Electronics Engr 3 - Sys Planning

This function provides professional engineering expertise in assisting project manager and other engineering personnel in implementing management approved projects, supporting field maintenance crews and other related engineering activities. This includes facilitating engineering, design, and implementation for assigned projects. In addition, this function will provide professional engineering expertise in assisting project managers and other engineering personnel in implementing projects, supporting field maintenance crews, and other related engineering activities.

Work associated with this position will be directly related to the Communication & Control (C&C) Planning function, which includes plans for communications, control and data systems affecting the transmission system. The Telecommunications function provides engineering, design, and field support for telecommunication facilities and associated equipment. This includes fiber optics, analog/mobile radio, digital radio, power line carrier, operational telephone, microwave towers and antennas, emergency AC/DC power and UPS systems, communications buildings, multiplex equipment, and monitoring systems including alarm system, Fault Locating Acquisition Reporter (FLAR), microwave monitor, wide area networks used for operational data and network management. Leads and participates in teams to research and test telecommunication and related equipment. Develops requirements for technical specifications for procurement of telecommunications systems and equipment and provides engineering support in the award and administration of material contracts and project management of turnkey system contracts.

Position Responsibilities:

• Draft telecommunications decisions to lease or share operational circuits on Bonneville's communications systems.
• Work within a team to draft Communications/Control Planning (C&C) plans-of-service (PoS) for reimbursable study agreements. Study agreements may include requests by other utilities and organizations and for capital related projects.
• Work with the Power System Planning group to identify the required telecommunications elements and document the minimum C&C requirements to fulfill project requirements.
• Draft and recommend C&C PoS packages for communications circuits and telecom paths to fulfill requirements of business communications, control, and relaying requirements for existing and new sites; this may include travel to remote locations to verify feasibility of C&C PoS.
• Document PoS on Project Requirements Diagrams (PRDs) website.
• Draft back-of envelope (BoE) estimates
• Draft the C&C portion of the Study Report
• Using draft PRD documents create and submit Estimate Requests (ERs) for review and approval.
• Draft telecommunications decisions to lease or share operational circuits on business communications systems for review and signature by the Supervisor of Communication/Control Planning.
• Using planning tools such as Pathloss and TCIS, provide analysis of Microwave paths, SONET configurations; results are used to create PoS packages.
• Communicate technical information verbally and in writing to technical and non-technical users.
• Provide project / task updates (oral or written) as requested by the Manager of Communications and Grid Modeling and/or Supervisor of Communications/Control Planning.

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, preferably an Electrical or Electronics Engineering Degree (from an ABET accredited school) is required.
• 10+ years previous electronics/electrical engineering experience, with a diversified knowledge of engineering concepts, principles and practices experience, is required.

• 5+ years of experience with the following:
  • Experience in developing cost estimates for communication items.
  • Experience in metering and telemetry requirements as related to interchange projects.
  • Experience disseminating technical information in writing and orally.
  • Experience in planning digital radio systems and long-haul fiber optic systems, preferably SONET systems.
  • Experience developing options, evaluating, and providing a preferred plan for meeting communications/control system functional requirements.

• Working knowledge of transmission and operational telecommunications systems.

• Experience in the Electric Utility sector with an emphasis on C&C Planning, Electronic Design, Communications Maintenance, Technical Operations
• Experience developing plans-of-service for communication, control and data systems used to operate and control the power grid at large Electric Utilities.
• Developing communications/control plans in conjunction with fulfilling transmission service.
• Knowledge of the NERC and WECC Planning Standards as they apply to the Protective Relaying, Metering, Special Protection Systems and communication systems
• Experience applying WECC "Communication System Performance Guide for Protective Relaying Systems
• Experience in communication requirements related to relaying and Remedial Action Schemes (RAS)
• Knowledge of and/or experience with planning or designing Ethernet-based WAN systems, preferably in a utility environment
• Communication network operation concepts and methods.
• Communication network architecture principles and concepts.
• Communication network operation, performance, planning.
• Planning of communications, control and data systems for network transmission, network interconnections and customer service projects.