Principal Engineer - Grid Analytics & Technology Solutions

Puget Sound Energy is looking to grow our community with top talented individuals like you!  With our rapidly growing, award winning energy efficiency programs, our pathway to an exciting and innovative future is now.

 

PSE's Planning team is looking for qualified candidates to fill an open Principal Engineer - Grid Analytics & Technology Solutions position!

Specific details regarding the work arrangements for this position will be discussed in further detail during the interview process.

Job Description

The Principal Modeling Tools Engineer is responsible for the strategic operation, oversight, and continuous advancement of Electric System Planning’s distribution system modeling platform. This role provides technical authority and direction across backend data management, database administration, GIS integration, automation, and system integration to ensure that modeling tools and supporting applications are accurate, reliable, scalable, and aligned with longterm planning needs. 

 

This position has a broad scope of responsibility across systems, data pipelines, and modeling standards, and plays a key role in enabling planning studies, system reliability analysis, capacity planning, asset management, and other planning and operational needs across the electric distribution system. The Principal Modeling Tools Engineer works closely with engineering and data science teams to define data requirements, validate analytical approaches, and ensure consistency between engineering intent and analytical outcomes. 

 

Serving as a technical leader and primary point of integration between power system engineering, data science, and backend tooling, this role ensures that modeling tools, datasets, automated workflows, and system integrations effectively support forwardlooking analysis, scenario evaluation, and informed decision making. The position supports grid modernization initiatives and the integration of smart grid technologies, including distributed energy resources (DER), advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and distribution automation (DA), by shaping how data and models are structured, governed, and evolved over time. 

 

The Principal Modeling Tools Engineer is accountable for establishing and sustaining modeling standards, best practices, documentation, and governance frameworks across the planning organization. This role provides technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to engineers, data scientists, and project teams, influences tool enhancement priorities and investment decisions based on system impact and business value, and ensures modeling environments remain transparent, reproducible, and maintainable. 

 

The successful candidate is excited about realizing the future of energy delivery while meeting customers’ needs today, demonstrates curiosity and commitment to learning, and is passionate about driving continuous improvement at a system and organizational level. 

 

This job is considered “safety sensitive” as defined in RCW 49.44.240 and is subject to pre-employment drug screening that includes screening for the presence of marijuana and marijuana metabolites.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide technical authority for data extraction, integration, and automated ETL pipelines from spreadsheet and database sources into SQL Server–based modeling databases, including the development and sustained improvement of Python and pandasbased workflows supporting model preparation and analytics.
• Provide oversight and technical direction for the administration of backend databases supporting power system modeling and analytics, including data validation, schema management, performance optimization, and backup procedures, ensuring longterm data integrity and system performance.
• Direct the development and maintenance of automation and scripting supporting weekly model builds, data quality validation, automated reporting, and repeatable analytical workflows, ensuring consistency and reliability across planning activities.
• Establish and sustain process monitoring, failure detection, and alerting for critical modeling and analytics pipelines, ensuring timely identification and resolution of issues.
• Provide technical leadership for GIStomodel data workflows between Smallworld, ESRI Utility Network, and engineering models, ensuring accurate geometric and electrical connectivity and alignment with engineering intent and spatial data analysis needs.
• Govern the configuration and ongoing maintenance of Synergi Electric equipment libraries, including transformers, conductors, switches, and protection devices, ensuring accurate electrical parameters, device settings, and con