Substation Design Engineer

Job Title: Substation Design Engineer

Job Description

This role focuses on designing and supporting the installation of new and replacement substation equipment to enhance grid reliability, resiliency, and modernization. The Substation Design Engineer performs detailed physical and civil substation design, applies industry standards, and collaborates with multi‑discipline teams to deliver safe, cost‑effective, and constructible solutions. This position offers long‑term project ownership, opportunities for professional growth, and the chance to contribute directly to the energy transition, including renewable integration and advanced digital substations.

Responsibilities

• Conduct engineering studies and perform design calculations for the installation of new and replacement substation equipment.
• Perform physical substation engineering design, including general arrangement drawings, electrical plan and section views, cable and conduit plans, grounding plans, raceway plans, shielding plans, and bus work calculations.
• Create or review foundation and structural designs to support substation equipment and structures.
• Develop detailed bills of materials based on engineering designs and project requirements.
• Evaluate geotechnical analysis information and incorporate it into substation designs to ensure safe and reliable foundations and structures.
• Design or evaluate site civil plans, including site grading, access roads, drainage, soil erosion, and sediment control measures specific to substation sites.
• Create material lists and takeoffs from engineering designs to support procurement and construction planning.
• Understand, follow, and apply relevant industry standards and best practices to all engineering designs.
• Iteratively refine designs to achieve optimal outcomes that balance cost, project scope, constructability, and consistency with existing practices.
• Coordinate design activities with other multi‑discipline project team members, including planning, protection, construction, and field personnel.
• Manage project documents and records to ensure accuracy, traceability, and compliance with internal procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Communicate complex technical information clearly to engineers, operations staff, construction crews, and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with internal teams and external contractors and vendors to support successful project delivery.
• Support the implementation of advanced protection systems and digital substations as part of broader grid modernization initiatives.
• Contribute to projects that support reliability, resiliency, and load growth driven by electrification, electric vehicles, and data centers.

Essential Skills

• At least 1 year of applicable experience in substation, industrial PLC/electrical, transmission line (t‑line), or protection and controls engineering.
• Bachelor"s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering.
• Hands‑on experience with AutoCAD for creating and modifying engineering drawings.
• Ability to conduct engineering studies and perform design calculations for substation equipment and systems.
• Ability to perform physical substation design, including layouts, plans, sections, and associated calculations.
• Ability to interpret and apply geotechnical analysis information to substation and foundation designs.
• Ability to design or review civil site plans related to grading, access, drainage, and erosion and sediment control.
• Strong understanding of industry standards relevant to substation and utility design, and ability to apply them in practice.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly and effectively to engineers, operations teams, construction crews, and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work cross‑functionally with planning, protection, construction, and field personnel, as well as external contractors and vendors.
• Strong organizational skills to manage project documents and records accurately.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to coordinate work within multi‑discipline project teams.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Engineer‑in‑Training (EIT) certification or Professional Engineer (PE) licensure is a plus.
• Interest in supporting advanced protection systems and digital substation implementations.
• Desire to grow into areas such as protection engineering, transmission planning, asset management, or leadership roles.
• Motivation to pursue professional development opportunities, including preparation for PE licensure.
• Interest in long‑term project ownership and following projects through their full lifecycle.

Work Environment

This role is based in an office located in Indianapolis, Indiana, with work performed on site five days per week. The position follows a standard 40‑hour work week in a collaborative engineering environment that values safety, planning, and sustainable work-life balance. The work primarily involves office‑based engineering design using tools such as AutoCAD and other utility‑focused design and documentation systems. Team members benefit from a stable, utility‑based capital program that provides consistent, year‑to‑year project work and fewer last‑minute changes than typical consulting or EPC roles. Engineers occasionally visit field sites with coworkers for site assessments and coordination, traveling in a company vehicle. The organization combines a local focus-serving the Indianapolis community-with access to strong technical resources and best practices from a broader global energy network. The culture emphasizes individual contributions, clear career paths, support for professional licensure, and opportunities to develop into technical specialist, project leadership, or people leadership roles, all within an environment designed to avoid constant burnout and support long‑term career sustainability.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Indianapolis, IN.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $40.00 - $60.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Indianapolis,IN.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jun 1, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.