Senior Planning Engineer

Overview

Reliability First Corporation is a regulator focused on preserving and enhancing reliability, security, and resilience of the Bulk Power System across 13 states and the District of Columbia. Reliability First is uniquely positioned to work closely with transmission, generation, and other power companies as well as the federal government to help identify and ensure the mitigation of operational risks and physical and cyber security threats to the electric grid.

Culture Statement:

At Reliability First, we are more than just a team – we are a community of dedicated professionals committed to ensuring the reliability and security of the electric grid. Our people are our greatest asset, and we believe that their diverse backgrounds, skills, and experiences are what drive our success. If you’re looking for a career that offers competitive compensation, generous benefits, work-life harmony, and the opportunity to be part of a mission that matters, then we invite you to join us at Reliability First.

Together, we can ensure a reliable and secure electric grid for today and tomorrow.

The primary purpose of this position is to gather, review, and perform advanced analysis regarding risks to the Bulk Power System (BPS) with the goal of making recommendations that improve overall reliability and resilience associated with system performance. This job entails functions similar to the role of a transmission planning engineer with a background in power system operations. Additional expertise and knowledge in system protection and control concepts is a desirable for this position.

The Sr. Engineer – Planning reports to the ESP Manager within the Engineering & Reliability Services department.

• Produce and/or support the development of NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation), Eastern Interconnection Reliability Assessment Group (ERAG), and RF (Reliability First) power flow analysis, which includes:
  • Ability to utilize tools used to perform steady-state and dynamic power flow analysis (including, but not limited to Siemen's PSS/e and Power Gem's TARA)
  • Collect power-flow model data from stakeholder groups
  • Develop, verify, and validate models, contingency lists, and associated support files
  • Meet applicable milestones associated with assessment deliverables
  • Development of technical reports and presentation materials
  • Review and comment on system events and/or disturbance reports that involve protection system operations
• Facilitate and present technical material at Reliability First technical committee/subcommittees, workshops, and community of practice groups, including working closely with the industry stakeholders to develop the agenda and keep meeting minutes (as applicable)
• Represent Reliability First in regional working groups
• Provide interpretation of the NERC Reliability Standards when needed, including conducting reviews of newly developed/revised Reliability Standards, implementation guidance, compliance guidance, technical guidelines, and other applicable documentation
• Provide technical support across Reliability First in the following manner:
  • Collect, verify, and validate data from various sources
  • Perform analysis on system performance data related to equipment outages and protection system misoperations
  • Review of system events
  • Develop and present educational materials
• Support RF stakeholder outreach activities
• Support compliance oversight and mitigation activities
• Support other RF groups such as NERC Certification activities

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with coursework in power systems required
• Minimum of 2-4 years of experience in performing power flow analysis (i.e., transmission planning job function)
• Experience in using power flow analysis tools (i.e., Siemen's PSS/e, Power Gem's TARA, or similar tools) is required, including some experience in performing dynamic/transient, geomagnetic disturbance, or electromagnetic transient simulations and associated tools (additional experience in performing short-circuit analysis or similar job functions related to protection systems is beneficial)
• Knowledge in new and emergent technologies like inverter-based resources, distributed energy resources, energy storage, or similar technologies
• Comprehension of NERC TPL, MOD, PRC, and other planning-related Reliability Standards
• Ability to manage time with multiple responsibilities
• Ability to troubleshoot independently and think analytically to problem solve
• Excellent presentation skills in explaining results effectively to non-technical audiences
• Experience in directing others or leading a primary process/function
• Understanding of probabilistic analysis, protection systems, generation operations, or transmission operations
• Professional Engineer Certification/Licensure is beneficial to the role