Power System Engineer

Job Description:

Power System Engineer

Description

About This Position

Under minimal supervision designs, and assists in the design of electric utility system facilities, including: generation, electric substations, overhead and underground transmission and distribution lines, network systems, protection systems, supervisory control systems (SCADA), market operation and settlement systems, street lighting, and other electric system facilities. This position exists only in the Power Production and Electrical Services Delivery department of Austin Energy.

Job Description:

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities:

Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

• Prepares standards, equipment specifications, design procedures, test procedures
• Performs power system studies such as protective relay coordination, fault studies, load flows, service reliability, power quality, voltage stability, power system market operations and settlement studies, etc.;
• Prepares engineering design and develops drawings and other documents for generation, transmission, distribution, substations and SCADA/EMS.
• Prepares circuit maps, control diagrams, charts, data bases, and plans for different electrical facilities.
• Provide assistance to all classes of customers, developers, and to other City Departments on technical matters relevant to electric utility services
• Provide technical and financial inputs for projects in electric utility planning and budget process
• Investigate and analyze engineering design problems; develop appropriate solutions; draft reports and make presentations
• Prepares safety procedures for electric facilities
• Assist in efforts to keep up with the latest developments in the utility industry, to meet North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Texas Public Utility Commission (TX PUC) standards and regulatory requirements.
• Work closely with field personnel to support project energization.

Responsibilities - Supervisor and/or Leadership Exercised:

• May provide leadership, work assignments, evaluation, training, and guidance to others.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

• Knowledge of engineering design principles applicable to electric utility operations such as, generation, transmission, distribution, market operations and other related fields.
• Knowledge of advanced mathematical techniques such as trigonometry, calculus, and coordinate geometry.
• Knowledge of engineering standards, codes, practices, procedures, materials, and equipment used in the design, construction, and operation of the electric utility systems.
• Knowledge of established engineering principles and methods.
• Knowledge of preparation of cost estimates and engineering and feasibility reports.
• Ability to perform more complex engineering calculations and to analyze engineering problems.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements within the local and state ordinances and laws.
• Skill in oral and written technical and/or general communication including preparation of written reports.
• Skill in negotiations and handling conflict resolution.
• Knowledge of City of Austin purchasing and contract policies and procedures.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Graduation with a Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Engineering, plus five (5) years of experience related to engineering.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working within industrial environment
• Experience working with rotating industrial equipment
• Vibration Analysis 1 course completion Certificate
• Level 1 Infrared Thermographer course completion Certificate

Notes to Candidate:

Austin Energy Power Production Engineering Department is looking for a Power System Engineer who will implement Predictive Maintenance Program tasks for rotating equipment at Austin Energy Decker and SHEC power plants and chilled water plants. The ideal candidate will implement periodic monitoring process of condition of rotating equipment by collecting and analyzing vibration and infrared parameters for energized rotating industrial equipment. The goal of this equipment condition-based monitoring is to identify proactive maintenance actions to be performed at a scheduled point in time when the maintenance activity is most cost effective and before the power plant equipment fails in service.

The ideal candidate will perform vibration and infrared thermography data collection at rotating industrial electro-mechanical equipment by using different computer and portable handheld vibration and infrared data collectors. The ideal candidate will perform collected vibration and infrared data analysis. The ideal candidate will assess rotating industrial equipment vibration condition and provide AE plants' maintenance and operation crews with recommendations pertaining criticality of vibration issues, expected rotating equipment remaining runtime, and expected equipment maintenance/repair needs based on collected vibration data analysis. The ideal candidate will build new vibration routes for new equipment at Decker, SHEC, and AE chill water plants. The ideal candidate will balance rotating equipment and perform rotating equipment failure root cause analysis and equipment life cycle evaluation. The ideal candidate provides hands-on support to plant maintenance team to troubleshoot and resolve rotating equipment downtime situations. The ideal candidate will provide recommendations for reducing AE plant rotating equipment vibration level down to the industry acceptable limits.

Additional duties will include: conducting equipment failure root cause analysis, prepare technical reports based on findings, recommend corrective actions, perform engineering support for Austin Energy Decker, SHEC power plants and Austin Energy chill water plants as required, perform project management functions as required.

Schedule: Monday - Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Hours may vary based on business needs

Location: 4815 Mueller Blvd., Austin, TX 78723, Sand Hill Energy Center and Decker Power Plant

Pay Range: $91,080 (min) to $117,000 (mid)

Critical:

This position has been designated as a Critical Employee position. Critical Employees are considered necessary and vital and supports activities that impact City or department operations. This work can be done while at a designated work site or while working at an alternate work location. Critical employees who are able to work at an alternative work location are required to do so. Schedules may be modified, and employees may be reassigned to another area during extraordinary situations or emergency conditions to provide essential services.

Employment Application:

• The City of Austin employment application is an official document; incomplete applications will not be considered.
  
• The Employment Record should be complete with job titles, employment dates, job duties, functions, and responsibilities for each position held.
  
• Starting salary will be based on overall relevant experience from your application.
  
• Responses to the Supplemental Questions inquiring about experience should be reflected on application.
  
• When completing the City of Austin employment application, the work experience listed must include a month, year, and a verifiable Supervisor or Human Resources phone number.
  
• Please be sure to detail on the application all current and previous employment that you wish to be considered as part of your qualifications.
  
• Statements such as “see résumé” will not be accepted. You may use “N/A” for fields that are not applicable.
  
• Please note that Austin Energy may close the job posting at any time after 7 days from the date of the initial advertisement. Once the job posting has closed, applications cannot be changed.
  

If you are selected as a top candidate:

• Verification of your education (which may include high school graduation or GED, undergraduate and/or graduate degrees) will be required. You must provide proof of education from an accredited organization/institution
  
• If you are identified as a top candidate and are in the military or a veteran, you will need to provide a copy of your DD-214 prior to confirming a start date.
  
• This position requires a criminal background investigation.
  

Travel: If you are selected for this position and meet the Driver Safety Standards in the City of Austin Driver Safety Program, you may drive when necessary to multiple locations as part of your regular job duties. Otherwise, you are responsible for getting to and from these locations.

Assessments:

Your skill level in some of the competency areas for this job may be assessed through skills testing.

Candidates selected for interview(s) may be required to complete an assessment(s) approved by Municipal Civil Service process, Rule 4.

Important Note to Applicants:
Please be aware that the Job Posting Close Date reflects the final day to apply, but the posting will close at 11:59 PM the day before the date listed. All application steps, including attachments and submission, must be fully completed before that time.

We also recommend that you save or print a copy of the job posting for your records. Once a posting has closed, it will no longer be viewable in the system

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By joining us, you become part of a community that values its people and is committed to making Austin the most thriving and resilient city in the country.

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EEO Statement for City of Austin:

The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the City will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual's AIDS, AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the City discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk.

City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974-3210 or Texas Relay by dialing 7-1-1.

Closing Date/Time: 2026-06-22