Principal Automation Engineer

Requisition ID # 159780

Job Category: Engineering / Science

Job Level: Manager/Principal

Business Unit: Electric Engineering

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: San Ramon

Department Overview

The Electric Engineering team ensures the delivery of safe and reliable electric service to our customers. Electric Engineering is responsible for PG&E's electric distribution and transmission operations, including planning, engineering, maintenance and construction, asset management, business planning, restoration, and emergency response.

Position Summary

This position is represented by Engineers and Scientists of California (ESC) subject to collective bargaining.

This is a Principal level Automation Engineer position. The position will closely interact with cross-functional teams to support Automation assets planning, budget management, and SCADA program execution related activities. Particularly, this position will provide support to ensure successful implementation of the NERC Compliance items that are related to Automation/SCADA, participate in product evaluation and leverage enabling technologies to enhance the Automation/SCADA program. This position often assists in development of technical / governing policies, standards, and procedures, provides high-level advice & expertise to upper management, and applies broad & extensive business understanding of technical issues and impacts the strategic direction and policies of the company.

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business need. The a ssigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreements, and internal equity.

The annual salary range is:

CA Minimum, $172,200

CA Maximum, $220,932

Job Responsibilities

Budget Management & Asset Planning

• Budget Management and Asset Planning of the Transmission / Distribution Automation capital program: provide support to manage and control allocated annual budget, TO rate case / GRC preparation, data requests, day-to-day budget and planning activities, analyze SAP reports, cycle forecasts, Portfolio and Long-term planning validation.
• As directed manage and coordinate the T&D department 5-years plan, prioritize and rank against other planned capital projects with other asset planners.
• Coordinate with Portfolio team, Business Finance in forecasts and budgeting cycles.
• Prepare monthly reports, develop business case / justification for presentation to upper management, prepare and route project approval documents, etc.

SCADA Program Execution

• As directed manage and coordinate various program activities with other stake holders from start to finish including job prioritization, initiation, high level scoping, authorization, contracting strategy, proposal review, workflow, resources and clearance coordination, reporting, etc.
• As directed manage performance metrics to improve efficiency; develop and provide support to unit cost tracking, SCADA Penetration tracking, data requests, etc.

Program Management for Automation

• Program Management (i.e. MPAC): lead the core design and program Teams and facilitate Team meetings, quality assurance, contract review / negotiation, issue / risk assessment and timely resolution, continue process improvement, performance metrics management, communication to stakeholders, manage end-to-end process from planning until project completion, etc.
• Develop and manage standards and specifications (i.e. MPAC), and long-term program deployment roadmap.
• Develop business case / justification for presentation to upper management, prepare and route project approval documents, etc.

Leadership

• Participate in the Automation / SCADA Leadership Team.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve company performance (safety, financial, quality, performance).
• Recommend and assist in implementation of strategic direction & policies of the company by applying broad & extensive business understanding of technical issues.
• Provide high-level advice & expertise to upper management.
• Provide technical leadership, direction, and coaching to less experience engineer.

Product Evaluation

• Evaluate emerging technologies to enhance current system to drive system reliability, compliance, productivity, efficiency, and cost savings.

Regulatory compliance for automation

• Review, evaluate and translate legal, regulatory and industry standards into control objectives that are focused on maintaining compliance (i.e. NERC CIP).
• Ensure System Automation has processes to ensure and demonstrate regulatory compliance. Develop and update procedures and guidelines in the Guidance Document Library (GDL) and professional format to ensure compliance.
• Ensure System Automation maintains and meets ongoing future version of applicable regulatory requirements (i.e. NERC CIP) by updating and revising applicable compliance documents including maintaining Asset lists for Critical Assets (i.e. NERC CIP).
• Complete required reviews of various user and administrative accounts according to mandated review periods.
• Process and manage tasks associated with WECC CIP Mitigation plans to scheduled completion.
• Manage technical feasibility exceptions associated with System Protection and Automation assets within substations and control centers.
• Process CIP Gap analysis items in PG&E compliance tracking application and programs system to verify compliance.
• Provide NERC CIP awareness training to PG&E Substation stakeholders in Electric Transmission organization.
• Manage security controls and change management actions within substation critical assets to maintain evidence of regulatory compliance (i.e. NERC CIP). Maintain and renew Firewall exceptions required for remote access to Automation assets at Critical Asset Substations.
• Participates in regulatory team activities as subject matter expert (SME) for substation automation assets.

Qualifications

Minimum:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited curriculum in the US or the equivalent from outside the US
• 15 years of cumulative experience in engineering including experience on Substation Automation/SCADA, NERC compliance, asset planning, program execution, or budget management

Desired:

• Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering or advanced degree, such as MBA, in project or operation management
• Current and active California PE license
• Advanced certifications such as Project Management Professional (PMP)

Employers have access to artificial intelligence language tools (“AI”) that help generate and enhance job descriptions and AI may have been used to create this description. The position description has been reviewed for accuracy and Dice believes it to correctly reflect the job opportunity.