Senior Substation Structures & Equipment Engineer

Senior Substation Structures & Equipment Engineer

Job ID: JOB-248647
Contract Length: 6 Months – Contract-to-Hire or Direct Hire
Location: Tampa, FL 33619
Work Arrangement: Onsite, 5 Days per Week
Permanent Salary Range: $130,000–$150,000 annually, plus benefits

Position Overview

We are seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer specializing in substation structures and equipment to support major capital projects and electric delivery infrastructure. This role provides hands-on engineering, technical oversight, and operational support for substation design and construction activities.

The engineer will perform engineering work directly while also reviewing and overseeing engineering deliverables prepared by outside contractors. This includes ensuring designs, specifications, cost estimates, construction drawings, and other technical documents meet established engineering standards, industry requirements, and operational policies.

The ideal candidate has strong experience in physical substation design, equipment specifications, foundations, structural layouts, and power system engineering.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide engineering support for major electric delivery and substation capital projects, including system expansion and infrastructure improvements.

• Perform engineering, estimating, programming, and mapping activities while providing technical oversight to engineering contractors.

• Review contractor engineering deliverables for accuracy, quality, technical compliance, and adherence to established standards.

• Develop substation structures and equipment cost estimates.

• Evaluate potential substation sites and support governmental and environmental permitting processes.

• Design substation foundations, physical layouts, and equipment arrangements.

• Specify and apply electrical substation equipment, including transformers, circuit breakers, switches, bus systems, cables, and instrument transformers.

• Develop construction prints, work requests, equipment specifications, and engineering documentation.

• Maintain substation equipment specifications in accordance with current industry standards and operating policies.

• Represent Substation Engineering in project management activities and coordinate with internal departments and external contractors.

• Evaluate and select materials and provide engineering expertise during procurement.

• Monitor equipment deliveries, review manufacturers' drawings, and verify technical accuracy.

• Support project accounting and coordination of materials and equipment.

• Provide engineering support during field data collection, construction, commissioning-related activities, and project closeout.

• Interpret engineering designs and resolve technical questions during construction.

• Support storm restoration activities by conducting substation field assessments and identifying required repairs.

• Share technical expertise and provide guidance to other engineers and contractor engineering teams as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from an ABET-accredited program.

• Minimum of 8 years of relevant engineering experience for Senior Engineer-level consideration.

• At least 2 years of experience in power system engineering and operations.

• Strong knowledge of physical substation design, including:

  • Substation equipment specifications.

  • Site layouts and equipment arrangements.

  • Foundation design.

  • Ground grid design.

  • Permitting processes.

• Ability to review engineering designs and contractor deliverables for technical accuracy and compliance.

• Ability to coordinate engineering activities across internal departments, contractors, vendors, and project stakeholders.

• Must be eligible to obtain the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) credential in Florida and obtain it within the first two years of employment.

• Must be eligible to become licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Florida.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license in Florida.

• Experience overseeing engineering contractors and complex substation projects.

• Experience with substation construction, equipment procurement, and manufacturer drawing reviews.

• Ability to coordinate complex engineering studies, technical reports, and specialized engineering assignments.

• Experience providing technical training, guidance, and consultation to other engineers.

• Familiarity with IEEE power engineering standards and industry organizations.

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based, with field visits to substations and equipment yards as required.

• Field activities may include data collection, construction support, and coordination with field crews.

• Requires walking on uneven surfaces, including gravel, limestone roadways, and grass.

• Occasional overtime and weekend work may be necessary.

• May be required to support major storm restoration activities.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The strongest candidates will have a background in utility substation physical design, not exclusively protection and controls, transmission, or distribution engineering. Prioritize engineers who have personally designed substation foundations, equipment layouts, grounding systems, and specifications while also having experience reviewing contractor engineering work.