Stability and Special Studies Principal Engineer

Job Description

The successful candidate will be part of a team of engineers responsible for planning the bulk transmission systems for Georgia Power Company, Alabama Power Company, and Mississippi Power Company. The team’s primary focus is system stability—including voltage stability, rotor angle stability, frequency stability, resonance stability, and converter-driven stability—and special studies—including switching transients (capacitor bank, transformer, and line energization; breaker transient recovery voltage analysis), insulation coordination, transmission power quality (harmonics, harmonic filter bank design, flicker evaluations, motor starting), unbalanced power flow, load evaluations, post-event root cause analysis, and other specialized technical studies as required. The successful candidate will collaborate with multiple groups including other teams within System Planning, Transmission Control Centers, Research and Development, Operating Company Power Delivery and Generation departments, neighboring transmission systems, etc. The position will also be responsible for presenting study results to senior leadership, management, and internal and external customers for information and support.

This position is best suited for an individual desiring a technical career path responsible for leading and performing power system technical studies in support of various groups within Southern Company. The group provides the ideal environment for power system engineers to pursue advanced academic degrees (e.g., master’s and/or Ph.D.) due to exposure to a wide range of power system subjects, including unique emerging technologies encountered in the modern electric utility industry.

Primary Job Responsibilities 

• Provide technical leadership for assigned areas of responsibility. 
• Represent Southern Company on applicable industry committees in a technical leadership role, providing guidance and ensuring Southern Companies’ business needs are being met.
• Perform special technical studies requiring advanced power system modeling and techniques. 
• Engage and work with industry experts.
• Prepare engineering analyses, studies, guidelines, and technical reports.
• Review, organize, and analyze study results to ensure product accuracy. 
• Lead the study of advanced power electronics technologies to improve bulk power system stability.
• Provide specialized expertise in stability and special studies (power quality, transients, etc.) utilizing planning tools and creative solution development.
• Aid in the preparation of policy recommendations to influence, lead, and shape industry initiatives. 
• Research regulatory and industry initiatives affecting the BPS. 
• Investigate special technical issues impacting the BPS.
• Coordinate with teams in System Planning to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions. 
• Participate in internal Southern Company Committees.
• Provide technical training courses for internal customers.
• Participate in and lead (where appropriate) regional and national organizations, such as NERC and SERC working groups and task Forces, EPRI research initiatives, and IEEE Standards Development groups, which are shaping national technical and energy regulatory policies.
• Perform special technical studies, as requested, in support of Southern Company and its Operating Companies. 

Education and Professional Association

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from an ABET accredited institution is required.
• PE License is a plus. 
• Advanced degree (master’s and/or PhD) in Electrical Engineering is a plus.
• Publication of technical papers (e.g., IEEE, NERC, CIGRE, etc.) is a plus. 

Work Experience

• Electric utility experience is highly desired.
• Knowledge of electrical equipment, protection systems, and power system operation is strongly desired.
• Experience performing Transmission Planning stability and steady-state studies is desired.
• Experience performing power quality, switchgear application, transient voltage phenomena, or other equipment application studies (such as EMT studies) that require advanced power system modeling and techniques is desired.
• Experience developing and presenting material with a NERC or a Regional Entity (SERC, WECC, MRO, NPCC, Texas RE, RF), Industry Committee (IEEE, etc.), Subcommittee, Working Group or Task Force is desired.
• Familiarity with industry standards (e.g., IEEE, CIGRE, etc.) is desired.
• Experience applying protection and control systems, developing protective relay settings, and performing short-circuit