About the role
This position is not eligible for recruiting or sourcing by outside parties.
Disclaimer: Be cautious and only respond to emails from our “mesainc.com” domain. We will never ask for sensitive information, such as bank account details, SSN, etc., via email. If you receive any communication asking for such information, it is not from Mesa. For any concerns, or to verify the authenticity of a message, please contact us through our official channels.
What We’re Looking For
- Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, or civil engineering (ABET Accredited).
- Active Professional Engineer (PE) license – Required. Multi-state licensure or willingness to obtain reciprocity is a plus.
- 6+ years in the substation/utility industry, with 4+ years in substation physical design across voltage ranges spanning 12kV to 230kV.
- Deep substation physical expertise – Foundations, structural steel, grounding, cable routing, equipment power ratings, clearances, and conductor sizing across utility standards (IEEE, NESC, ASCE).
- Experience with grounding, lightning, and lighting studies – both performing them and reviewing the team's calculations.
- Design software proficiency – Expert with AutoCAD and Bentley MicroStation; comfortable with Bluebeam Revu for markups; working knowledge of grounding analysis tools (WinIGS, CDEGS, or ETAP).
- Client-facing communicator – Able to lead design reviews, kickoffs, and scope discussions directly with utility clients and other consultants.
- A coach's mindset – you find it as rewarding to develop the engineers around you as to ship your own deliverables.
- Steady under pressure – comfortable balancing technical responsibilities with people responsibilities when project demand spikes.
- Previous management experience is a plus, not a must – strong technical contributors ready to grow into leadership are encouraged to apply.
- Chattanooga-based or within commuting distance.
- Travel availability – Willing to travel to client sites for periodic site visits, typically 3–4 single-night trips per month.
What You’ll Lead
- A small, cross-experience team of substation physical engineers, designers, and drafters – coordinate their assignments, mentor and develop them, and set technical direction for the group.
- PE review and sign/seal – Review and sign/seal packages that require a PE seal as the licensed engineer on the team.
- Client relationships on technical scope – Serve as the substation physical point of contact for assigned clients; lead design reviews, present rationale, and negotiate change in scope.
- Standards and best practices – Shape Mesa's internal substation physical standards, calculation templates, QA checklists, and lessons-learned library.
- Quality and safety culture inside the group – set the expectations, model the behavior, and make sure both show up in every package.
- Hiring, onboarding, and development – Spot who's ready for the next stretch assignment; participate in interviews, review portfolios, and ramp new engineers onto active projects.
- Proposal and estimating support – Partner with proposal teams to scope substation physical effort, contribute technical narratives for RFP responses, and help shape win-themes for new pursuits.
What You’ll Do
- Partner with program managers, project managers, and the engineering manager to staff projects, and coordinate design tasks across the team so workloads stay balanced and predictable.
- Lead the design of equipment, structural, foundation, grounding, and cable routing plans and details for medium- to large-scale transmission substation projects.
- Direct grounding, lightning, and lighting studies; review and approve calculations produced by the team.
- Coordinate across Protection & Controls, Civil, Studies, Scoping, and other disciplines to keep multi-discipline packages aligned.
- Step in as a designer or checker when workload demands it – this is a working supervisor role, not a pure people-management one.
- Run technical oversight and final QA – own the checking and review process so packages leave the group right the first time, meeting code, client requirements, and Mesa's internal QA procedures.
- Own client communication on substation physical scope: kickoffs, design reviews, RFI responses, change orders, and closeout documentation.
- Hold regular team conversations, both 1:1 and group, to share company direction, surface blockers, and keep the team aligned.
- Identify process improvements and develop internal time-saving tools, templates, and standards that scale across the group.
- Approve timesheets, overtime, and vacation requests, and approve expense reports as appropriate.
What You’ll Earn
- Paid Time Off
- Holiday Pay – 10 Days Annually
- Group Medical/Dental Insurance
- Life Insurance (Company Paid)
- Disability Insurance (Company Paid)
- 401(K) Retirement Savings plan
- 401(K) Matching Contribution
- Section 125/Cafeteria Plan
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Fitness Center Reimbursement
- Annual Performance Bonus
- 9/80 Work Schedule Option
Notice to External Search Firms: Mesa Associates, Inc. and its subsidiaries do not accept unsolicited resumes and will not be obligated to pay a placement fee for unsolicited resumes. Mesa Associates, Inc. Talent Acquisition engages with approved search firms directly for specific hiring needs.
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