Grid Innovation Engineer, Senior

Requisition ID # 145305 

Job Category: Engineering / Science 

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Business Unit: Electric Engineering

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: Oakland

Team Summary

Help us transform the electric utility industry from the inside! We are looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas to modernize California’s electric grid by rethinking how to plan the distribution grid for a high Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and high electrification future. The Electric Planning and Policy Modernization (EPPM) team aims to develop and externally represent new methods for preparing the distribution grid for high levels of transportation and building electrification and enable DERs (e.g., solar PV, battery storage, energy efficiency, demand response).

The team works collaboratively with diverse stakeholders across the enterprise and externally to develop implementation plans for innovation. As part of the Engineering, Planning & Strategy organization, help us chart the future of the utility and the energy industry.

Position Summary

The Senior Grid Innovation Engineer will play a central role in evolving PG&E’s distribution planning and interconnection processes to enable DERs, prepare for high levels of electrification, and take the needs of a variety of external stakeholders into account. The Grid Innovation Engineer will inform Company strategic positions, influence policy and propose process improvements for PG&E’s grid of the future that provides safe, reliable, and affordable clean energy to PG&E’s customers. The successful candidate will have the communication skills to coordinate and engage with internal and external counterparties and the innovative capabilities to drive the future development of distribution planning.

This position is based out of PG&E’s General Office complex in downtown Oakland, CA although a hybrid work from home arrangement will be considered.

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, and internal equity.  Although, we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed towards the middle or entry point of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.

A reasonable salary range is:

• Annual Minimum:  $122,000.00
• Annual Maximum: $194,000.00

Reporting Relationship:

The position reports to the Manager of Electric Planning and Policy Modernization.

Responsibilities:

• Engage with stakeholders by shaping policy and regulatory processes for distribution planning, operations, and interconnection
• Prepare external filings and presentations on PG&E’s distribution planning, operations, and interconnection
• Determine and implement improvements to distribution planning to address capacity needs and met electrification needs
• Coordinate with vendors on the provision of distribution planning tools to enable more advanced analysis
• Assist in prepping material and presenting for technical experts in regulatory proceedings and industry working groups
• Responsible for identifying, developing, and implementing new processes and guidelines that facilitate the use of DERs in providing value to the distribution grid
• Frequent engagement with the Energy Division at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and other regulatory stakeholders

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an ABET accredited college or equivalent experience
• Five (5) years of electric utility related experience
• Experience with grid modeling software (e.g. CYMDIST, PSLF, Aspen, etc.)

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with distribution planning, interconnection of load and generation, service planning, or distribution operations
• Experience with interconnection hosting capacity tools
• Experience with the use of load management to address capacity needs
• Experience preparing and presenting strategical and policy recommendations
• Experience with distribution planning or operations modeling software (e.g., CYME, LoadSEER, SYNERGI)