The Project Engineer, Utility will be responsible for the design and engineering of large, utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV), battery energy storage (BESS) projects in late-stage development, construction, and operation. Responsibilities include management of third-party engineers, design reviews, technical services, contract document development and negotiation, procurement specification preparation, punch list development, and other technical support activities.

The Project Engineer will join a team of utility-scale project execution engineers reporting to the regional engineering manager. They will support a Senior Project Engineer on all technical and engineering matters for all assigned projects and may serve as the single technical point of contact on projects at the discretion of the regional engineering manager.

The successful candidate will have experience in the development, analysis, and design of utility scale, transmission interconnected PV systems and battery storage systems. Experience with other renewable technologies including wind, green hydrogen, and hydroelectric is a plus. Excellent communication, task management and planning skills needed, in addition to technical breadth.

The position is at one of AES Clean Energy’s offices or remote and will include up to 25% travel to project locations and partner offices.

Key Responsibilities

Project Execution

• Develop scopes of work and technical contract exhibits.
• Seek and evaluate proposals for engineering services.
• Manage engineering consultants and Engineer Procure Construct (EPC) contractors to develop project construction drawings and support materials.
• Perform technical project due diligence and project engineering design reviews.
• Coordinate feedback from internal stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs) on design reviews.
• Value engineer PV and BESS system designs to maximize reliability and reduce overall project cost.
• Establish/review technical specifications of owner furnished equipment in coordination with Procurement and Sourcing.
• Technical support during construction including:
  • Respond to contractor request for information (RFIs).
  • Perform quality assurance (QA)/ quality control (QC) checks in the field.
  • Develop punchlists.
  • Support commissioning activities with internal Technology/Commissioning teams and external stakeholders.
  • Review commissioning reports and analyze system performance.
• Support internal Owner’s Engineering team through financing activities.
• Support Operations/Asset Management teams to resolve technical issues at operating sites.
• Assist Development and Project Management teams with budget development and key financial inputs.
• Contribute to process improvement initiatives for the execution of safe, quality, and high-performance projects.
• Attend site safety walks and identify jobsite hazards.

Skills and Qualifications

Primary Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in engineering or equivalent technical field.
• 3+ years professional experience in energy system design, project or land development, consulting, and/or construction.
• Electrical design experience including 1-line and 3-line diagram conventions, NEC conductor sizing, overcurrent protection sizing, utility disconnecting means requirements, equipment selection, grounding methodologies and short circuit current analysis.
• Stormwater and grading experience with an understanding of permitting constraints and limitations.
• Experience with medium voltage collector system design.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a team environment.
• Ability to manage third party consultants, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
• Proficient with MS Office Suite.
• Direct project experience with Procore.

Plus Qualifications

• Graduate degree in engineering
• EIT or PE qualifications
• NABCEP PV Installation Professional certification
• Experience with ETAP, SKM, PVsyst and other advanced modeling tools
• Substation/High Voltage design experience
• Civil/structural/SCADA/commissioning engineering design experience
• AutoCAD/Civil 3D experience
• Fluency in Spanish

The expected salary for this position, at commencement of employment, is between $94,000 and $112,625/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position also includes annual bonus. The benefits offered for this position are: medical, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance, 401(k) eligibility, and paid time off (including vacation, sick leave time, and parental leave). Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if a candidate receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.