PDS 2 / Power Delivery Substation
This position is not eligible for recruiting or sourcing by outside parties.
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What We’re Looking For
- Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, or civil engineering (ABET Accredited).
- Active Professional Engineer (PE) license
- Required. Multi-state licensure or willingness to obtain reciprocity is a plus.
- 6+ years in the substation/utility industry, with 4+ years in substation physical design across voltage ranges spanning 12kV to 230kV.
- Deep substation physical expertise
- Foundations, structural steel, grounding, cable routing, equipment power ratings, clearances, and conductor sizing across utility standards (IEEE, NESC, ASCE).
- Experience with grounding, lightning, and lighting studies – both performing them and reviewing the team's calculations.
- Design software proficiency
- Expert with AutoCAD and Bentley MicroStation; comfortable with Bluebeam Revu for markups; working knowledge of grounding analysis tools (WinIGS, CDEGS, or ETAP).
- Client-facing communicator
- Able to lead design reviews, kickoffs, and scope discussions directly with utility clients and other consultants.
- A coach's mindset – you find it as rewarding to develop the engineers around you as to ship your own deliverables.
- Steady under pressure – comfortable balancing technical responsibilities with people responsibilities when project demand spikes.
- Previous management experience is a plus, not a must – strong technical contributors ready to grow into leadership are encouraged to apply.
- Chattanooga-based or within commuting distance
- Travel availability
- Willing to travel to client sites for periodic site visits, typically 3–4 single-night trips per month.
What You’ll Lead
- A small, cross-experience team of substation physical engineers, designers, and drafters – coordinate their assignments, mentor and develop them, and set technical direction for the group.
- PE review and sign/seal
- Review and sign/seal packages that require a PE seal as the licensed engineer on the team.
- Client relationships on technical scope
- Serve as the substation physical point of contact for assigned clients; lead design reviews, present rationale, and negotiate change in scope.
- Standards and best practices
- Shape Mesa's internal substation physical standards, calculation templates, QA checklists, and lessons-learned library.
- Quality and safety culture inside the group – set the expectations, model the behavior, and make sure both show up in every package.
- Hiring, onboarding, and development
- Spot who's ready for the next stretch assignment; participate in interviews, review portfolios, and ramp new engineers onto active projects.
- Proposal and estimating support
- Partner with proposal teams to scope substation physical effort, contribute technical narratives for RFP responses, and help shape win-themes for new pursuits.
What You’ll Do
- Partner with program managers, project managers, and the engineering manager to staff projects, and coordinate design tasks across the team so workloads stay balanced and predictable.
- Lead the design of equipment, structural, foundation, grounding, and cable routing plans and details for medium- to large-scale transmission substation projects.
- Direct grounding, lightning, and lighting studies; review and approve calculations produced by the team.
- Coordinate across Protection & Controls, Civil, Studies, Scoping, and other disciplines to keep multi-discipline packages aligned.
- Step in as a designer or checker when workload demands it – this is a working supervisor role, not a pure people-management one.
- Run technical oversight and final QA – own the checking and review process so packages leave the group right the first time, meeting code, client requirements, and Mesa's internal QA procedures.
- Own client communication on substation physical scope: kickoffs, design reviews, RFI responses, change orders, and closeout documentation.
- Hold regular team conversations, both 1:1 and group, to share company direction, surface blockers, and keep the team aligned.
- Identify process improvements and develop internal time-saving tools, templates, and standards that scale across the group.
- Approve timesheets, overtime, and vacation requests, and approve expense reports as appropriate.
What You’ll Earn
- Holiday Pay – 10 Days Annually
- Group Medical/Dental Insurance
- Life Insurance (Company Paid)
- Disability Insurance (Company Paid)
- 401(K) Retirement Savings plan
- 401(K) Matching Contribution
- Section 125/Cafeteria Plan
- Fitness Center Reimbursement
- 9/80 Work Schedule Option
Notice to External Search Firms: Mesa Associates, Inc. and its subsidiaries do not accept unsolicited resumes and will not be obligated to pay a placement fee for unsolicited resumes. Mesa Associates, Inc. Talent Acquisition engages with approved search firms directly for specific hiring needs.