Substation Technical Leader

Job Title:

Substation Technical Leader

Location:

Charlotte, NC

Job Summary and Description:

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Substations Program addresses the evolving challenges faced by substation asset owners and operators across the electric power sector. Much of today’s installed substation infrastructure-including transformers, circuit breakers, protection and control systems, gas-insulated substations, ground grids, arresters, capacitively coupled voltage transformers (CCVTs), batteries and chargers, and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) substations-was commissioned decades ago and is approaching or exceeding its intended service life.

This role supports EPRI’s research efforts focused on the full life cycle of substation assets, including design, operation, maintenance, aging, and end-of-life considerations.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong technical background in power transformers and substation equipment, including design, application, operation, maintenance, diagnostics, and lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of transformer condition assessment technologies.
• Experience evaluating new technologies through laboratory testing, field demonstrations, pilots, and utility deployments.
• Ability to engage directly with utility engineers and asset managers to understand operational challenges, emerging risks, and research priorities.
• Working knowledge of major substation assets such as circuit breakers, instrument transformers, bushings, GIS/GIL, grounding systems, surge arresters, and protection and control systems.
• Familiarity with applicable IEEE, IEC, CIGRE, and NERC standards and industry practices affecting transformers and substations.

Key Responsibilities and Requirements:

• Works independently on technical activities without direct supervision.
• Conducts technical searches and analyzes information in support of the project team.
• Demonstrates responsibility for highly specialized technical objectives or problems where the relationships between cause and effect are difficult to establish and little or no precedence exists, and the use of creative and imaginative thinking is required.
• Applies technical expertise, and has full knowledge of other related disciplines.
• Develops technical solutions to complex problems which require the regular use of ingenuity and creativity.

Additional Requirements:

• Has developed relationships with primary advisors to a research area.
• Provides assistance to the EPRI sales staff in Member Services and EPRI International.
• Communicates strategies and results, written and verbal, to program members, potential members and external stakeholders through guidelines, reports, meetings, webcasts, workshops and conferences.
• Continues to communicate work across EPRI programs to make sure parallel work is informed.
• May provide oversight of a project team to assure technical and financial milestones are met.
• Organizes the external and interdepartmental activities ensuring completion of the project/product on schedule and within budget.
• Supports the planning and execution of complex project work within the technical department to meet member/client objectives; prepares and presents research reports.
• Manages small or medium (less complex) projects including budgets and resources.
• Begin interfacing with national and international technical networks (e.g, manufacturers, consultants, academia and research organizations).
• Supports proposal efforts and new promotional work.
• Develops research or services opportunities of value to EPRI members that fit EPRI’s mission and capabilities. This will include solving customer problems, producing insights and information vital to the members, and delivering information in a manner that members and customers can and will apply.
• Continues to provide guidance and mentorship to junior staff.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a technical field or equivalent experience required.

The salary range for this position is $118,000 USD to $127,500 USD annually.This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors, including without limitation applicant's education, experience, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. The salary may also be adjusted based on applicant's geographic location.This role is eligible to participate in EPRI’s annual incentive program. The amount of incentive varies and is subject to the terms and conditions of the plan.This role is eligible to participate in EPRI’s standard employee benefit programs, which currently include the following: medical, dental, vision, 401k, STD/LTD and paid family leave, life and accident insurance, paid time off (flexible vacation, sick leave, and holiday pay).EPRI participates in E-Verify, an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration (SSA). EPRI uses the system to check the work status of new hires by comparing information from the employee's I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases.EPRI is an equal opportunity employer. EEO/AA/M/F/VETS/DisabledTogether . . . Shaping the Future of Energy.www.epri.com