Senior Physical Design Engineer Jobs Near Me

Department: Power

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Columbus, OH

Compensation: $105,000 - $150,000 / year

We are seeking a Senior Physical Substation Engineer who will lead the design of high‑voltage transmission and distribution substation physical packages, including layouts, bus work, grounding, conduit, and equipment placement. This role ensures designs meet client, utility, and regulatory standards while optimizing for safety, reliability, and constructability. The Senior Engineer mentors junior staff, reviews and approves deliverables, and serves as a primary client contact for resolving technical issues.

This position will work on projects directly associated with FirstEnergy, one of ISG’s trusted and longstanding client partners.

• Develops and reviews complete physical design packages for high‑voltage substations, including one‑line and three‑line diagrams, general arrangement drawings & section views, bus work layouts and equipment plans, grounding layouts and calculations per IEEE Std 80, conduit, trench, and cable routing plans, and engineering documents and bill of materials
• Ensures compliance with utility, client, and regulatory standards (IEEE, ANSI, NEC, NESC, NFPA)
• Applies advanced engineering judgment to optimize substation layouts for safety, reliability, constructability, and cost efficiency
• Oversees integration of civil/structural and protection & control requirements into the physical design
• Performs and reviews calculations including but not limited to grounding, voltage drop, conduit fill, lightning protection, illumination, cable sag/tension, etc.
• Reviews and approves design packages including drawings, technical reports, and construction notes for accuracy and completeness
• Leads design coordination meetings with clients, utilities, vendors, and internal teams to resolve design issues
• Serves as the technical point of contact for clients, providing solutions to complex design challenges
• Mentors and guides junior engineers and designers, reviewing their work and providing structured feedback
• Supports project schedules and budgets by accurately forecasting design hours and meeting deliverable milestones
• Recommends and implements improvements in design processes, tools, and templates to increase efficiency and quality
• Stays current with emerging technologies, equipment, and industry standards impacting substation design

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (focus in power systems or related discipline required)
• 5+ years of experience in substation physical design, with proven leadership on medium to large projects
• Professional Engineer (PE) license, required
• Proficiency with marking up drawings digitally and understanding of CAD operations
• Experience with grounding analysis software (WinIGS, CYME, CDEGS, or equivalent)
• Experience with photometric analysis software (Visual Lighting, AGi32, DIALux, Revit or equivalent)
• Experience with lighting analysis software (WinIGS, CDEGS, PSCAD or equivalent)
• Experience with Substation Design Suite (SDS) and Inventor preferred but not required
• Strong understanding of substation equipment, procurement, and configurations (AIS, transformer banks, ring bus, breaker‑and‑a‑half, etc.)
• Knowledge of industry codes and standards: IEEE, ANSI, NESC, NEC, NFPA, OSHA
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to interface directly with clients
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel for site visits, design reviews, and client meetings

• Medical, dental, and vision
• Paid time off, pro‑rated amount available on your start date
• Paid holidays and paid volunteer time
• Paid parental leave
• Bi‑annual profit sharing
• Employee Ownership Stock Plan (ESOP)
• 401K retirement plan
• Life insurance
• HSA and FSA options
• Bereavement leave
• Supplemental voluntary benefits
• Short term and long‑term disability
• Parking reimbursement, varies on office location