Principal Physical Substation Design Engineer

Position Overview Power your future with Qualus as a Principal Substation Engineer. As a Principal Substation Physical Design Engineer, you'll serve as a technical subject matter expert, leading the design of high-voltage substations that power communities and critical infrastructure. You'll develop innovative, code-compliant engineering solutions, mentor junior engineers, and help drive technical excellence across complex utility projects. Working closely with clients and across cross-functional teams, you'll influence project success from concept through construction while ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety, and reliability.

This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced engineer who enjoys solving challenging technical problems, developing others, and making a lasting impact on the future of the electric grid. This position may be performed remotely from within the United States. While remote candidates are encouraged to apply, candidates located near one of the following Qualus office locations and available for a hybrid schedule are preferred:

Chattanooga, TNEl Dorado, KSFarmington, UTFort Worth, TXLake Mary, FLRaleigh, NCReno, NVRidgeland, MSTrussville, AL Westborough, MA Incentives

Flexible work schedules that support work-life balance and individual needs.

Opportunities for remote and hybrid work arrangements, depending on role and location.

Competitve sign-on bonus and relocation assistance opportunities for eligible candidates.

Refer-a-friend bonus program that rewards employees for helping grow our team.

Ongoing career development opportunities, including training, mentorship, and advancement pathways.

Exposure to challenging and impactful projects that help shape the future of the utility and energy industries. Responsibilities Design power utility substations utilizing applicable codes and client standards (if available). Typical design to include general arrangement, equipment and electrical layout, elevation views, cable trench, grounding, conduit drawings, details, bill of materials, and AC and DC power systems.

Design ground grids based on applicable codes utilizing industry available software.

Design lightning protection and grounding plans.

Complete calculations such as AC and DC load, bus spans, and ampacity calculations.

Create equipment and material specifications for procurement of engineered equipment as well as development of design scope and cost estimates.

Complete conceptual designs and layouts for facility planning studies.

Prepare additional support documentation as needed to assist procurement, construction, and operation/maintenance of systems being designed.

Coordinate with multidisciplinary engineering teams, clients, vendors, and contractors to ensure successful project execution and resolution of technical issues.

Lead and participate in client meetings and job site visits to collect design data, present engineering solutions, resolve technical issues, and support project execution.

Lead and ensure compliance with the company’s Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) processes, including technical review and approval of engineering design packages.

Provide technical mentorship and oversight to junior engineers and designers, including reviewing calculations, drawings, and specifications to ensure quality, consistency, and compliance with project requirements.

Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering from an ABET accredited institution.
15+ years of experience in Substation physical design engineering.

Professional Engineering (P.E.) License.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications. Excellent document management and organization skills. Strong attention to detail and…