Principal Private Grid Architecture and Controls Engineer

Overview

We are designing the grid of the future!

EPE is looking to recruit a Principal Private Grid Architecture and Controls Engineer to join our growing Energy Resources team. In this role, you will work closely with senior leadership to support our growth strategy and provide subject matter expertise both internally through coaching and developing staff, as well as externally to our clients.

Responsibilities

How you can make an impact:

• Lead the design and development of advanced Private Grid control systems for hyperscale and AI data center campuses.

• Define the control philosophy for grid-connected, islanded, black-start, and resynchronization operating modes, enabling seamless transitions while maintaining mission-critical reliability.

• Develop coordinated control strategies spanning utility interconnection, on-site gas engine and gas turbine generation, CHP/CCHP, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), renewable resources, and UPS/critical power infrastructure.

• Design hierarchical control architectures, including plant-level controllers, power plant controllers (PPC), energy management systems (EMS), and supervisory control systems.

• Develop algorithms for active and reactive power control, frequency and voltage regulation, load sharing, generator and economic dispatch, spinning reserve management, peak shaving, demand response, and grid-support services.

• Define control strategies for grid-forming and grid-following inverter operation.

• Lead integration of generator governors, excitation systems, protection systems, and plant control systems.

• Ensure stable Private Grid operation during utility disturbances, large load steps, AI workload fluctuations, generator trips, BESS transitions, islanding events, black-start sequences, and utility reconnection.

• Develop control schemes that minimize voltage and frequency deviations while maintaining uninterrupted power to critical IT loads.

• Coordinate control integration among generator OEMs, BESS suppliers, UPS manufacturers, switchgear vendors, SCADA/EMS providers, and EPC contractors.

• Develop communication architectures using IEC 61850, Modbus TCP/IP, DNP3, and other industrial protocols.

• Validate control performance through hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), and commissioning.

• Serve as EPE’s subject matter expert for Private Grid control systems and establish engineering standards, design guidelines, and control philosophies.

• Mentor senior engineers and provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary teams.

• Review engineering deliverables and provide technical directions.

• Stay up to date with emerging technologies, market innovations, and best practices to enhance EPE’s offerings and capabilities.

• Support business development activities

Qualifications

Bring your passion, here's what’s needed:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Control Systems Engineering, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in power system controls, Private Grids, and power generation.
• Demonstrated experience designing and commissioning utility-scale Private Grid control systems.
• Strong understanding of synchronous generators, inverter-based resources (IBRs), and BESS.
• Expertise in dynamic system behavior, stability analysis, and control system design.
• Experience with industrial control platforms, PLCs, SCADA systems, and Energy Management Systems (EMS).
• Excellent technical communication skills and the ability to operate independently in a senior client-facing role.
• Professional Engineer (P.E. or P.Eng.) license preferred.
• Experience supporting hyperscale or AI data center power infrastructure, including campuses exceeding 100 MW of critical load, is preferred.
• Experience integrating gas engines, gas turbines, CHP/CCHP systems, and utility-scale BESS is preferred.
• Knowledge of IEEE 1547, IEC 61850, IEC 61131, NERC reliability standards, and utility grid codes is preferred.
• Experience with grid-forming inverter control strategies and resilient Private Grid architectures is a plus.
• Experience with real-time simulation and HIL platforms (RTDS, OPAL-RT) and digital twins is a plus.
• Automation experience is a plus.
• Active participation in industry task forces and/or working groups (IEEE, ESIG, or similar) is a plus.

• Experience leveraging AI and automation tools responsibly to improve quality, productivity and innovation.

Be a part of an innovative team shaping the grid of the future through advanced energy intelligence. For more than half a century, Electric Power Engineers (EPE) has partnered with power and energy clients across the globe, providing consulting expertise and energy intelligence software solutions for complex engineering and grid modeling challenges. As leaders in the renewables space, we are focused on building a modern, secure, and resilient grid. Join us in making an impact on the communities we serve and the environment in which we live. Together we can transform the future of energy.

How we support you:

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits including medical, dental, and vision with 100% premium coverage for you
• Generous PTO and paid holidays
• MyShare Employee Ownership Program
• Work with industry leaders
• 401K, up to a 4% match (100% vested from day 1)

Location: This position is open to remote US/Canada

Travel:Up to 20% for site commissioning, FAT/SAT, and client meetings

EPE is an equal opportunity/AA/Disability/Veteran employer. The EEO is the Law poster, and its supplement are available using the following links: EEOC is the Law Poster

Third-Party Recruiting Notification

EPE does not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters. Any unsolicited third-party resumes forwarded by recruiters to EPE via our career page or to any of our managers or employees will be considered public information, may be treated as a direct application from the person identified in the resume, and will not be eligible for placement fee payment to the agency. EPE will not pay a fee to a third-party recruiter or agency without a previously signed third-party agreement and has not coordinated their recruiting activity with the appropriate member of the Talent Acquisition team.

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