Senior Physical Substation Engineer

ISG

$105,000 - $150,000 / year

Des Moines, IAFull-timeOn-siteIntermediate

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Description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Physical Substation Engineer to lead the design of high-voltage transmission and distribution substation physical packages. This will include layouts, bus work, grounding, conduit, and equipment placement. ISG has partnered with utility and energy clients for decades, providing engineers the opportunity to build long-term careers while working on complex projects with ongoing demand. In this role you will ensure designs meet client(s), utility, and regulatory standards while optimizing for safety, reliability, and constructability. You will have the opportunity to mentor junior staff, review and approve deliverables, and serves as a primary client contact for resolving technical issues.

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

Within our Energy Business Unit, ISG’s Power Group plays a vital role in delivering resilient infrastructure solutions, supporting projects and clients nationwide.

We operate as a one-profit-center firm and we work as one team across all offices, sharing resources, expertise, and opportunities to best serve our clients and support our employee owners. Regardless of where this position is posted, we encourage all qualified candidates from any ISG geography to apply.

Similar projects and initiatives you may contribute to as part of this role:

Key Responsibilities

Develop and review complete physical design packages for high-voltage substations, including one-line and three-line diagrams, general arrangement (GA) drawings and 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.
Ensure 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 and control (P+C) requirements.
Performs and reviews calculations including grounding, voltage drop, conduit fill, lightning protection, illumination and cable sag/tension.
Reviews and approves design packages.
Leads design coordination meetings with clients, utilities, vendors, and internal teams.
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.
Stays current with emerging technologies, equipment, and industry standards impacting substation design.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

5+ years of experience in substation physical design, with proven leadership on medium to large projects.
Professional Engineer (PE) license, required.
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (with a focus in power systems or related discipline).
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.

Benefits

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

Benefits

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

See all jobs in Des Moines

About this role

ISG is looking for a Senior Physical Substation Engineer to lead the design of high-voltage transmission and distribution substations for FirstEnergy, a longstanding utility client. You would own complete design packages—from one-line diagrams and general arrangements through grounding layouts, conduit routing, and equipment specifications—while ensuring compliance with IEEE, ANSI, NEC, and other regulatory standards. The role demands strong technical judgment to optimize for safety, reliability, constructability, and cost, along with responsibility for coordinating across civil, structural, and protection teams and serving as the primary technical contact resolving client design challenges.

This position suits an engineer with at least five years of substation physical design experience, a PE license, and a BS in electrical engineering. You'll need hands-on familiarity with grounding analysis software (WinIGS, CYME, CDEGS) and photometric tools, plus solid knowledge of substation equipment configurations, procurement, and industry codes. Leadership is central to the role: you'll mentor junior staff, review and approve deliverables, and lead design coordination meetings with clients and vendors.

Based in Des Moines and working in-office, you'll have the opportunity to build a long-term career within ISG's Energy Business Unit, which operates as an employee-owned firm sharing resources across offices nationwide. The salary range is $105,000 to $150,000, with benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, profit sharing, an ESOP, and 401K options.

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Pay for this role

$105,000 to $150,000 per year

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