Senior Simulation Engineer Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

ROLE SUMMARY
The Principal Power Systems Modeling Engineer is ON.energy's technical owner for power system modeling, model validation, and grid performance assessment. This role sets modeling standards, leads high-impact simulation work, and ensures models accurately represent ON.energy hardware, controls, firmware, protection settings, and plant-level operating modes.

The position supports product development, interconnection studies, grid requirements demonstrations, customer projects, and emerging large-load applications. It serves as a key technical bridge across R&D, Controls, Test, Product, Project Engineering, external consultants, customers, utilities, ISOs, and standards organizations.

Key focus areas include EMT and dynamic modeling, ERCOT Model Quality Testing, evolving large-load ride-through requirements, hardware-to-model matching, Hardware-in-the-Loop and real-time simulation, and project-specific modeling support for ON.energy deployments.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define modeling standards: Establish ON.energy's modeling philosophy, validation methods, governance processes, and quality expectations across EMT, RMS, transient, steady-state, HIL, and real-time simulation environments.
• Own model lifecycle management: Ensure models remain aligned with released hardware, firmware, controls algorithms, protection settings, plant controls, and project-specific configurations.
• Serve as technical authority: Provide expert judgment on model fidelity, validation evidence, simulation assumptions, and external model submissions.

• Lead technical execution: Develop, review, and approve EMT and dynamic models supporting interconnection studies, customer applications, product qualification, and grid requirements.
• Support project modeling: Partner with Project Engineering on study assumptions, equivalent models, SLD representation, equipment settings, operating conditions, and data requirements.
• Assess system performance: Evaluate ride-through behavior, weak-grid performance, harmonics, generator interations, startup behavior, control response, and large-disturbance response.

• Ensure hardware-to-model alignment: Confirm models represent inverter behavior, BESS response, EMS functionality, firmware, protection, controls, and fielded product configurations.
• Correlate models with evidence: Compare simulations against lab tests, HIL results, commissioning data, field measurements, disturbance records, and vendor model behavior.

• Lead grid requirements modeling: Serve as technical lead for ISO MQT, large-load ride-through evaluations, and evolving grid requirements.
• Oversee external studies: Direct and review work performed by consultants and study partners, ensuring technical quality, traceability, and consistency with ON.energy standards.
• Influence product and engineering direction: Translate modeling insights into recommendations for controls, firmware, hardware design, validation investments, customer applications, and roadmap priorities.
• Mentor and represent: Guide engineers across modeling, controls, test, and project teams, and represent ON.energy in technical discussions with utilities, ISOs, consultants, customers, and industry groups.

EXPERIENCE AND REQUIREMENTS

• Education: Masters Degree or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 12+ years of advanced power systems modeling experience, including EMT, RMS, dynamic modeling, inverter-based resources, BESS, large loads, or transmission-connected facilities.
• Tools: Expertise with PSCAD, PSSE, PSLF, MATLAB/Simulink, and related simulation platforms; experience with HIL or real-time simulation platforms strongly preferred.
• Grid requirements: Strong understanding of ISO and Utility interconnection requirements, MQT, NERC reliability standards, inverter-based resource requirements, and evolving large-load expectations.
• Technical breadth: Fluency in inverter controls, protection settings, firmware behavior, EMS functions, UPS/BESS architectures, and hardware/software integration.
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to set technical direction, influence across engineering disciplines, review complex deliverables, communicate with external stakeholders, and create scalable engineering processes.