Principal Electrical Engineer Power Systems

Principal Electrical Engineer — Power Systems

Remote (Denver, CO preferred) | $155,000–$192,000 + Short-Term Incentive | Full-Time

Most utility engineers spend their careers on one side of the wall — either designing systems or running them. This role sits on both sides at once.

Our client is a fast-growing electric utility solutions firm that holds something rare in this industry: long-term utility privatization contracts, putting their engineers in direct operational control of 50+ substations and extensive microgrid networks across the country. The result is an engineering environment where you design a system, commission it, and then operate it — and where the feedback loop between your decisions and their real-world consequences is measured in weeks, not years.

The Role

As Principal Electrical Engineer – Power Systems, you'll serve as the senior technical authority on a team working across the full project lifecycle. You'll lead design of sub-transmission systems, substations, and switching stations; develop microgrid packages from concept through commissioning (500kW to 10MW scale); run complex power system studies in ETAP or equivalent; and mentor the next generation of engineers on your team.

This is not a narrow specialist role. Expect to rotate between conceptual design, field walk-downs, fault analysis, and protective relaying — sometimes in the same week.

What You'll Own

• Lead engineering on sub-transmission, substation, and commercial/industrial power distribution projects
• Develop and review ETAP models; validate system study findings and recommendations
• Prepare and approve design packages, cost estimates, and engineering reports
• Manage customer relationships and serve as the technical point of contact on key accounts
• Mentor and develop junior engineers

What We're Looking For

• BSEE (power systems emphasis) + PE License required
• 12+ years of electric utility experience, including 5+ years in a lead, supervisory, or PM capacity
• Subject matter expertise in power system analysis, distribution system modeling, and protective device coordination
• High proficiency in ETAP, SKM, or EasyPower
• US citizenship required (federal contractor; military base access clearance required)
• Ability to travel ~25% to project sites

Why This Role

The company has been recognized as a top workplace. The culture is intentionally built — hybrid or remote schedule, strong work-life balance, collaborative engineering team, and a genuine "employee first" mentality that shows up in day-to-day operations, not just in the recruiting pitch.

More than that: if you want to work across the full technical stack of grid infrastructure — from relay coordination to microgrid commissioning — and you want your fingerprints on systems that run for decades, this is the kind of role that builds a body of work.