Position: Electrical Power Systems Advisor (Data Centers)
Location: Houston, TX (Onsite)
Exp: 15-25 Yrs
Keywords: Hyperscale Data Centers, MV Distribution, Substations, Utility Interconnection, Protection & Controls, Relay Coordination, IEC 61850, Digital Switchgear, GOOSE, MMS, Power Monitoring System (PMS), SCADA, Commissioning, Energization, Integrated Systems Testing, Sequence of Operations (SoO), Critical Facilities, Reliability Engineering.
The ask is for a highly experienced power systems architect who can design and own the “utility-to-rack power path” (means power drawing from grid to consumption by infra) of data centre.
Role Summary:
We are hiring an Electrical Power Systems leader to own and define the electrical power architecture for hyperscale and AI-focused data centers, including multi‑building campuses and 100MW–1GW+ programs. This role represents the highest technical authority for power systems—setting strategy, standards, and architectural direction from concept through commissioning and operations. This position is intended for a proven engineering leader who combines deep MV/HV power systems expertise, protection & controls mastery, and real-world operational experience, with the authority and credibility to influence executives, utilities, EPCs, OEMs, and operations teams alike.
What You will Do:
1) Electrical Architecture (MV/HV) for Mission-Critical Facilities
- Architect MV/HV electrical distribution for data centers (utility-to-rack power path), including substation topology, MV switchgear, transformers, secondary distribution, and critical power interfaces.
- Define and standardize repeatable reference designs for power-dense facilities that scale across regions and vendors.
- Develop design decisions grounded in availability, reliability, maintainability, safety, and operational response during abnormal events.
2) Protection, Controls & Digital Power Systems
- Own protection philosophy, relay settings coordination strategy, and system selectivity for MV/HV systems in mission-critical environments.
- Lead adoption and deployment of IEC 61850 digital substation/switchgear architectures, including GOOSE/MMS and engineering best practices for repeatability and quality.
- Develop and validate Sequences of Operation (SoO) and control narratives for normal operation, failover, maintenance modes, and recovery.
3) Utility Interconnection & Grid Interface
- Serve as technical lead for utility engagement: interconnection requirements, protection & metering, power quality, and operational coordination for large-load facilities.
- Drive designs that support flexible grid connections and advanced resiliency strategies (e.g., self-generation, BESS integration, islanding concepts where applicable).
4) Commissioning, Testing, and Live-Site Execution
- Partner with construction and commissioning teams to plan and execute acceptance testing, energization, integrated systems testing, and operational readiness.
- Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for complex system behaviors across switchgear, relays, controls networks, and power monitoring systems.
- Support retrofits and upgrades in live data centers where continuity of service is non-negotiable.
5) Leadership, Standards & Vendor Ecosystem
- Set technical direction and mentor engineers across design, controls, commissioning, and operations.
- Influence and negotiate technical outcomes with OEMs, EPCs, utilities, AHJs, and global vendors.
- Establish and maintain electrical and controls standards (e.g., vendor-agnostic SoO, digital switchgear templates, quality/defect reduction practices).
What You will Bring:
- 15+ years in electrical power systems for data centers, critical facilities, utility power, or comparable high-reliability infrastructure.
- Power generation (gas turbines, reciprocating engines, hybrid systems)
- Demonstrated expertise in MV distribution, switchgear, substation design considerations, and mission-critical power architecture.
- Strong background in protection & controls, including relay schemes, coordination/selectivity, and control system integration.
- Experience developing and validating Sequences of Operation (SoO) and commissioning/test strategies.
- Familiarity with relevant standards and environments: ANSI/UL, IEC, and multi-region deployment realities.
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Systems Engineering, or related discipline.
- Travel time will vary, but it could be as high as ~50%.
- Candidates with higher level qualifications/experience will be considered accordingly.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Practical experience with IEC 61850 digital substations/switchgear (GOOSE/MMS) and implementation lessons learned.
- Hyperscale data center experience including design, construction support, commissioning, or operations/start-up roles.
- Background in power monitoring systems (PMS) integration and operational event response training (or similar reliability programs).
- Experience with grid-independent or hybrid architectures including on-site generation and BESS integration.
- Global/international project exposure, multi-vendor standardization, or expat/remote execution experience.
- Advanced degree (MBA/MS) is a plus.
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