Scout Clean Energy

Associate Director, Power Systems Engineering

As Scout's Associate Director, Power Systems Engineering, you will lead the company's Power Systems Engineering function and serve as Scout's senior technical authority for electrical systems across utility-scale wind, solar, and battery energy storage projects. You will act as both an individual contributor, with subject matter expertise in electrical engineering, and as a team leader with up to 5 direct reports. This role is responsible for establishing and maintaining technical specifications, governing electrical system design, supporting project execution, and ensuring operational readiness of Scout’s projects in Development and Construction. Your team will provide subject matter expertise for major power system equipment, including wind turbine generators, solar modules, inverters, battery energy storage systems (BESS), power conversion systems (PCS), transformers, breakers, protection systems, SCADA systems, power plant control systems, substations, and transmission lines. The Associate Director will lead a multidisciplinary team consisting of Electrical Engineering, SCADA, Commissioning, and QA/QC professionals, and will serve as the primary technical interface between Preconstruction, Construction, Interconnection, Asset Management & Operations, Utilities, OEMs, EPC contractors, and third-party consultants. This role does not perform detailed engineering design but participates in multidisciplinary design reviews with third‑party Owner’s Engineers. This role will guide QA/QC and FAT programs, resolve technical RFIs/NCRs, and oversee commissioning and operations handover – while developing standards, mentoring engineers, and scaling best practices across a growing IPP with an entrepreneurial culture. Your attention to detail and ability to concurrently drive multiple work streams forward on time will be key to your success. Your technical knowledge and experience interfacing with internal and external project execution teams on renewable energy projects will be widely valued in this role. Travel to project sites within the United States and Canada is expected during project construction, commissioning, and major operational events. Remote candidates will be expected to be in the Boulder office one week per month. This role reports to the Senior Director of Engineering. What You'll Do Leadership & Team Management · Directly lead, manage, and develop Scout's Power Systems Engineering team. · Current direct reports are expected to include: o Senior QA/QC Engineer o SCADA & Commissioning Engineering Manager o SCADA & Commissioning Engineer o Power Systems Engineer (BESS & Power Conversion Systems) · Establish annual goals, performance expectations, development plans, and career progression pathways for direct reports. · Conduct regular coaching, mentoring, performance reviews, and succession planning activities. · Lead workforce planning, recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and retention of technical talent. · Assign resources across projects and initiatives to ensure effective utilization and alignment with company priorities. · Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture centered on technical excellence, accountability, innovation, and safety. · Establish team metrics, KPIs, and operating procedures to ensure consistent execution and continuous improvement. · Provide leadership during critical project milestones, major equipment failures, grid events, and commissioning activities. · Build strong working relationships with department heads across the organization and executive leadership. Power System Design Governance Provide technical oversight and governance for the design and implementation of: · Collection systems · Substations · Transmission interconnection facilities · Protection and control systems · Plant SCADA systems · Plant Power Controllers (PPC) · Energy Management Systems (EMS) · Utility communication systems · Operational technology (OT) networks Responsibilities include: · Establishing technical standards and design philosophies. · Reviewing critical electrical design decisions and major design deviations. · Ensuring compliance with utility, interconnection, operational, and company requirements. · Supporting consistency and standardization across Scout's project portfolio. · Capturing and integrating lessons learned into future projects and standards. Protection & Controls Leadership Serve as Scout's primary subject matter expert for protection and control systems. Responsibilities include: · Establishing protection philosophies and standards. · Reviewing relay settings packages and protection coordination studies. · Supporting utility and transmission provider compliance requirements. · Overseeing protection system testing and validation during commissioning. · Providing technical leadership related to: o Protective relaying o RTAC systems o Automation systems o Revenue metering o Disturbance monitoring systems o Utility communications · Supporting investigations of protection events, maloperations, and system disturbances. SCADA, PPC & Digital Systems Leadership Through direct leadership and oversight of the SCADA& Commissioning Engineering Manager, provide technical ownership and governance for: · Plant SCADA systems · PPC architecture and integration · Data acquisition systems · Utility SCADA interfaces · Telemetry systems · Remote control systems · Alarm management strategies · Operational technology infrastructure · Fleet monitoring and reporting systems Responsibilities include: · Establishing technical standards and architecture requirements. · Supporting SCADA and PPC implementation and commissioning. · Ensuring operational data quality and controls functionality. · Partnering with Asset Management & Operations team to improve fleet compliance and operational visibility. Commissioning & Grid Integration Through direct leadership and oversight of the SCADA & Commissioning Engineering Manager, lead technical oversight of commissioning and grid integration activities across Scout's portfolio. Responsibilities include: · Establishing commissioning standards and best practices. · Reviewing and approving commissioning plans and test procedures. · Supporting major equipment energization activities. · Overseeing: o Substation commissioning o Collection system energization o Protection testing o SCADA integration o PPC testing and tuning o Utility witness testing o Performance and reliability testing · Ensuring projects achieve operational readiness and Commercial Operation Date (COD) requirements. Electrical Equipment, Quality & Reliability Leadership Through direct leadership and oversight of the Senior QA/QC Engineer, establish and maintain programs that ensure the quality, performance, reliability, and operational readiness of Scout's electrical assets throughout their lifecycle. Serve as Scout's technical owner and subject matter expert for major electrical equipment and systems across the portfolio, including: · Wind turbine generators (WTGs) · Solar modules · Inverters · Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) · Power Conversion Systems (PCS) · Medium-voltage transformers · Main Power Transformers (MPTs) · Collector system equipment · Switchgear and circuit breakers · Protection relays · Revenue metering systems · Substation and transmission facilities Responsibilities include: · Technology evaluation, proposal review, and technical due diligence. · Equipment qualification, vendor assessments, and technical specification development. · Fleet standardization and continuous improvement initiatives. · Oversight of Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), and quality verification programs. · Management of field quality inspections, contractor quality performance, and NCR processes. · Failure investigations, root cause analyses, corrective action implementation, and warranty support. · Development and maintenance of equipment-specific standards, inspection requirements, and quality procedures. · Capturing and applying lessons learned from construction, commissioning, operational events, and equipment failures. · Supporting Asset Management & Operations in resolving complex equipment issues and executing reliability improvement programs. Asset Performance & Operational Support Provide advanced technical support to Asset Management & Operations throughout the operating life of Scout's assets. Responsibilities include: · Troubleshooting major electrical equipment issues. · Supporting reliability improvement projects. · Investigating grid events and protection operations. · Resolving SCADA and PPC performance issues. · Supporting BESS operational challenges. · Identifying fleet-wide trends and improvement opportunities. · Maintaining technical continuity from development through operations. Stakeholder Communication & Governance · Lead technical communication with EPC contractors, OEMs, utilities, consultants, and transmission providers. · Communicate technical risks, opportunities, and mitigation plans across project teams. · Maintain and govern company standards, specifications, and engineering documentation. · Partner with Preconstruction, Construction, Interconnection, and Asset Management & Operations teams to ensure alignment throughout the project lifecycle. Other Responsibilities Scout is a dynamic and growing organization. Based upon business priorities and organizational needs, your manager may assign additional responsibilities focused on improving Scout's technical capabilities and organizational effectiveness. Requirements · Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. · 10+ years of experience in one or more of the following: o Power Systems Engineering o Protection & Controls Engineering o Substation Engineering o Utility Engineering and Operations o Renewable Energy Engineering o Commissioning and Grid Integration · Demonstrated experience with utility-scale solar, wind, and/or battery energy storage projects. · Minimum 5 years of experience leading engineering or technical teams. · Demonstrated experience directly managing engineers or other technical professionals, including performance management, coaching, mentoring, and career development. · Proven ability to build, scale, and lead technical organizations while maintaining high standards of engineering quality and operational discipline. · Experience allocating resources across multiple projects and managing competing priorities. · Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams through complex technical challenges and major project milestones. · Strong knowledge of: o High-voltage power systems o Protection and control systems o SCADA and PPC systems o Utility interconnection requirements o Commissioning and energization processes o Major power generation, transmission, and energy storage equipment · Demonstrated ability to review and provide technical guidance on power system studies, protection philosophies, relay settings, SCADA architectures, PPC control strategies, equipment specifications, and commissioning programs prepared by internal engineers, consultants, EPC contractors, and equipment manufacturers. · Experience supporting utility and transmission provider interactions. · Strong communication, leadership, organizational, and decision-making skills. · Ability to travel to project sites as required. · Valid driver's license. · Current authorization to work in the United States. Preferred Qualifications · Master's degree in Electrical Engineering. · Professional Engineer (PE) license. · Experience leading teams of 5+ technical professionals. · Experience building or transforming an engineering, commissioning, reliability, or technical services organization. · Experience managing geographically distributed teams supporting multiple utility-scale projects simultaneously. · Experience developing corporate engineering standards, technical governance programs, and competency frameworks. · Experience with utility-scale BESS technology and PCS integration. · Experience with substation design, commissioning, and operations. · Experience reviewing protection coordination studies and relay settings. · Familiarity with SEL protection relays, RTAC platforms, and substation automation systems. · Familiarity with ETAP, SKM, ASPEN, PSCAD, EasyPower, or similar power system analysis software. · Familiarity with SCADA, historian, PPC, and operational technology platforms. · Familiarity with NERC, WECC, ERCOT, SPP, MISO, PJM, CAISO, or other utility and ISO/RTO requirements. · Experience supporting operating renewable energy fleets. · PMP certification or formal project management training. Tools & Technical Capabilities · Microsoft Office Suite · SharePoint · Procore · Bluebeam The successful candidate should possess sufficient technical knowledge to review, evaluate, and provide direction related to: · Power system studies and analyses · Protection coordination studies and relay settings · SCADA and Plant Power Controller (PPC) architectures · Substation automation systems · Utility interconnection requirements · Commissioning and testing programs · Electrical equipment design, performance, and reliability Experience with industry-standard engineering, protection, SCADA, and power system analysis software is preferred. Scout’s Values Mission-Orientation . High achievers who want to make a difference in this world and contribute to Scout’s stated mission. Teamwork. Respectful and appreciative colleagues with strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to fostering positive relationships across organizational boundaries to deliver on shared team goals. Safety. Uncompromising advocates for the health and safety of fellow employees, contractors, customers, and community members. Integrity . Ethical professionals who do the right thing even when it is difficult. Initiative . Resourceful self-motivators who thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment because of their exceptional leadership, work ethic, and organizational skills. Intelligence. Problem-solving learners who can make informed decisions quickly and create innovative and pragmatic solutions to challenging problems. Timeline and Location Located in or willingness to relocate to a commutable distance to our Boulder, CO office to work on a hybrid (3/2) schedule is preferred. Remote work (with monthly travel to the office) will be considered for the right candidate. This position requires up to 25% travel to project sites in the U.S. This role is expected to close by January 30, 2027. Invitation to Women and U.S. Underrepresented Groups We encourage applications from all demographics and especially those that are traditionally underrepresented in the energy industry. Consistent with our core values, Scout celebrates the diversity of thought and experience that comes from a range of backgrounds including, but not limited to, gender, race, and ethnicity. Invitation to Veterans Scout welcomes veterans of the United States Armed Forces to apply for this position. Scout includes veterans of all branches and a diverse set of occupational specialties. We value the independent thinking, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork that our veterans have developed through their service. We welcome applications from any service and any military occupational specialty. Benefits Target base salary: $170,000 - $200,000 (Negotiable for the right candidate.) Attractive bonus potential. Scout offers a full range of benefits, including medical/dental/vision insurance with attractive premiums, 401(k) match, STD, LTD, an Employee Assistance Program, and a range of optional supplemental insurance coverage.