Associate Transmission Planning Engineer

Requisition ID #

Job Category: Engineering / Science 

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Business Unit: Electric Engineering

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: San Luis Obispo

Department Overview

The Transmission System Planning (TSP) department is responsible for conducting interconnection studies, multi-year assessments, and developing transmission expansion plans to ensure safe and reliable electric service. The department adheres to North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) standards and participates in their standard development processes. It also supports project implementation, operations, legal, contract, and other internal departments while contributing to transmission expansion policy and strategy aligned with the company's Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) goals

Position Summary

This entry-level position is represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC) subject to collective bargaining.

The Associate Transmission Planning Engineer works under the general technical direction of more experienced engineers and a supervisor. This position is responsible for providing technical, planning and project implementation support for transmission, substation, and distribution systems. The responsibility level of this position increases with experience and demonstrated ability.

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job.  The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreements, and internal equity.

The annual salary range is:​

CA Minimum, $95,172

CA Maximum, $142,956

Job Responsibilities

Basecase Preparation

• Support the development and coordination of the basecase creation process, including schedule and deliverables.
• Support the coordination and review of data from internal and external stakeholders to ensure accurate basecases.
• Review area and system load data to support the development of load forecast.
• Support the development of basecase assumptions and transmission system steady-state and dynamic models.
• Develop PG&E area and WECC system basecases as required by transmission planning studies.
• Provide support for generator testing and model development.
• Develop tools and processes to support transmission planning and project implementation functions.

Transmission System Studies

• Perform transmission planning studies related to compliance, annual transmission system assessment, all phases of load or generation interconnection, reliability, inter and intra-regional studies, or any other studies to support obligations to internal PG&E departments and external entities.
• Coordinate engineering requirements for generation, load interconnection, capacity, reliability, economic, and policy projects.
• Analyze reliability indices such as SAIDI, SAIFI and other indicators to propose reliability improvement projects.
• Support development of Annual Transmission Planning Assessment and Expansion Plan.
• Develop and submit new project proposals through the CAISO's Request Window in order to obtain approval.
• Prepare presentations, reports or other materials essential for communication of work to internal and/or external stakeholders. Effectively present technical material to stakeholders as required.
• As required, actively participate in initiatives, studies or industry forums that could impact the PG&E transmission system and support the inclusion of PG&E's interests.
• Under close supervision represent PG&E transmission planning at internal and external meetings and provide technical guidance on transmission planning issues.
• Provide responsive input and support to other departments on transmission matters.

Project Implementation

• Participate in project implementation activities to ensure timely implementation of projects and system asset strategies.
• Participate as transmission planner in multi-department project team to develop and approve project scope for electric transmission projects.
• Prepare project approval documents for management approval.
• Perform analysis to support project need and recommendation.
• Manage and track implementation of projects and provide updates as required.
• Upon completion of projects support all necessary communications and documentations of final ratings and model are completed.
• Participate in short and long-term strategy and capital investment planning activities.
• Participate in establishing project implementation scope, schedule, and budget

Compliance and Regulatory

• Under supervision interface and work with external regulatory agencies.
• Support in preparation of need portion of filings with regulatory agencies on transmission projects as necessary.
• Support PG&E's regulatory filings to various regulatory and data requests including FERC's Transmission Owner (TO) rate case and CPUC's General Rate Case (GRC).
• Support FERC/NERC/WECC/CAISO compliance requirements such as F1004 forms, RIMS, FNM, and FAC, TPL, NUC, and MOD reliability standards and criterion.
• Support annual Gap Analysis for FERC/NERC compliance.
• Support compliance and regulatory audits as necessary.

Qualifications

Minimum:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited curriculum in the US or the equivalent from outside the US.

Desired

• One year of experience in power engineering, electric transmission planning and/or operations
• Engineer-In-Training (EIT) certificate