Substation Physical Design Engineer

We are seeking an experienced Senior Electrical Physical Designer to support Power Delivery, Transmission & Distribution, Solar PV, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), Data Center, Substation projects across the United States.

The ideal candidate possesses strong electrical physical design and drafting experience and is capable of independently developing design deliverables from engineering concepts, sketches, markups, and calculations with minimal supervision. This role will focus on substation physical design, renewable energy infrastructure, utility interconnections, and data center power systems, supporting projects from conceptual design through detailed engineering and construction.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Support the design and execution of high-voltage substations, transmission and distribution facilities, utility-scale solar PV plants, BESS installations, interconnection substations, and data center electrical infrastructure projects.
• Independently develop electrical physical design packages from engineering sketches, calculations, redlines, and markups.
• Prepare and maintain physical design deliverables including:
  • Equipment layouts and general arrangement drawings
  • Substation yard layouts and equipment plans
  • Electrical building and control house layouts
  • Physical elevations and sections
  • Bus arrangements and equipment placement drawings
  • Grounding layouts and grounding details
  • Underground conduit and duct bank layouts
  • Cable trench, cable tray, and cable routing drawings
  • Lighting and station service layouts
  • Prepare grounding calculations and ground studies, lightning study, bus sizing and ampacity calculations, cable ampacity studies, conductor sizing calculations, and other electrical design calculations required for substations, Solar PV, BESS, and Data Center projects.
  • Access roads, fencing, and site interface drawings
• Develop detailed design packages for:
  • Transmission and distribution substations (34.5kV through 500kV)
  • Utility-scale Solar PV facilities
  • Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects
  • Interconnection substations and switchyards
  • Data center utility infrastructure and electrical distribution systems
• Prepare cable schedules, conduit schedules, material take-offs, and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Coordinate with engineering disciplines including civil, structural, protection & controls, and construction teams to ensure successful project execution.
• Create, maintain, and update CAD standards, drawing templates, drafting blocks, symbols, and project-specific libraries.
• Ensure all drawings comply with company CAD standards, client requirements, applicable codes, utility standards, and project specifications.
• Support drawing management and document control activities including drawing revisions, title blocks, transmittals, PDF package creation, and electronic document management.
• Participate in design reviews, interdisciplinary coordination meetings, and constructability reviews.
• Produce high-quality design packages suitable for engineering review, client submissions, permitting, procurement, and construction.

Job Requirements / Qualifications:

• Education & Qualifications
  • Associate Degree, Technical Diploma, B.Tech in Electrical Technology, BS in Electrical Engineering, or related technical discipline from an accredited institution.
  • Equivalent combination of education, technical training, and relevant industry experience will be considered.
  • Demonstrated experience in electrical physical design, drafting, and drawing production may be substituted for formal engineering education.
• Required Experience
  • 5-10+ years of experience in electrical physical design and drafting.
  • Demonstrated experience supporting substation physical design projects.
  • Experience with Power Delivery, Transmission & Distribution, Renewable Energy, Solar PV, BESS, Data Center, or Utility Infrastructure projects.
  • Prior experience with engineering consulting firms, EPC contractors, utilities, developers, or industrial power projects preferred.
• Technical Skills
  • Strong understanding of substation physical design principles and utility infrastructure.
  • Experience developing:
    • Equipment layouts
    • General arrangement drawings
    • Grounding plans and details
    • Conduit and duct bank layouts
    • Cable routing and cable tray drawings
    • Physical elevations and sections
    • Material take-offs and BOMs
  • Working knowledge of utility substation equipment and renewable energy infrastructure.
  • Familiarity with medium- and high-voltage systems ranging from 34.5kV through 500kV.
  • Proficiency with AutoCAD and/or MicroStation.
  • Familiarity with IEEE, NESC, NEC, utility standards, and client design standards.
  • Ability to independently develop detailed drawing packages from engineering markups and conceptual information.
• Professional Skills
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Strong organizational and time management abilities.
  • Detail-oriented with a commitment to quality and accuracy.
  • Self-starter capable of managing multiple assignments with minimal supervision.
  • Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering and design teams.
• Preferred Experience

  Experience in one or more of the following areas is highly desirable:

  • Utility-Scale Solar PV Facilities
  • Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
  • Data Center Power Infrastructure
  • Interconnection Substations
  • Switchyards
  • Transmission & Distribution Projects
  • EPC and Utility Consulting Environments

EEO Non-Discrimination and ADA Reasonable Accommodation Statement Willdan is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, religion, military service or veteran status, disability, medical condition, childbirth and related medical conditions, genetic testing, reproductive status or any other classification protected by federal, state or local laws and ordinances. Willdan does not discriminate on the basis of physical or mental disability where the essential functions of the job can be reasonably accommodated. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us.

Alternative Power Generation, Inc. participates in E-Verify.