System Operations Engineer (Associate Engineer, Engineer, Sr/Staff Engineer)

Job Summary

Dominion Energy is seeking candidates to be a part of the Electric Transmission SOC Operations Engineering team. We are looking for Engineers with various levels of experience. The candidates will join a team that supports our system operators and engineers within the SOC with a variety of specializations and skill sets, so if any of the below skills and abilities apply to you, please apply. No single person is expected to be an expert in all areas. We’re looking to supplement our team of diverse talents, and you might be the perfect fit. It's an exciting time to join our team, as we are beginning an EMS Upgrade project, developing a synchrophasor-based EMS with WAMS capabilities, incorporating Dynamic Line Ratings, and more. The SOC is the heart of any Power Utility, and your experiences on this team will provide an excellent foundation for any career in the industry.

Our Operator Tools team works closely with our vendors to design, test, and commission new EMS tools and functionality as well as support EMS Upgrade projects to ensure our Operators have the tools they need to monitor and control the modern power grid. This includes being prepared to handle load growth from Data Centers, an influx of Inverter Based Resources (IBR), exploring Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs) such as Dynamic Line Ratings, Volt-Var Optimization, Synchrophasors, Power-Flow Control, and more. This is a more senior role, typically hired at the Engineer, Senior Engineer, or Staff Engineer level.

Our Network Applications team supports our State Estimation and Contingency Analysis applications, ensuring they solve reliably and accurately at all times, are responsible for our external modeling, and support our operators as knowledgeable Power System consultants when needed. They also provide support for any other projects within our team or the company where their expertise is needed. This is a more senior level role, typically hired at the Senior Engineer or Staff Engineer level.

Our EMS Modeling and Display groups maintain our transmission system’s digital model within the EMS, updating on a weekly basis to reflect changes due to project work such as new substations, new equipment, line reconductoring, and more. Some teammates maintain our digital model, others focus solely on the displays and one-lines, and others handle ratings changes and coordination with our Regional Transmission Operator (RTO). These are typically more entry-level roles, often hired at the Associate Engineer or Engineer level. It’s common for team members to transition to higher-skilled roles within the team as they advance their career, making this an excellent entry point with room to grow.

Across the team we also support:

Software Development – To build tools to automate workflows and support projects, build interfaces and data pipelines, analyze data, and more.

Business Process, Compliance, and Project Management – There are a lot of activities and deadlines to coordinate within the team, from compliance deadlines, small projects related to operator feedback and requests, work-flow optimization, revamping our onboarding and training process, maintaining documentation and procedures, and more. Individuals with the skills needed to track and monitor these workflows and ensure the work gets finished on-time and with a high degree of excellence are needed.

All positions will be hired based on the appropriate experience level, but the role you fill within the team will depend on your particular skills, background, and interest. 

Job Responsibilities

Specific duties will depend on the role, but general job responsibilities may include:

• Performing and/or supporting the modeling of Dominion’s Transmission system such as SCADA modeling and configurations, network topology, equipment ratings and parameter impedances as well as the maintenance of various displays.
• Developing and/or supporting the development of client-side applications used by members of the modeling team to automate and enhance processes or improve situational awareness in the operations control room.
• Supporting debugging, testing, and validation of developed applications.
• Coordinating with and providing technical assistance to various engineering, operations and field teams and PJM to fully maintain the EMS model.
• Writing scripts or tools to automate various tasks and processes. 
• Maintaining/configuring servers used for synchrophasor-based situational awareness applications.
• Training users on new EMS applications and seeking feedback to drive continual improvement.
• Assisting with quality assurance testing of major EMS IT projects.
• Conducting research, development, and demonstration of leading-edge tools, technologies, and applications to maintain Dominion's leadership position in the industry.
• Participating/collaborating with trade and industry organizations, benchmarking activities, universities, ISOs/RTOs, and national research labs.
• Participating in various company teams, industry-level organizations, university partnerships, ISOs/RTOs, and national research labs to enhance Electric Transmission’s system operations performance. 

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Experience

Required Years of Relevant Engineering Experience:

• Associate Engineer: <2 years
• Engineer: 2+ years
• Senior Engineer: 5+ years
• Staff Engineer: 8+ years

Required Knowledge and Skills:

Power Systems

• Candidate should have a strong electrical engineering background, preferably in electric power systems. Other engineering backgrounds may be considered if presented in combination with a strong electric power background.
• Understanding of AC/DC circuit analysis fundamentals and three-phase power systems.
• Experience with Energy Management Systems such as GE/Alstom’s e-terra platform.
• Knowledge of synchrophasor use cases within the industry, performing analytics using synchrophasor data, experience working with PMUs, PDCs, WAMS applications, and related protocols (e.g., IEEE C37.118, STTP, etc.).
• Working knowledge of State Estimation, Power Flow, and Contingency Analysis.

Technology

• Solid technology background, specifically Microsoft Office, Power Systems software such as PSS/E, PSCAD, PowerWorld, MATLAB, etc.
• For more technical roles, experience working with large datasets within various database technologies and using scripting (e.g. Python, SQL) to retrieve, transform, and analyze data.

Interpersonal

• Strong leadership skills with proven ability to serve as team project lead.
• Strong organizational and communication skills, ability to lead and coordinate groups towards a common goal.
• Strong oral and written communication skills (including technical writing).
• Effectiveness working independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to process information quickly.
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple tasks.
• High attention to detail and drive for standardization.

Education Requirements

You must meet one of the following criteria:

• Possess a 4-year Engineering degree from an ABET accredited Engineering program based on the year that the Engineering program was accredited by ABET, or
• Possess a 4-year Engineering degree from an institution outside of the U.S. which is accredited through the country's own Engineering accrediting body under the Washington Accord as a full signatory, and is a degree that was recognized by the country's accrediting body on or after the date that full signatory status was achieved, or
• Possess a 4-year degree in Engineering (non-ABET accredited), Physics, Chemistry, Math or Engineering Technology and a post-graduate Engineering degree from an institution where the undergraduate degree in the same Engineering discipline is ABET-accredited based on the year the Engineering program was accredited by ABET, or
• Holds or has previously held a valid U.S. Professional Engineer license.

Working Conditions