Overview
The Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) is seeking a full-time engineer to join its transmission planning team. The engineer will develop power system models, analyze power systems, and contribute to the NWPP training materials. The NWPP is open to hiring an entry-level, mid-level or Senior Engineer depending on qualifications.    

Transmission Planning Engineer
Job Titles:  Engineer I, Engineer II, or Senior Engineer
Location:  Portland, Oregon
Application submittal date:  December 22, 2020
Contact: David Angell – dave.angell@nwpp.org

Position Descriptions

Engineer I

The entry engineer position will perform work under general supervision while planning and executing assignments and projects. This role may interface with external organizations and receives guidance from managers, engineers and other employees as needed.

Engineer II

The mid-level engineer is expected to perform work under limited supervision. An Engineer II has an intermediate level of technical expertise in their field. This role plans and leads moderately complex assignments and projects, interfaces with external organizations, and receives high-level guidance from manager, engineers and other employees as needed.

Senior Engineer

Operating under minimal supervision and using independent initiative, Senior Engineers have comprehensive technical expertise in their field. This role plans and leads complex assignments and projects, interfaces with external organizations, and mentors other engineers as needed.

Job Responsibilities

• Modeling and analysis of power systems during steady-state, transient, and sub-transient conditions for the planning and configuration of transmission and generation systems
• Modeling and analysis of economic attributes of the power system
• Plans and leads projects, assignments, and technical investigations
• Works with other organizations
• Evaluates progress and results, recommending changes in procedures
• Exercises technical judgment in decision-making and independent action
• Responsible for financial accountability and timelines on big and small projects
• Utilizes industry- and discipline-related knowledge to interpret and comply with regulations and standards as required by FERC, NERC and other applicable entities.

Skills and Requirements

The skills and requirements desired for this position include:

• General knowledge of engineering principles; developing specific knowledge of power system operation and analysis.
• Effective oral and written communication
• Use of computers and software, e.g. power flow, transient, electromagnetic transient, production cost.
• Manage and coordinate projects; establish and maintain effective working relationships; work both independently and with others; develop alternatives; analyze datasets.

Education & Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from an ABET accredited institution.
• 0-2 Years of Related Experience for Engineer I; 3-5 years for Engineer II and 6 years for Senior Engineer
• Profession engineer license preferred

Salary and Benefits

The NWPP Corporation offers a competitive salary based on candidate qualifications.

The NWPP Corporation offers a full and unique complement of health, dental, and vision benefits along with life insurance, short-term disability, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance at no cost to the employee. Details of the benefits can be provided upon request.

The NWPP Corporation’s retirement program (401K) is a valued component of the compensation package and information is available upon request.

About the NWPP

The NWPP Corporation is a nonprofit corporation based in Portland, Oregon.  Having evolved from informal operations with shared staffing resources in 1941, the NWPP Corporation strives to help its customer organizations achieve maximum benefits of coordinated operations.  The staffing and administrative functions supporting the standing committees under the Northwest Power Pool Agreement were folded into the NWPP Corporation in 1999.

During the course of its evolution, the NWPP Corporation has refined its core values to be customer-driven, relationship-based, independent and operating with great integrity.  From this foundation, the NWPP Corporation provides professional and management services to its participating organizations, as defined by its General Services Agreements and professional services contracts with individual participants. The Northwest Power Pool Agreement provides for a voluntary association whose membership consists of major generating utilities serving much of the western United States, as well as British Columbia and Alberta. Other organizations involved in the electric utility industry (such as non-utility generators, power marketers, system operators, planning organizations, and distribution utilities) participate under the Northwest Power Pool Agreement according to their unique needs and priorities.

Northwest Power Pool membership activities are largely determined by major committees—the Operating Committee, the Coordinating Group for the Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement, the Reserve Sharing Group Committee, and the Transmission Planning Committee.