Job Description

📍 Possible Locations

Examples mentioned include:

• Walnut Creek
• Phoenix
• Houston
• Charlotte
• Calgary

🎯 Role Purpose

Modern hyperscale data centers require massive electrical power (100MW–500MW+).

This role ensures:

✅ Reliable power delivery
✅ Safe substation design
✅ High-voltage infrastructure integration
✅ Technical execution of projects

You are essentially the technical authority for power systems on projects.

🧠 Key Responsibilities

1️⃣ Technical Leadership

• Lead engineering teams designing substations (12kV–500kV+)
• Guide engineers, designers, and CAD teams
• Make major engineering decisions

2️⃣ Project Execution

Partner with the Project Manager:

Project Manager	Engineering Manager
Budget, schedule, client	Technical delivery & design

You control the engineering outcome.

3️⃣ Substation Design Scope

Includes:

• Electrical layout
• Protection & control systems
• Civil and structural integration
• Switchgear and transformers
• Transmission interconnection

4️⃣ Quality & Risk Management

• Perform design reviews
• Ensure compliance with IEEE / ANSI / NESC standards
• Identify risks and mitigation strategies

5️⃣ Multi-Project Oversight

• Lead several projects simultaneously
• Coordinate distributed teams across regions

6️⃣ Industry Leadership

• Technical papers
• Conferences
• Thought leadership

🏗️ Required Technical Background

Strong experience in:

• High-voltage substations
• Power transmission systems
• Utility or EPC projects
• Electrical protection & controls
• Grid interconnection

Typical tools:

• AutoCAD / Revit
• PLS-CADD
• Plant 3D
• Power system modeling software

🎓 Education & Certifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s in Engineering (Electrical usually)
• Professional Engineer (PE / P.Eng) license
• Power sector project experience

Preferred:

• Master’s degree
• Consulting firm background
• 8+ years substation design experience

💰 Salary Range

Example given (California):

💵 $107,712 – $204,250 USD/year

Senior candidates often land toward the top half.

🚀 Seniority Level

This is typically:

• Senior Engineering Manager
• Technical Lead
• Principal Engineer track

Above:

• Senior Electrical Engineer
• Substation Engineer

🔥 How This Role Connects to Data Centers

Unlike IT roles, this position focuses on power infrastructure feeding the data center, not servers.

Think:

Utility grid → Substation → Data Center → Servers

You own the substation piece.

📈 Career Path

Possible progression:

• Power Delivery Director
• Principal Engineer
• Data Center Infrastructure Director
• Utility / Energy Executive roles

✅ Ideal Candidate Profile

Best fit for someone who:

• Loves electrical power systems
• Has utility or EPC experience
• Wants leadership responsibility
• Enjoys large infrastructure projects
• Wants exposure to hyperscale data centers

⭐ Interesting Insigh

Data center power engineering is one of the fastest-growing engineering fields globally due to AI and cloud demand.