WSP is currently initiating a search for a Substation Senior Associate Lead Electrical Engineer for our Buffalo, NY office. Be involved in projects with our Power & Energy Substation Team and be a part of a growing organization that meets our clients' objectives and solves their challenges.
This Opportunity
Provides senior-level technical leadership and subject matter expertise for utility transmission and distribution substation projects, supporting planning, detailed engineering design, design reviews, procurement support, construction support, and commissioning coordination. Responsibilities include leading and overseeing substation physical design and/or protection and control (P&C) design activities across multi-site and multi-phase projects, based on project needs and individual expertise.
This role supports the research, design, concept development, and delivery of medium- and high-voltage substations, including equipment layouts, grounding and lightning protection systems, AC/DC systems, SCADA and communications interfaces, control systems, and associated substation infrastructure. Provides technical direction to project teams, project managers, and discipline leads to ensure design quality, constructability, and consistency with applicable utility standards, IEEE, NESC, ANSI, and NERC requirements. Ensures work is delivered in accordance with industry best practices and meets WSP's quality, safety, and performance expectations.
Your Impact
Provide senior technical oversight for collecting, compiling, and analyzing data related to substation site conditions, engineering drawings, GIS data, equipment specifications, procurement package development, and IFR/IFC design and review processes, in accordance with applicable utility and industry standards.
Serve as a technical authority for the review and approval of complex substation electrical design packages, ensuring technical accuracy, constructability, and compliance with applicable codes, standards, and client requirements.
Apply advanced electrical engineering principles to guide substation design solutions throughout the project lifecycle, including concept development, detailed design, procurement support, construction support, and commissioning coordination.
Lead and oversee professional electrical engineering work associated with substation physical and/or protection and control (P&C) design, including one-line and three-line diagrams, control schematics, wiring and interconnection diagrams, general arrangements, bus configurations, grounding grid design, lightning protection, and AC/DC systems.
Provide technical leadership in developing equipment sizing, cabling strategies, control panel layouts, raceway systems (conduit and cable tray), and trenching designs that account for safety, reliability, maintainability, and operational performance.
Review and approve complex electrical calculations including load flow, short circuit, grounding (touch and step potential), insulation coordination, auxiliary power systems, and related substation analyses.
Provide senior-level constructability input and technical support during field visits and site walkdowns for new-build, expansion, and retrofit substation projects, assisting with resolution of RFIs and technical issues during construction.
Serve as a technical escalation point for interpretation and application of utility client design standards and specifications across complex substation projects.
Provide technical review and oversight of permit-related engineering content, including drawings, calculations, and design criteria, to ensure substation designs comply with applicable codes, standards, and sound engineering practice.
Oversee and mentor engineers and designers, providing technical guidance, QA/QC oversight, and support for professional development.
Provide senior technical leadership across large and complex substation projects, supporting technical scope definition, design schedules, and coordination of internal and external engineering resources in collaboration with project managers.
Engage with utility clients, project stakeholders, and internal teams to address complex substation engineering challenges, design decisions, and technical risks.
Collaborate with project managers, discipline leads, vendors, and internal stakeholders to support successful execution of substation projects.
Collaborate with engineers and planners across disciplines on utility substation projects, including technical support for proposal development and business development efforts.
Prepare and review technical reports, calculations, design narratives, and presentations communicating engineering decisions, risks, and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders.
Remain current with evolving substation technologies, utility standards, and industry best practices.
Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP's Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering (or equivalent experience).
10+ years of relevant post-education experience as an electrical engineer providing design deliverables for capital transmission and distribution substation projects in utility or industrial environments.
Professional Engineer License (multi-state preferred).
Demonstrated expertise in substation physical design and/or protection and control (P&C) design, with the ability to provide technical leadership across both disciplines based on project needs.
Extensive knowledge of transmission and distribution substation systems, including equipment selection, layouts, grounding, lightning protection, AC/DC systems, control systems, and SCADA/communications interfaces.
Strong working knowledge of applicable electrical codes, industry standards, and utility design requirements (e.g., IEEE, NESC, ANSI, NERC).
Proficiency with discipline-specific engineering and design tools used for substation design and review (e.g., AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, MicroStation), along with common power system analysis software.
Ability to work independently while providing technical leadership, mentorship, and QA/QC oversight to engineers and designers.
Highly effective communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to engineering teams, clients, and non-technical stakeholders.
Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP's health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
Must be flexible to a variety of schedules to meet business needs and able to prioritize responsibilities and quickly adapt to change in a pressure work environment.
Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.
Preferred Qualifications:
Master's Degree in Engineering.
Prior experience serving as a senior technical lead or discipline lead on multi-discipline substation projects.
WSP Benefits:
WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee's career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.
Compensation:
Expected Salary (all locations): $121,100 - $179,850
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant's sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
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About WSP
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
www.wsp.com
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee's career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation - no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
