLV Energy Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At SOLV Energy we celebrate the power of our differences. We are committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces that improve our communities. SOLV Energy prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind against an employee or applicant based on race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, or ethnicity, mental or physical disability, veteran status, parental status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Benefits:

Employees (and their families) are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance. Employees can enroll in our company’s 401(k) plan and are provided vacation, sick and holiday pay.

Compensation Range:

$90,853 - $113,566

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

SOLV Energy does not accept unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies. We require all third-party recruiters to communicate exclusively with our internal talent acquisition team. SOLV Energy will not pay a placement fee to any third-party recruiter or agency that has not coordinated their recruiting activity with the appropriate member of our internal talent acquisition team.

In addition, candidate introductions or resumes can only be submitted to our internal talent acquisition recruiting team if a signed vendor agreement is already on file and the third-party recruiter or agency has received formal instructions from our internal talent acquisition team to submit candidates for a particular job posting.

Any unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes sent by third-party recruiters to SOLV Energy or directly to any of our employees, or received through our website or career portal, will be considered property of SOLV Energy and will not be eligible for a placement fee. In the event a third-party recruiter submits a resume or refers a candidate without a previously signed vendor agreement, SOLV Energy explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire the candidate(s) without financial liability to such third-party recruiter.

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Job Number: J14038

If you’re interested in a meaningful career with a brighter future, join the SOLV Energy Team.