Substation Designer Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

The Opportunity

As a Senior Electrical Engineer, you may have the opportunity to:

•  Function as a Technical Specialist or Project Lead Role, providing project coordination, guidance and expertise on assigned substation projects.
•  Support a variety of substation projects ranging up to 765kV in engineering detailed design and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC).
•  Develop protection and control design deliverables including protective relays, panel arrangements, one line/single line diagrams, three line diagrams, AC/DC schematics, relay panel wiring and   equipment wiring within complex substation designs.
•  Develop physical design deliverables including yard layout plans, grounding, lightning protection, control building arrangements, and auxiliary AC/DC power systems within complex substation  designs.
•  Prepare calculations and reports for engineering studies (AC/DC load, grounding, lightning).
•  Perform or oversee quality review of electrical substation design packages.
•  Prepare electrical equipment specifications and Bills of Materials (BOM) for procurement and construction.
•  Communicate and coordinate project activities with clients, vendors, subcontractors and other stakeholders.
•  Coordinate design activities with other disciplines.
•  Provide guidance and mentorship to less experienced team members.
•  Present proposals, designs and project activities.
•  Potential travel opportunities to client and vendor offices and/or project sites for design reviews, construction coordination and field verification.
•  Manage and prepare design budgets and schedules.
•  Provide support to business development or pursuit activities.

#LI-DM2

The Team

Black & Veatch is Ranked #4 Overall in Power by Engineering News-Record (2025). Our Technology, Commercial & Industrial Team has specialized capabilities focused on the latest needs for clients in a fast-growth technology-led arena of advanced manufacturing, and generative AI computing including gigafactories, bio/ag tech, data centers and distributed infrastructure. By joining our market sector, you will have the opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge technology and work with a team that moves quickly with decisions and expectations.  

Our specialized team provides complete engineering, procurement, and construction new asset and operating asset services in the following areas: 

• Substations 
• Renewables Integration 
• HVDC/FACTS/STATCOM  
• Datacenters Integration
• BESS Integration

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively provides guidance and direction on department design guides, standards, systems, applicable engineering codes and B&V policies. May own, maintain, update, or develop engineering standards and guides. Provide technical guidance to others regarding projects or disciplines.  
• Applies knowledge and ensures compliance with B&V quality program. Establishes related processes, and promotes a culture that is conducive to quality. Supports continuous improvement, change management and risk management efforts.
• Prepares a variety of complex engineering deliverables for multiple or mega projects.  Performs complex research and develops recommendations for equipment and/or materials selection. Oversees collection, assimilation, and management of data for engineering work.  
• Prepares complex engineering calculations following standard methods and principles.  Manages assigned budget, schedule, and quality requirements. Develops and applies advanced engineering solutions to complex problems. Responsible for ensuring project teams delegate appropriate tasks to lower level team members to develop depth of project execution staff.  Reviews lower level engineering work or assignments. Is responsible for one or more of the following: leading production teams; coordinating multiple discipline activity; and serving as the responsible charge for projects. Establishes work plan to be applied to a given project.
• Actively coordinates with all other internal/external team members on complex projects. Typically responsible for defining project schedules for single discipline or may have responsibility for multiple disciplines.
• Responsible for determining identification of key client interests and drivers on projects. Communicates client interests and drivers to project team members and develops approaches to accommodate these concerns in the performance of the work on complex projects.
• Works to identify future client needs and how to better position B&V for the future.    May offer other services to the client. Typically provides support to business development or pursuit activities.
• Serves as the technical specialist in a broad area of specialization, or in a narrow but specialized field. Develops and applies advanced engineering concepts and approaches to unique engineering problems. Typically supports multiple projects on very complex technical challenges. Typical roles include being recognized as an industry expert, participating in professional societies by presenting papers, acting as a section lead for a large or complex specialty area, an engineering consultant for larger scale projects. May support the chief engineers or top engineering management, and is accountable for discipline-specific engineering processes. 
• Typically oversees performance management, career planning, recognition, learning and development, and corrective actions. May participate in compensation management, succession planning, disciplinary actions, employee relations and workforce planning.   Actively mentors lower level and mid level professionals and identifies successors to train in the specifics of their role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project lead and technical specialist experience overseeing utility substation clients and projects
• QA/QC Review - Quality Assurance/Quality Checks
• High voltage (HV) substation design experience - Physical and/or Protection & Controls
• Consulting experience
• Experience coordinating and communicating with Clients, Multidisciplinary Leads and Project Managers Professional Engineer (PE) License
• Proficient with Bluebeam Revu and Microsoft Office Programs (such as Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)

Minimum Qualifications

Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering from either a recognized accredited program in their home country or the country in which the professional is practicing. Minimum of 11 years related work experience. All applicants must be able to complete pre-employment onboarding requirements (if selected) which may include any/all of the following: criminal/civil background check, drug screen, and motor vehicle records search, in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

Hybrid or flexible work options may be offered after the first 90 days of employment based upon manager discretion, job performance and work assignments.

Salary Plan

Job Grade