Puget Sound Energy Inc

Engineer III - Generation Electrical & Controls

Puget Sound Energy Inc$94K — $156K *
Energy & Utilities
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, civil engineering, or PE license in relevant field.
  • 5+ years of experience in engineering planning, design, and project management.
  • Strong skills in documentation, organization, and prioritization.
  • Effective communication abilities for diverse technical audiences.

Responsibilities

  • Support commissioning and troubleshooting for wind and solar generation systems.
  • Propose upgrades and design improvements for control systems.
  • Manage projects from scope creation to close-out including budgeting and scheduling.
  • Prepare specifications for vendor proposals and evaluate submissions.
  • Assess the condition of critical electrical components and specify replacements.
  • Design and modify control logic and P&ID diagrams using various programming methods.
  • Mentor junior engineers and technicians, enhancing team skillsets.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
  • Basic life and short- and long-term disability insurance.
  • Voluntary options for supplemental life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
  • 401(k) investment option and cash balance retirement plan.
  • Paid Time Off (PTO) and paid holidays throughout the year.
Full Job Description
PSE's Generation & Natural Gas Storage team is looking for qualified candidates to fill an open Engineer III - Generation Electrical & Controls position!

Specific details regarding the work arrangements for this position will be discussed in further detail during the interview process.

Job Description

Puget Sound Energy's Generation Electrical & Controls (GEC) department is looking for an Electrical Engineer with experience in Industrial Processes and Controls, Protective Relaying, electrical maintenance, asset management or in closely related fields, to join our team.

GEC is a centralized group providing electrical engineering support for all PSE owned generating facilities including hydro, gas turbine, wind, solar and battery storage. This support includes professional engineering services in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of these facilities.

The successful candidate will review and verify complex engineering plans, designs, drawings, specifications, standards, evaluations, and studies utilizing specialized analytical skills. The candidate should possess knowledge of, or must be able to learn, plant electrical and mechanical systems related to power generation and storage. They must be able to communicate successfully with personnel possessing a wide variety of technical backgrounds, and be able to ensure compliance with codes, standards, and design, operation, and maintenance requirements and ensure that problem solutions are tailored to PSE's business environment. In addition, they will need to provide quick, professional responses to assist generating plant staff with troubleshooting operational problems on complex plant control systems as well as a variety of power generation equipment.

The ideal candidate would have significant power plant controls experience. Tasks for this position include but are not limited to the following:
  1. Support commissioning and troubleshoot operational issues related to wind and solar generation (primary function), instrumentation, PLCs, DCSs, SCADA, and various power generation equipment.
  2. Propose recommendations for control system upgrades, component replacements and design improvements.
  3. Manage projects from inception to project close-out including:
    1. create the project scope, budget and schedule
    2. support construction and installation phases
    3. lead commissioning and initial start-up
    4. ensure successful implementation and accurate documentation
    5. development of maintenance plans and plant procedures
  4. Prepare specifications and request-for-proposals as well as evaluate proposals from vendors.
  5. Evaluate the condition of critical electrical components; specify new and replacement components as required.
  6. Design and/or modify HMIs, PLC, and DCS logic using various programming methods, including ladder logic, structured text and function block "languages".
  7. Creating or modifying P&IDs, loop drawings, schematics and wiring diagrams.
  8. Mentor and train other engineers and technicians.
  9. Support emergency response work as requested including immediate and extended restoration efforts driven by weather or other system failures.
  10. Validate NERC compliance and develop/execute action plans to close compliance gaps.
  11. Perform Arc Flash studies and develop reports.


The work will consist of a mix of field and office responsibilities in central and southeast Washington State as well as the Billings, Montana area, primarily in support of various wind and solar projects. The field work typically ranges from 40-60 percent of the total depending upon assignments and takes place at the various PSE generating locations. Some overnight stays may be necessary when working at distant locations. This is a hybrid work position with some flexibility in selecting an office location.

This job is considered "safety sensitive" as defined in RCW 49.44.240 and is subject to pre-employment drug screening that includes screening for the presence of marijuana and marijuana metabolites.

Job Responsibilities

  • Interprets and/or modifies available guidelines for application to existing problems or processes.
  • Reviews and verifies complex designs, standards, studies and analyses.
  • Provides a detailed design review of internal or external technical documents.
  • Prepares cost estimates and project evaluations without direct supervision.
  • Plans and develops project budgets with appropriate documentation.
  • Ensures compliance with codes, standards, and design, operation, and maintenance requirements.
  • Identifies potential areas of weakness with assigned work and initiate corrective action.
  • Documents and shares work with others to strengthen the depth of skills within PSE's engineering workforce.
  • Communicates solutions to personnel possessing a wide variety of educational and employment backgrounds, including in public forums in both verbal and written forms.
  • Ensures that problem solutions are tailored to PSE's business environment.
  • Supports emergency response work as requested including immediate and extended restoration efforts driven by weather and other system failures.
  • May lead or coordinate the work of junior engineers, engineering assistants, field technicians, and others who assist on specific projects. (This includes contractor/consultants.)
  • Performs job duties at various PSE generating sites and requires employees operate a vehicle up to eight hours per day while maintaining a clean driving record free of moving violations.
  • Traverse at least one mile per day over uneven ground, with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • In order to access equipment, must climb and descend wind turbine generators, stairs, ladders, and temporary scaffolding, with or without reasonable accommodation.


Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science degree or PE license in electrical, mechanical, civil or other appropriate engineering field. A PE license may qualify in lieu of a degree.
  • Substantial experience in planning, design, specification preparation, technical field work, project cost estimating and scheduling (typically achieved after five (5) or more years practice as a degreed engineer). Years of acquired experience is provided as a guide and alone does not constitute readiness for job level as individual's skill acquisition rates can vary significantly.
  • Demonstrated organization, documentation, prioritization, and project management skills.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills.


Desired Qualifications

  • Experience working in wind or solar generation.
  • Experience with Low and Medium Voltage electrical systems.
  • Solar and Wind site asset maintenance and inspection experience.
  • Experience with Low Voltage electrical studies including Arc Flash and low voltage protection coordination.
  • Protective Relay experience, both electrical design and settings, as well as related NERC compliance.
  • Possession of, or ability to acquire, a Professional Engineering license.
  • Experience working on complex engineering projects.
  • Industrial Controls along with SEL RTAC experience; Industrial Networking and NERC compliance experience a plus
  • Knowledge of and experience with computer networking, firewalls, architecture, protocols, routers, and controllers
  • Experience with MET towers is a plus.


Additional Information

The pay range for this position is $94,300.00 - $156,900.00, and this position is eligible for annual goals based incentive bonuses.

PSE offers a suite of benefits to our employees. Employees are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance. There are additional voluntary options of supplemental life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent daycare, and an Employee assistance program (EAP). For long term savings, PSE offers a 401(k) investment option and a cash balance retirement plan. Employees will also receive Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays throughout the calendar year. Detailed benefit overviews can be found on our Career page - Why Work For Us (pse.com).

Families and businesses depend on PSE to provide the energy they need to pursue their dreams. Our steadfast commitment to serving Washington communities with safe, dependable and efficient energy started in 1873. Today we're building the Northwest's energy future through efforts like our award winning energy efficiency programs and our leadership in renewable energy.

About Puget Sound Energy Inc

Puget Sound Energy Inc is an energy company that provides electricity and natural gas to customers in the Pacific Northwest. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Puget Sound Energy Inc serves over 1.5 million customers and has a generating capacity of over 3,700 megawatts. The company is committed to sustainability and has set a goal to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% by 2040. Puget Sound Energy Inc has received numerous awards for their work including the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award and the Green Power Leadership Award.
Learn more about Puget Sound Energy Inc
Size
3,100 employees
Industry
Founded
1873

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