Engineering

Basic Purpose

Provides engineering design and support services for the electronics and software (Operational Technology) required to control and manage power generation, automatic generation control and real-time energy management.  Conceives, develops and implements unique solutions to operational technology problems.  Conceives, develops and advocates strategies for managing obsolescence, replacements and upgrades. Furnishes technical direction and project support to plant or control center staff on operational technology matters. Provides leadership and mentoring for junior engineering staff.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Provides control system software and hardware support to ensure safe, optimal and reliable operations. Works with Operations and corporate technical staff for troubleshooting, determining solutions, and supporting corrective actions for instrumentation and programming logic issues. Works with Operations to develop and implement control system logic, display modifications and custom functions. Develops Common Information Models for new or modified Generation, Transmission and Distribution elements. Works with the control system software vendors as required for trouble issues that have escalated for product support. 

Provides control system user account administrations for Operations and Maintenance groups. Coordinates Electrical System Control Center (ESCC) local and site failovers for security patching, software upgrades, and other related maintenance. Determines applicability and completes testing of security and application updates. Assists team members in applying updates. Manages and maintains installed computing infrastructure, including network and network connected devices. Manages and maintains computing infrastructure asset inventory.

Provides beginning-to-end technical support for capital and operations and maintenance projects to include development of the business case, scope, budget, and schedule, as well as testing, installation and commissioning. Communicates with project managers and attend meetings to keep up-to-date information about upcoming projects, process improvement and root cause analysis teams. Evaluates and manages vendor and contractor support efforts related with modifications, maintenance and project activities.  Provides contractor guidance, evaluates performance, conducts cost and quality control reviews and evaluates technical abilities. 

Builds data interfaces with external entities or vendors to transmit real-time or near real-time system data.

Provides support and maintenance for the dispatcher training simulator (DTS). Performs the routine aspects of assignments requiring knowledge and application of basic engineering principles. Provides afterhours support on call basis, approximately one or two calls per month. Provides outage support and participates in continuous performance improvement initiatives.