Engineer Principal - Wildfire Mitigation (New Albany, OH / Corpus Christi, TX)

Job Posting End Date

09-16-2025

Please note the job posting will close on the day before the posting end date.

Job Summary

The Wildfire Mitigation Engineer plays a critical role in reducing wildfire risk across utility infrastructure by managing technical programs focused on vegetation management, equipment inspections, and engineering standards. This position ensures that transmission and distribution assets are designed, maintained, and operated to minimize ignition potential and enhance system resilience.

Job Description

More Specific to This Opportunity:

Vegetation Management Oversight

• Implement and manage vegetation management programs to maintain defensible space and ensure compliance with fire safety regulations and utility standards.

Infrastructure Inspection & Maintenance

• Lead inspection and maintenance initiatives for utility assets located in high fire-risk areas, ensuring timely identification and mitigation of potential ignition sources.

Engineering Standards Development

• Support the creation, implementation, and enforcement of engineering standards aimed at wildfire resilience, including system hardening measures, relay settings, fuse replacement strategies, and deployment of covered conductors.

Cross-functional Coordination

• Collaborate with field operations, asset management, regulatory affairs, and wildfire mitigation teams to align technical practices with strategic mitigation goals.

Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

• Track key performance indicators related to asset reliability and wildfire risk reduction. Provide technical insights to support continuous improvement efforts.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Technical Expertise: Exhibits advanced level proficiency plus advanced knowledge of a specialized technical area that enables the engineer to serve as a resource for the company in an area such as system production, underground systems, extensive control systems, thermo-hydraulic control systems, distribution standards, fossil or nuclear plant operations, etc.

Leadership & Guidance: Influences the direction of thinking throughout the organizational unit as a recognized authority in an area of expertise. Leads, facilitates and coordinates work activities of others within work group, team, department, corporate entity, or those external to the company and assumes the role of project or function manager for assigned tasks.

Planning & Organization Ability: Develops, recommends, and implements plans that include all scheduling, resource, and cost information and control required to address complex engineering problems that require the input and efforts of a wide array of entities both internal and external to the company.

Problem Solving & Initiative: Identifies, clarifies, resolves, and initiates solutions to complex problems that require multi-functional, or organizational, interfacing and/or multi-disciplined analytical techniques. Develops opportunities and new ideas and approaches that have system-wide impact.

Communication: Leads in the preparation and presentation of complex technical subjects, clearly, concisely, and persuasively, bringing in ancillary issues before senior management, professional organizations, regulatory bodies, etc. Projects credibility and competence on technical issues and has highly developed presentation skills.

Interpersonal Skills: Builds teams and networks that extend through AEP, and other companies, professional organizations, regulatory agencies, and academia. Networks throughout AEP, other companies, professional organizations, and regulatory agencies.

Decision Making: Possesses the experience and knowledge to make some technical decisions based on calculated risks without management review. Makes decisions affecting long range plans and goals based on analysis of highly uncertain input and outcomes. Visualizes long-term results. Makes decisions where differences of opinion are likely to exist. Makes decisions that have an impact across organizational boundaries.

Business Awareness & Characteristics: Demonstrates vision in identifying business opportunities for the organizational unit. Understands how strategies and decisions impact the relationship with our customers and suppliers.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Has typically acquired 8 or more years of related engineering experience along with a Bachelor's degree in engineering in a program accredited by ABET*; or 6 years of related engineering experience along with a Master's or PhD in engineering from a program accredi