Senior Substation Project Engineer

Description

Leidos Engineering has an opportunity in the Chicago area for a Senior Substation Project Engineer who will work alongside lead engineers and account managers supporting substation engineering projects for various electric utility clients in the Central and Midwestern United States. The Project Enigneer will be part of an established team within our Power Delivery Solutions (PDS) division. PDS provides consulting services to public-owned and investor-owned electric utilities for comprehensive engineering design of electrical transmission, substation, and distribution projects nationwide.

This position has remote working capabilities, but will require local & regional travel to client offices and project sites. This allows us to best serve our localized utility clients as needed. Therefore, candidates should be located in or adjacent to the greater Chicago area in order to be considered.

As a Substation Project Engineer, you can expect to:

• Lead and/or perform Substation Physical Electrical engineering design (including general arrangement, electrical plans and sections, grounding plan and details, raceway plan and details, shielding plan and details, lighting plan, and details, etc.) at HV and EHV voltage levels while adhering to prevailing standards, practices, procedures, and project/program requirements.
• Lead and/or perform Protection and Control engineering design (including relaying one-lines, AC schematics, DC schematics, metering, SCADA systems, station communications, station automation, station security, etc.) at HV and EHV voltage levels while adhering to prevailing standards, practices, procedures, and project/program requirements.
• Lead and/or conduct engineering studies and calculations (including bus spans, shielding, lighting, conduit fill, AC/DC loading and system design, etc.).
• Understand and apply industry standards, applicable state and federal safety codes, regulatory compliance requirements, and construction codes to projects.
• Create equipment, material, construction, and testing and commissioning specifications.
• Perform quality control (QC) reviews and lead QC review meetings on applicable engineering deliverables produced by junior staff, peers, and remote offices on small, medium, and large projects while adhering to the PDS quality management standard.
• Provide technical oversight, direction, and support for project teams.
• Assure proper documentation of project technical data.
• Ensure and facilitate project team collaboration and communication across all disciplines and resolve design conflicts as needed.
• Coordinate with project managers to successfully deliver projects to our clients.
• Function as client Point of Contact (P.O.C) and work directly with clients on project-related issues.
• Direct and/or participate in client meetings and job-site visits to collect and deliver design and engineering information.
• Identify and resolve project-related issues while proactively communicating and collaborating with the client.
• Perform evaluations of existing facilities to propose upgrades and replacements and present findings and recommendations to our clients.
• Complete conceptual design (one-line and general layout) to support project planning.
• Prepare and review proposals, technical write-ups, and project approach documents for small, medium, and large projects. This includes preparing and reviewing comprehensive project scopes of work and accurate man-hour estimates.
• Create project schedules using common software (MS Project, Primavera, etc.) to support proposal development.
• Present and justify proposals, estimates, and technical write-ups to management for small, medium, and large projects.
• Travel locally and regionally as needed (roughly ~15%) in order to support the needs of our clients

What Sets You Apart (Required Background Qualifications):

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from an accredited university with four (8) + years of prior relevant experience in utility substation design/engineering
• Professional Engineer (PE) License Required
• Ability to Demonstrate advocacy of Quality Assurance and Control in the field of substation engineering.
• Comprehensive understanding of the utility grid (power generation, transmission, and distribution) system and the theories and principles involved in substation engineering.
• Comprehensive understanding of industry standards (including NEC, NESC, NEMA, IEEE/ANSI) and their application to projects.
• Competence in researching engineering and design issues, evaluating alternatives, making sound recommendations, and preparing and presenting recommendations.
• Ability to meet deadlines under high-pressure situations.
• High level of computer competency/Proficiency with using MS Office applications.
• Team player who can work effectively in a team environment with an ability to deal with and lead a variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to travel locally/regionally up to 15% of the time
• PMP (Project Management Professional) certification
• Extensive experience in project and program management, with earned value management (EVMS)
• Comprehensive understanding of program operations, finance, and accounting
• Experience with Power BI

You Might Also Have (Preferred Qualifications):

• Experience with substation physical and protection and control design.
• Experience with engineering programs and software (including SKM, ASPEN, ETAP, CDEGS, or vendor software).
• Experience with serving as firm-client liaison in a support and lead engineering role.
• Prior experience as a substation lead engineer performing QC reviews and staff training/mentorship
• Experience leading renewable generation projects or interconnections
• Experience working on EPC projects or similar style of contracts
• Active membership in national engineering societies and work groups (IEEE, PES, etc.)
• Construction support experience

At Leidos, We pride ourselves on being a trusted and technology-focused solutions provider. Delivery Services Team is the go-to for utilities and mobile operators who need reliable power and telecommunication expertise. We've worked with over 50 investor-owned utilities, over 160 municipals/cooperatives, and we're continuing to expand our reach. Plus, we've got an amazing group of industry-leading construction partners who help us deliver meaningful Energy Delivery Solutions. Our recognition as an industry leader has been confirmed time and time again. Engineering News-Record (ENR) has ranked Leidos among the Top 10 T&D Firms and Top 10 Power Firms.

PDSSUBSTATION

PowerDelivery

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

December 9, 2025

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range $107, $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at

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Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.