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Distribution Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Everpure

Power Supply Engineer

Santa Clara, CA

... distribution across servers and storage platforms. * Master System Interfaces: Debug critical ... A BSEE or MSEE in Electrical Engineering ; we are looking for senior-level technical mastery in ...

Giga Energy

Project Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Requirements * 5+ years of relevant experience as a utility engineer, distribution engineer, or distribution engineering technician (or equivalent). * Strong electrical design competency with ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA · On-site

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

Intren West

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA · On-site

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA · On-site

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

Intren West

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA · On-site

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

Intren West

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA · On-site

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA · On-site

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

Bausch+Lomb Companies Inc.

$65K - $100K/yr

The Medical Device Engineer II supports the design and development of contact lenses within Bausch + Lomb's Vision Care R&D organization. This role serves as a product advocate on cross-functional ...

MasTec Inc

Electrical Engineer

Dublin, CA

With expertise spanning electric utility operations, distribution engineering, wildfire mitigation, grid modernization, climate resilience, and operational strategy, IW Professional Services partners ...

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All JobsDistribution Engineer JobsDistribution Engineer Jobs in California

Distribution Engineer information

See California salary details

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$43

$69

How much do distribution engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 29, 2026, the average hourly pay for distribution engineer in California is $43.45, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $34.42 and $51.25 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a distribution engineer do?

A distribution engineer designs, maintains, and manages the electrical distribution systems that deliver power from substations to consumers. They analyze load requirements, develop system layouts, and ensure safety and compliance using tools like CAD software. The role often requires knowledge of electrical codes and certifications such as PE or EIT, and may involve field inspections and troubleshooting.

What Is a Distribution Engineer?

A distribution engineer is a type of electrical engineer responsible for the development, installation, testing, and proper usage of electrical power equipment. As a distribution engineer, your job duties include building power distribution systems, performing safety inspections of electrical equipment, and monitoring and documenting the performance of electrical systems. The qualifications to begin a career as a distribution engineer include a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering plus several years of experience working with a variety of electrical power systems and equipment. To succeed in this job, you need to have a mechanical aptitude and strong critical thinking skills.

What are Distribution Engineers?

Distribution Engineers are professionals who design, plan, and oversee the electrical distribution systems that deliver power from substations to homes, businesses, and other end users. They ensure the safe and efficient operation of power lines, transformers, and other infrastructure components. Their work includes system analysis, equipment selection, reliability improvement, and compliance with safety standards. Distribution Engineers often collaborate with utility companies, construction teams, and regulatory agencies to maintain and upgrade electrical grids.

How does a Distribution Engineer typically collaborate with field crews and other departments to ensure reliable power delivery?

Distribution Engineers work closely with field crews, operations, and planning teams to design, upgrade, and maintain electrical distribution systems. They often provide technical support during outages or equipment failures, review field reports, and coordinate with other departments to schedule maintenance that minimizes customer impact. Effective communication and teamwork are crucial, as the engineer needs to translate technical plans into actionable steps for field personnel and ensure that projects meet safety and reliability standards.

What engineers make $500,000?

Senior distribution engineers, especially those with extensive experience, advanced certifications, and expertise in power systems and grid management, can earn salaries approaching or exceeding $500,000 annually. Such high earnings are typically found in senior leadership roles, consulting positions, or in companies operating in high-cost regions with complex infrastructure projects.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Distribution engineers, especially those in senior roles or with extensive experience in utility companies, can earn $300,000 or more annually. High salaries are often associated with specialized skills, management responsibilities, or working in regions with high living costs, and may require advanced certifications and years of experience.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Distribution Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Distribution Engineer, you need a strong background in electrical engineering principles, power distribution systems, and typically a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related field. Familiarity with software tools such as AutoCAD, GIS, and distribution modeling systems, along with relevant certifications like Professional Engineer (PE) licensure, is often required. Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective communication are essential for collaborating with teams and addressing client needs. These skills ensure the safe, efficient, and reliable delivery of electrical power to customers while meeting regulatory and operational standards.

Can you make $500,000 as an electrical engineer?

Distribution engineers, a specialized role within electrical engineering, typically earn salaries ranging from $70,000 to $150,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. Earning $500,000 is uncommon and usually requires senior positions, management roles, or working in high-paying sectors such as energy or consulting, often combined with advanced certifications and extensive experience.

What is the difference between Distribution Engineer vs Substation Engineer?

AspectDistribution EngineerSubstation Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Electrical Engineering, relevant certificationsBachelor's in Electrical Engineering, often similar certifications
Work EnvironmentFieldwork, utility companies, power distribution networksSubstations, power plants, electrical infrastructure sites
Employer & Industry UsageUtility companies, energy providers, infrastructure firmsUtility companies, electrical infrastructure firms
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

Distribution Engineers focus on designing, maintaining, and improving power distribution systems from substations to consumers. Substation Engineers specialize in the design, operation, and maintenance of electrical substations. Both roles require similar credentials and often work within the same industry, but their focus areas differ within the electrical power infrastructure.

More about Distribution Engineer jobs
What are popular job titles related to Distribution Engineer jobs in California? For Distribution Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Distribution Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Distribution Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Distribution Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Distribution Engineer job openings:
What are popular job titles related to Distribution Engineer jobs in CA? For Distribution Engineer jobs in CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
Distribution Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Distribution Engineer job openings in California as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 5% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $90,375 per year, or $43.4 per hour.

Power Systems Distribution Specialist

Pravāh

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

Full-time

Posted 7 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Build, validate, and maintain distribution power flow models for utility clients using real-world network topology, asset parameters, and operational measurements.

  • Develop and operationalize real-time technical loss computation workflows and methods for state estimation from sparse and noisy measurement data.

  • Develop simulation workflows for distribution system planning, including capacity expansion studies, DER interconnection studies, and contingency analysis.

Job description

About the Role
As a Power Systems Distribution Engineer, you will own the power systems modeling and analysis capabilities at the core of Pravāh's grid intelligence platform, spanning both real-time operational analysis and long-term distribution planning.
On the operational side, you will build and validate power flow models that compute real-time technical losses, estimate network state from sparse AMI and SCADA measurements, and identify anomalies across distribution feeders serving millions of customers. On the planning side, you will develop simulation workflows for new distribution system design, including capacity expansion, DER interconnection studies, voltage regulation, and contingency analysis, that utilities use to make capital investment decisions.
You will work at the intersection of classical power systems engineering and modern software: translating domain expertise into scalable computational workflows, collaborating directly with ML engineers who are building demand and weather forecasting models, and with software engineers who are productionizing your analysis into utility-facing tools. You will also be the domain authority in conversations with utility partners, understanding their operational challenges, data environments, and regulatory contexts across India, the US, and other markets.
This is a founding role. You will not be running studies in isolation. You will shape how Pravāh thinks about the grid, define what problems we solve, and build the analytical engine that hundreds of millions of customers ultimately depend on.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Power Flow and Loss Analysis
  • Build, validate, and maintain distribution power flow models for utility clients, ingesting real-world network topology (GIS, CIM), asset parameters (transformer ratings, conductor impedances, capacitor banks), and operational measurements (AMI, SCADA) to produce accurate steady-state solutions.
  • Develop and operationalize real-time technical loss computation workflows that run continuously against live or near-live meter data, identifying loss hotspots at the feeder, distribution transformer, and segment level across networks with thousands of nodes.
  • Design methods for distribution system state estimation from sparse and noisy measurement data, handling the reality of Indian DISCOMs where AMI penetration may be partial, SCADA coverage is inconsistent, and network connectivity records are incomplete or inaccurate.
  • Build automated validation pipelines that detect data quality issues, topology errors, and measurement inconsistencies before they propagate into power flow results, including cross-referencing GIS asset records against electrical measurements to identify unauthorized connections, phase imbalances, and metering anomalies.
  • Develop loss disaggregation methodologies that separate technical losses (I²R, transformer core/copper) from commercial losses (theft, metering errors), enabling utilities to target interventions with quantified impact estimates.

Distribution System Planning and Simulation
  • Develop simulation workflows for new distribution system planning, including capacity expansion studies, feeder routing optimization, transformer sizing, and voltage regulation analysis for greenfield and brownfield scenarios.
  • Build and run hosting capacity analysis and DER interconnection studies to evaluate the impact of rooftop solar, battery storage, and EV charging on distribution feeders, including voltage rise, reverse power flow, protection coordination, and thermal limits.
  • Perform contingency analysis and reliability studies, covering N-1 scenarios, fault current calculations, and protection coordination reviews, to support utility investment planning and regulatory filings.
  • Develop power flow scenarios that model the impact of demand growth, electrification (EV, heat pumps), and DER penetration on existing distribution infrastructure over 5 to 20 year planning horizons.
  • Support voltage optimization and power factor correction studies, analyzing capacitor placement, voltage regulator settings, and conservation voltage reduction (CVR) opportunities to reduce losses and defer capital upgrades.

Data Ingestion, Normalization and Model Building
  • Pioneer methods for ingesting and normalizing complex, real-world utility data at scale, including GIS shapefiles and geodatabases, CIM/IEC 61968/61970 models, legacy asset registers, conductor libraries, and heterogeneous naming conventions across different utility systems.
  • Build automated pipelines that transform raw utility GIS and connectivity data into validated power flow models, handling the messy reality of missing impedance data, incomplete phasing information, incorrect connectivity, and undocumented network modifications.
  • Develop repeatable model-building workflows that can onboard a new utility client's distribution network (thousands of feeders, millions of nodes) in weeks rather than months, creating the scalable foundation for Pravāh's multi-utility platform.
  • Work with ML engineers to define feature engineering requirements from power systems data, identifying which network topology features, loading patterns, and voltage profiles are most predictive for demand forecasting and anomaly detection models.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Domain Leadership
  • Serve as the deep domain authority for Pravāh's cross-functional team, translating power systems concepts into engineering specifications for software and ML teams, and translating client requirements into feasible analytical workflows.
  • Lead technical conversations with utility partners, understanding their operational challenges (high AT&C losses, monsoon-related outages, DER integration), data environments (GIS platforms, SCADA systems, billing databases), and regulatory contexts (state electricity regulatory commissions, tariff structures, loss reduction mandates).
  • Collaborate with ML teams to validate that forecasting models and AI-driven insights are physically consistent with power systems constraints, ensuring demand forecasts, loss estimates, and grid state predictions respect network topology and electrical physics.
  • Define product requirements and roadmap priorities from a power systems perspective, identifying which analytical capabilities create the most value for utility clients and which technical approaches are feasible at scale.
  • Lead technical validation of Pravāh's tools against utility-accepted benchmarks, ensuring power flow results, loss calculations, and planning recommendations meet the accuracy and reliability standards that utilities require for operational and regulatory use.

What You Should Have
Required
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or a related technical field.
  • 5+ years of experience in distribution power systems analysis, either at an electric utility, engineering consultancy, grid software vendor, or research institution.
  • Strong understanding of power system fundamentals: power flow analysis, voltage regulation, short circuit analysis, contingency analysis, power factor correction, and technical loss computation at the distribution level.
  • Proficiency in at least one power system simulation tool (e.g., CYME, Synergi Electric, PowerFactory, GridLAB-D, OpenDSS, ETAP, or equivalent). We care about your ability to model and reason about distribution systems, not mastery of any single tool.
  • Hands-on experience working with operational utility datasets, including SCADA, AMI/smart meter data, GIS network models, OMS outage records, or billing/energy accounting data.
  • Programming proficiency in Python (strongly preferred) or MATLAB, with experience automating power flow studies, data processing pipelines, or analytical workflows. You will be writing code daily, not just clicking through GUI tools.
  • Experience building or validating distribution network models from real-world utility GIS and asset data, with an understanding of the gap between as-built records and actual network conditions.
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work through ambiguous, incomplete data and still produce defensible engineering conclusions.
  • Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain complex power systems analysis to software engineers, ML researchers, and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice to Have
  • Professional Engineer (P.E.) license.
  • Experience with distribution system state estimation or real-time power flow applications using AMI or SCADA data.
  • Experience with DER interconnection studies, hosting capacity analysis, or solar/storage impact assessments on distribution networks.
  • Working knowledge of CIM (IEC 61968/61970) data models and experience with utility data integration or GIS-to-model conversion workflows.
  • Familiarity with distribution automation (DA), FLISR (fault location, isolation, and service restoration), or advanced distribution management systems (ADMS).
  • Experience with distribution system planning in emerging markets, particularly India, where challenges include high AT&C losses, partial metering, unbalanced LT networks, and rapid load growth.
  • Understanding of ML/AI applications in power systems, including demand forecasting, anomaly detection, or probabilistic load modeling, and ability to bridge domain expertise with data science approaches.
  • Experience in a software product environment, agile development, or working closely with software engineering teams to productionize analytical workflows.
  • Track record in high-growth or zero-to-one environments where you have defined analytical approaches from scratch rather than following established playbooks.

Apply