Senior Electrical Engineer (Power Distribution)

Job Description

Senior Electrical Engineer / Superintendent - Power Distribution SME

Position Summary

The Senior Electrical Engineer / Superintendent - Power Distribution SME is a senior technical leadership position responsible for assessing, improving, and sustaining the reliability, safety, maintainability, and performance of electrical power distribution infrastructure.

This role serves as the organization's subject matter expert for Power Lines & Substations’ Reliability, Asset Management, and Capital Projects, providing technical leadership across the full asset lifecycle, including planning, design, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance, refurbishment, replacement, and modernization of electrical infrastructure.

The position requires extensive experience with utility, mining, industrial, or large infrastructure power systems and a practical understanding of what good engineering, construction, commissioning, maintenance, and asset management practices look like in the field. The successful candidate must be capable of independently conducting detailed assessments of electrical infrastructure, identifying gaps and deficiencies in design, construction quality, maintenance practices, asset management processes, and operational readiness, and developing practical solutions to eliminate those gaps.

The role is responsible for advising, directing, and overseeing execution of maintenance, reliability improvement, and capital projects to improve system reliability, reduce risk, increase asset life, and ensure safe and compliant operation of the electrical distribution network.

 

Key Responsibilities

Infrastructure Assessments and Gap Identification

• Conduct comprehensive assessments of electrical infrastructure, including:
  • Overhead power lines
  • Distribution and industrial substations
  • Power transformers
  • Circuit breakers and switchgear
  • Capacitor banks
  • Reclosers and sectionalizers
  • Protective relays and controls
  • Grounding systems
  • SCADA and automation systems
• Assess infrastructure against:
  • Company standards
  • Utility best practices
  • Industry standards
  • Regulatory requirements
  • Reliability-centered maintenance principles
  • Asset management best practices
• Identify deficiencies and risks associated with:
  • Engineering design
  • Construction quality
  • Equipment condition
  • Maintenance practices
  • Inspection programs
  • Asset management processes
  • Protection and control systems
  • Spare parts strategies
  • Operational readiness
• Develop prioritized corrective action plans and long-term improvement strategies.

 

Design Review and Engineering Support

• Review and evaluate existing and proposed electrical power system designs.
• Assess compliance with applicable standards, specifications, and best engineering practices.
• Evaluate:
  • Conductor selection and ampacity
  • Pole, structure, and foundation design
  • Equipment ratings and application
  • Grounding systems
  • Protection and control schemes
  • Insulation coordination
  • Arc flash mitigation
  • Reliability and maintainability considerations
• Provide technical expertise during:
  • Concept development
  • Detailed engineering
  • Design reviews
  • Equipment selection
  • Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT)

 

Maintenance and Asset Management

• Assess maintenance programs and field execution practices to determine effectiveness and identify improvement opportunities.
• Define and promote maintenance standards and best practices across the organization.
• Develop and improve maintenance strategies for:
  • Overhead power lines
  • Distribution substations
  • Power transformers
  • Switchgear and breakers
  • Protective relays
  • Capacitor banks
  • Station batteries and DC systems
  • Grounding systems
• Develop and maintain:
  • Preventive maintenance programs
  • Inspection programs
  • Condition monitoring programs
  • Asset health assessment methodologies
  • Critical spare parts strategies
  • Reliability improvement programs
• Establish maintenance frequencies, acceptance criteria, asset health indicators, KPIs, and performance measures.

 

Construction and Commissioning Oversight

• Provide technical leadership during:
  • New installations
  • System expansions
  • Infrastructure upgrades
  • Equipment replacements
  • Major maintenance outages
  • Capital improvement projects
• Review contractor and consultant work for compliance with:
  • Engineering drawings
  • Specifications
  • Company standards
  • Industry standards
  • Safety requirements
• Conduct field inspections and quality audits.
• Oversee commissioning activities including:
  • Acceptance testing
  • Protection testing
  • Functional testing
  • Energization planning
  • System startup
  • Performance validation

 

Capital Projects and Reliability Improvement

• Develop project scopes, technical specifications, budgets, and execution strategies.
• Support annual capital planning processes.
• Lead reliability improvement initiatives intended to eliminate infrastructure risks and performance gaps.
• Manage and coordinate:
  • Engineering consultants
  • Construction contractors
  • Testing and commissioning vendors
  • Internal stakeholders
• Monitor project performance related to:
  • Safety
  • Quality
  • Cost
  • Schedule
  • Reliability outcomes
• Ensure identified deficiencies are effectively corrected through maintenance, refurbishment, replacement, or capital project execution.

 

Technical Leadership

• Serve as the organization's Power Distribution Subject Matter Expert (SME).
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers, technicians, planners, supervisors, and maintenance personnel.
• Lead equipment failure investigations and root cause analyses.
• Develop technical standards, maintenance practices, procedures, and asset management strategies.
• Benchmark facilities and programs against industry best practices.
• Promote continuous improvement in safety, reliability, maintainability, and operational excellence.

 

Required Qualifications

Option 1 – Engineering Path

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Minimum 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in utility, mining, industrial, or large infrastructure power systems.
• Demonstrated experience in power line and substation design, construction, commissioning, maintenance, reliability, asset management, or capital project execution.

OR

Option 2 – Technical SME / Field Leadership Path

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent.
• Minimum 10+ years of relevant experience in electric utility, industrial, mining, or power distribution environments with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Demonstrated progression from field operations, maintenance, construction, commissioning, or technical specialist roles into Subject Matter Expert (SME), asset management, reliability, engineering support, or leadership positions.
• Proven experience assessing, maintaining, commissioning, troubleshooting, upgrading, or managing overhead power lines, substations, and power distribution infrastructure.
• Recognized technical expertise in electrical maintenance, reliability improvement, asset management, or infrastructure lifecycle management.

 

Required Technical Knowledge

Demonstrated expertise in:

• Overhead transmission and distribution systems
• Distribution and industrial substations
• Power transformers
• Medium- and high-voltage switchgear
• Protective relaying and controls
• Grounding systems
• Capacitor banks
• SCADA and automation systems
• Electrical testing and commissioning
• Reliability engineering
• Asset management
• Power system analysis
• Arc flash mitigation
• Insulation coordination
• Maintenance strategy development
• Root cause analysis

Working knowledge of applicable standards and regulations including:

• IEEE Standards
• ANSI Standards
• NESC
• NEC
• OSHA and/or MSHA requirements
• NETA testing standards

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) registration.
• Utility, lineworker, substation technician, NETA, NICET, PMP, or equivalent industry certifications.
• Experience performing enterprise-wide infrastructure audits and condition assessments.
• Experience developing maintenance and asset management standards across multiple sites.
• Experience leading reliability improvement programs and capital projects.
• Experience managing consultants, contractors, and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Experience with SAP, or equivalent asset management systems.

 

Key Competencies

• Power distribution subject matter expertise
• Technical leadership
• Infrastructure assessment and auditing
• Reliability engineering
• Asset management
• Maintenance program development
• Root cause analysis
• Risk assessment and mitigation
• Capital project management
• Contractor oversight
• Strategic planning
• Technical report writing
• Stakeholder engagement and communication

 

Success Measures

Success in this position will be demonstrated through:

• Identification and elimination of critical electrical infrastructure risks.
• Improved reliability, availability, and maintainability of power distribution assets.
• Development and implementation of sustainable maintenance and asset management programs.
• Successful execution of reliability and capital improvement projects.
• Reduction in equipment failures, forced outages, and operational risk.
• Increased compliance with company standards and industry best practices.
• Improved electrical safety performance and system resilience.
• Measurable improvements in asset health, lifecycle cost management, and network reliability.

Ideal Candidate

Experienced utility, mining, or industrial power systems professional who has personally designed, constructed, commissioned, operated, maintained, assessed, and improved overhead power lines and substations, and who can independently identify infrastructure gaps, develop practical solutions, and lead execution of corrective actions from assessment through project completion.