Director - Utility Substations

Atwell, LLC is a bold leader in the consulting, engineering, and construction services industry, delivering a broad range of creative solutions to clients in the real estate & land development, and energy markets. We have a strong national presence and a diverse, award-winning project portfolio. Atwell is a privately owned company, with 2,000+ passionate team members across 75+ locations and growing!

Atwell, LLC
is a proud recipient of the following 2025
awards:

• Ten consecutive years in a row as a “Best Place to Work” by Zweig Group (#11)
• Recognized as #70 in the ENR Top 500 Design Firms, ranked in every region
• Recognized in Crain's “Fast 50” as one of the fastest-growing companies (#14)
• Recognized as the 2025 ENR Design Firm of the year for the southeastern US

As the Director of Utility Substations, you will provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for teams delivering substation Physical, and Protection & Control (P&C) engineering services to utility clients. This role is responsible for driving consistent, high-quality execution across the portfolio while aligning team performance with organizational objectives and client expectations.

The Director leads a functional group of engineering teams within the substation discipline, with accountability for establishing and maintaining departmental standards, best practices, and quality assurance processes. This role focuses on enhancing operational efficiency, improving workflows, and strengthening technical capabilities through structured processes and training.

In addition, the Director is responsible for guiding the group to meet business objectives, including revenue targets, resource utilization, and strategic growth initiatives. Key responsibilities include workforce planning and resource alignment across projects, mentoring and developing Team Leads and engineers, and fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance environment focused on client success.

The Director also plays a critical role in shaping the group’s technical direction, advancing industry engagement, and ensuring the team is well-positioned to deliver reliable, compliant, and constructible substation solutions.

Salary Range: $150,000 – 200,000 / year

The salary range above is based upon the Denver, Colorado labor market.

This opportunity is available to both local / in-office (Lakewood, Colorado) and full-time remote candidates.

• Collaborates with VP to develop and implement a multi-year group plan to achieve department and company goals for growth, efficiency, and profitability
• Collaborates with VP, Business Development and Sales to identify potential clients that could benefit from NEI’s expertise
• Strengthens existing client relationships and encourages repeat business by ensuring exceptional project delivery and proactive communication. Encourages and monitors client feedback to address concerns and continuously improve service quality. Assists with client contacts and communication

• Ensuring the team has representation on the right IEEE or other industry committees and sub boards
• Producing a plan for the department to produce at least 1 white paper or conference presentation a year.

• Builds and maintains a high-performing substation group, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Collaborates with other departments and leaders to ensure alignment of goals, objectives, and expectations across the organization
• Performs other duties as assigned

• Develops appropriate team structure and mix of staff
• Leads hiring efforts for lead engineers and team leaders
• Assists in…