Optical Design Engineer Jobs in Tennessee (NOW HIRING)

This position will offer you the ability to directly apply your knowledge of protective relaying and controls systems for HV and EHV substations. As a Lead Substation Engineer, you will:

• Work on a wide range of substation modifications and upgrades to support client requirements and reviews including creating calculations, document designs, and specifications. 
• Prepare relaying philosophies, including selecting relay, control, and communications equipment, developing SCADA and telecommunication concepts and configurations, and overseeing the preparation of I/O assignments and connection diagrams. 
• Guide junior and senior-level engineers and designers in protection and controls engineering design efforts, including providing guidance with the coordination of detailed design phases for all aspects of the engineering work.
• Support challenging assignments that include investigating, trouble-shooting, and solving a wide variety of engineering issues.
• Perform analysis and design of single line diagrams, substation relaying & metering diagrams (i.e. A.C. schematic diagrams), and D.C. Schematic diagrams.
• Prepare engineering studies for client and peer review.
• Perform independent reviews of work performed by others including calculations and drawing preparation.
• Coordinate and provide guidance to other engineers, project managers, client personnel, and suppliers to ensure a complete and timely design. 
• Perform reviews of existing facilities to propose upgrades and replacements, and present findings and recommendations to clients and peers.
• Develop your career via peer-learning through sharing of knowledge with other experienced engineers by way of Sargent & Lundy’s systems of process and associated “Communities of Practice.” 
• Provide guidance as a mentor in the development of less experienced engineers.
• There is the potential for you to travel to client and vendor offices for design reviews and to plant site locations for construction coordination and field verification of designs.

This role offers a hybrid work arrangement, with the expectation of spending three days a week in the office, giving you the flexibility to work remotely for two days.

Dependent upon your location, this opportunity offers a generous relocation package. 

We do not sponsor employees for work authorization in the U.S. for this position.

Essential skills and experience:

• This position requires a Bachelor of Science Engineering degree.
• 12 or more years experience designing substations at 138kV and above.
• PE license. 
• Experience with serving as firm/client liaison in a support or lead engineering role.
• Experience in writing and providing support documentation for relay calculations.
• Experience with the design techniques, tools, and principles involved in the production of technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Proficiency with any of the following programs: SKM, ETAP, ASPEN, CDEGS, or vendor software.
• Familiarity with design codes and standards, such as NEC, NESC, NEMA, IEEE and ANSI. 
• Experience with various vendor protective relay equipment typically used in substation protection, including SEL, ABB, GE, Areva, and Basler.
• Proficiency with MS Office applications. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Valued but not required skills and experience:

• A BSEE degree is preferable. 
• Prior experience is desirable to include in-line, bus and equipment protection, breaker, transformer and similar equipment control, RTU and data concentrator based SCADA systems, telemetering and communications (fiber optics, microwave, power line carrier, etc.).
• AutoCAD or MicroStation experience.
• Construction and start-up experience.
• Testing or commissioning experience.

In this role, we expect people to be willing or able to lead others who use modern tools:

• You are expected to lead others in taking engineering problems from issue to solution by setting expectations for using data and modern tools such as automation and AI to improve workflows, reduce rework, and deliver cost-effective designs.
• Leaders in these roles often direct automation and process-improvement work, for example, how teams automate calculations, summarize technical documents, or generate design documentation and guiding when and how AI or agentic AI tools are used while ensuring results are checked.
• Overseeing engineers who program or script (e.g., Python, MATLAB, advanced Excel) to automate engineering tasks, with review of automated outputs, is valued but not required.
• We also value additional learning, such as a minor, certificate, or other experience in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or related fields that enables effective oversight of automation and agentic AI-enabled engineering workflows.

At Sargent & Lundy, we care about the health and well-being of our employees. Our commitment extends beyond the workplace, offering comprehensive healthcare plans and generous paid time off to support our team members in every aspect of their lives. We understand the importance of work-life balance, which is why we are proud to provide competitive, award-winning benefits. Our dedication to employee satisfaction has earned us the prestigious Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award for compensation and benefits in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

• Health Plans: Medical, Dental, Vision
• Life & Accident Insurance
• Disability Coverage
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Back-Up Daycare
• FSA & HSA

• 401(k)
• Pre-Tax Commuter Account
• Merit Scholarship Program
• Employee Discount Program
• Corporate Charitable Giving Program
• Tuition Assistance
• First Professional Licensure Bonus
• Employee Referral Bonus

• Paid Annual Personal/Sick Time (PST)
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Bereavement Leave
• Flexible Work Arrangements

Sargent & Lundy is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any protected status as defined by applicable law.