Senior Electric Distribution System Planning Research Engineer – Resilience and Grid Integration

Posting Title

Senior Electric Distribution System Planning Research Engineer – Resilience and Grid Integration

CO - Golden

Regular

40

NREL is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.

Join NREL, where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NREL stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions.

Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.

At NREL, you’ll find a mission-driven environment supported by state‑of‑the‑arts facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.

NREL is seeking an enthusiastic and driven power distribution system planning engineer within the Strategic Energy Analysis and Decision Sciences (SEADS) directorate within the Grid Planning and Analysis Center (GPAC). The SEADS directorate contributes to an exciting portfolio of energy analysis, grid futures studies, applying advanced modeling and simulation tools to optimally plan, design, and analyze distribution and bulk power systems.

You would join us in researching, supporting and advancing electric distribution systems research, using power‑flow modeling, optimization, machine‑learning, neural networks, capacity modeling, forecasting techniques, statistical analysis, and data analysis among other research techniques. You would join a highly collaborative team of distribution researchers who are focused on delivering a reliable, affordable, and resilient grid of the future. This team works with distribution utilities, regulators, and government entities across the U.S. and internationally, and works across multiple Department of Energy offices.

The team focuses on major challenges including capacity expansion of the distribution system to enable load growth from buildings and vehicles, large loads, and integration of distributed energy resources.

Examples of ongoing research and analysis include:

• Integrated distribution planning
• Grid integration of rapid customer growth
• Advanced hosting capacity analyses
• Grid interconnection planning
• Capacity expansion of distribution systems
• Building electrification and flexibility
• DER grid services and markets
• Grid resilience analysis for distribution planning

Our work informs technology developers, policymakers, and utilities by developing and analyzing future grid scenarios that answer critical questions about how the electric grid is transforming. This position seeks an enthusiastic and driven candidate who can advance and grow distribution systems research at NREL.

• Relevant PhD and 4 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 7 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 9 or more years of experience . Applies extensive engineering technical expertise, and has full knowledge of other related disciplines.
• Considered a technical resource.
• Demonstrates leadership in several areas of team, task or project lead responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience in management of projects.
• Excellent writing, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

• Degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, data science, or related discipline
• Experience in at least one aspect of distributed generation integration, distribution system analysis, distribution system planning, distributed energy resources, energy storage, building and…