Grid & Market Solutions (GMS) Application Engineer

Requirement Number: 91

Fully Remote

JOB DESCRIPTION

ERCOT offers the flexibility to work both in and out of the office within the state of Texas, providing our employees with an enhanced work life balance.

EMS Application Developer develops design and performs software development for suite of Electric Power Grid Applications. The suite includes Energy Management System (EMS) applications such as Topology Processor, Power Flows, State Estimator, Contingency Analysis, Load Frequency Control, Dispatcher Training Simulator (DTS), ICCP, SCADA, CIM Importer, Interfaces and Dynamic Stability Analysis, Load & IRR Forecasting, PMU, Network Model Management system (NMMS) applications. Adhere to software development life cycle (SDLC) processes that includes performing testing and validation of Grid Applications and User Interface changes to deliver quality software to customers. This position will report to the Supervisor/Manager of Grid & Market Solutions (GMS) Technology Development Grid team.

JOB DUTIES

• Broadly applies principles, theories and concepts related to the profession. A seasoned, experienced professional with an in-depth/full understanding of area of specialization.
• May provide recommendations regarding issues outside the bounds of defined procedures and practices. Demonstrates good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.
• Wide latitude for decisions within assignments, programs, and projects; impact is generally limited to the project or department.

ADDITIONAL JOB DUTIES

Level 3

• Works under the direction of a senior developer or supervisor/manager to complete departmental goals and assignments.
• Performs all work according to applicable rules and regulations including regulatory requirements and organization policies and procedures.
• Good Knowledge on core electric power systems operations and control functions like power flow studies, state estimation, contingency analysis, economic dispatch, Unit Commitment, and electric power market operations.
• Works with internal stake holders closely, review and understand grid applications functional and non-functional requirements.
• Develops design, performs software development (using Fortran, C/C++, Java, Perl, Python etc. programming languages) and testing for suite of grid applications and its interfaces in windows and Linux environments.
• Designs, develops, and tests grid applications backend oracle database changes using Oracle PL/SQL programming language.
• Performs grid applications user interfaces display development using GE EMS FGbuilder and Siemens WebSDK platform.
• Performs GE EMS applications software code migration to port all ERCOT customs from current EMS system to upgrade EMS system as part EMS Upgrade project.
• Participates in requirements and design review discussions with grid systems vendors (GE, Powertech, Siemens, EPG, Itron).
• Adheres to software development life cycle (SDLC) standards for all the software changes within portfolio.
• Understands and follows grid applications software release process and best practices to deliver software changes to customers seamlessly. Adheres to change management processes during software release delivery.
• Participates in interdepartmental meetings and present software design and implementation details.
• Good Knowledge on Linear and Non-Linear Optimization techniques and understand grid applications (SCOPF, SCUC etc.) optimization objective functions formulation.
• Analyzes electric power grid operations and congestion management related requirements and designs, develops software solutions in core EMS applications like Power Flows, State Estimator, Contingency Analysis, Load Frequency Control, Load Forecast, Dispatcher Training Simulator (DTS) and in ERCOT developed custom EMS applications to meet the requirements.
• Works closely with Network Modeling team on CIM Model data modeling, designs CIM Importer Schema and performs EMS CIM Importer software development.
• Analyzes, troubleshoots, identifies root cause of Voltage and Transient Stability Analysis (VSAT/TSAT) applications issues, and works with Powertech to develop and deliver software solutions to resolve the issues.
• Designs and implements IRR (Wind/Solar) forecast requirements in Siemens WebSDK based forecast presentation platform.
• Deploys, configures, integrates, and tests software releases from grid systems vendors in development environments and delivers quality software releases to customers. Vendor software includes GE EMS, Siemens Network Model Management System (NMMS), Powertech DSA/VSAT/TSAT, EPG PMU/RTDMS, iTron MetrixIDR.
• Provide timely software solutions to address grid applications critical production issues on 24x7 basis as level 2 support team.
• Works closely with GMS production support teams, Grid Operations & Training teams, Network Modeling team and provides technical support on EMS, DTS and NMMS applications.
• Automates software development processes using Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) tools such as Bitbucket, Apache Maven/Jenkins etc.
• Creates and gives presentations for training on GMS grid applications enhancements.
• Assists in developing tools, processes and procedures that improves grid applications software development and departmental/organizational efficiencies.
• Designs and develops integration and data flows between EMS applications and downstream systems such as VSAT/TSAT, Market Management System (MMS), market reports, settlements, Itron Load Forecasting, IRR forecast interfaces and control room situational awareness applications.
• Analyze, troubleshoot, identify root cause of all grid applications, database, and system issues, and develop software solutions.
• Maintains and supports grid systems in development environments.

Senior Level - In addition to above Level 3 job duties

Works with vendors on grid applications and its interfaces improvements and proposes design changes.

• Performs code reviews and approve code changes developed by other developers.
• Automates grid applications and user interfaces unit and regression testing as much as possible by developing scripts and using third party automation tools such as Selenium.
• Conducts all phases of product software development lifecycle, including the analysis, design, test, and integration of products.
• Creates and gives presentations for product solutions and training on GMS grid applications.

All Levels -- Preferred Work Experience

• Experience with one of the vendors (Hitachi Energy/ABB, GE, Siemens, Resource Innovations/Nexant, OSI Inc) Energy or Market Management Systems and applications preferred.
• Power industry experience in grid and market arena preferably with software vendors or ISO/utilities.
• Experience with programming languages such as FORTRAN, C, C++, Java, Perl and Python.
• Experience with Oracle PL/SQL
• Experience with Commercial Optimization Solvers: CPLEX/AMPL, Gurobi
• Experience with CIM/XML model-based tools.
• Experience with developing integration layers using Messaging Services: Tibco JMS, AMQ

SKILL REQUIREMENTS (All levels)

• Programming Languages/Packages/Scripting: C, C++, VisualC++, FORTRAN, Java, Perl, Python, PL/SQL, Shell Scripting
• Web Application Servers: JBOSS, Tomcat
• Message Queues: Tibco JMS, AMQ
• Web Based Development J2EE, Servlets, SOAP, Java Script, HTML/CSS, XML
• Database: Oracle, SQLSERVER
• Source Code Control Tools: Git, GitHub
• Optimization Solvers: CPLEX/AMPL, Gurobi
• Operating System: Windows, Linux, AIX

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Level 3: Requires minimum 3 years related work experience in excess of degree requirements
• Senior: Requires minimum 5 years related work experience in excess of degree requirements

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's Degree: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field (Required)
• Master's Degree: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field (Preferred)
• or a combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge to a major in such fields is required

Requirement Number: 82

Provides support for Energy Management Systems (EMS) power systems applications portfolio such as Power Flow, State Estimator, Contingency Analysis, Load Frequency Control, Dynamic Stability Analysis, Load Forecasting, Operator Training Simulator (OTS) etc. Actively involved in the design, development, testing, validation and implementation of modifications and enhancements to EMS applications. This position will report to the Supervisor/Manager of Grid & Market Solutions (GMS) Applications Engineering - Grid.

JOB DUTIES

• Understands and applies principles, theories and concepts related to the profession and ERCOT's culture.
• Exercises judgment within defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate action.
• Impact is generally limited to specific assignments or projects.
• May respond to inquiries and/or provide assistance and/or guidance to lower level workers.

ADDITIONAL JOB DUTIES

• Works under the direction of a senior level engineer or supervisor/manager to complete departmental goals and assignments.
• Performs all work according to applicable rules and regulations including regulatory requirements and organization policies and procedures.
• Member of the 24/7 EMMS Production support on-call team and supports, troubleshoots EMMS applications and system on-call issues.
• Assists in the proactive enhancements, improvements and issue remediation for OTS and Real Time Power System Applications which includes State Estimator, Contingency Analysis, and Dispatcher Load Flow, Load Forecast, Load Frequency Control for both Energy Management System (EMS) and Real Time Nodal (RTN) Market.
• Coordinate application set up and testing with/for Market Participants as appropriate.
• Performs model load testing in Energy and Market Management System on a periodic basis and updates the model data in real-time based on the procedures.
• Design and Test Energy and Market Management System and Interfaces and Web & Client/Server applications changes.
• Verify and support Energy and Market Management applications during Energy and Market Management System site failovers.
• Validate Energy and Market Management applications during any server/system/database upgrades and patching.
• Supports the execution of EMMS Disaster Recovery Drills and ERCOT EMMS business continuity procedures.
• Maintain, troubleshoot and repair EMMS and OTS applications and interfaces, and escalate as appropriate.
• May provide on the job training or help oversee the work of other engineers/analysts.
• Act as a consultant, representative and subject matter expert in project and activities that affect the EMMS and OTS environments and applications as appropriate.
• Participates in multifunctional teams to obtain input, address comments and provide application support.
• Represents the EMMS Production Support Team at interdepartmental and Stakeholder meetings.
• Provides on the job training or help oversee the work of other engineers/analysts.
• May act as mentor and advisor to less experienced engineers/analysts.
• Works independently on assignments and projects.
• Participates in multifunctional teams to perform studies.
• Assists in developing tools, processes and procedures that enhance system reliability and departmental/organizational efficiencies.
• Participates with other ERCOT departments to select and implement system changes as needed.
• Serves as the technical Subject Matter Expert for the department.
• Makes independent decisions except in instances of unusually complex application scenarios.
• Works on the most complex application issues where analysis of situations requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors.
• Works with database administrators and infrastructure teams on complex Energy and Market Management System application issues triggered from server/network/storage/database components.
• Tests Non-Functional requirements of Energy and Market Management System application changes and coordinates with database/infrastructure teams to perform the tests.
• Fosters and leverages strong working relationships with other internal departments.
• Lends professional expertise to guide projects and help teammates assigned by manager.
• Demonstrates skills as an expert user of power system software applications and tools, spreadsheet programs, and database programs.
• Maintains knowledge of emerging trends and industry best practices.

EXPERIENCE

• Requires minimum 5 years related work experience in excess of degree requirements.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's Degree: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field (Required).
• Master's Degree: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field (Preferred) or a combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge to a major in such fields is required.

Requirement Number: 85

Our Client offers the flexibility to work both in and out of the office within the state of Texas, providing our employees with an enhanced work life balance.

JOB SUMMARY

GMS Application Engineer-Markets:
Provides support for Market Management Systems (MMS) applications portfolio such as Security Constrained Economic Dispatch (SCED), Day-Ahead Market (DAM), Reliability Unit Commitment (RUC), Congestion Revenue Rights (CRR), QSE Training Simulator etc. Actively involved in the design, development, testing, validation and implementation of modifications and enhancements to MMS applications.

This position will report to the Supervisor/Manager of Grid & Market Solutions (GMS) Applications Engineering - Markets

JOB DUTIES

• Understands and apply principles, theories and concepts related to the profession and culture.
• Exercises judgment within defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate action.
• Impact is generally limited to specific assignments or projects.
• May respond to inquiries and/or provide assistance and/or guidance to lower-level workers.

ADDITIONAL JOB DUTIES

• Works under the direction of a senior level engineer or supervisor/manager to complete departmental goals and assignments.
• Performs all work according to applicable rules and regulations including regulatory requirements and organization policies and procedures.
• Member of the 24/7 Market Applications Engineering support on call team and supports, troubleshoot market applications and system on call issues.
• Assists in the proactive enhancements, improvements and issue remediation.
• Coordinate application set up and testing with QSEs, LSEs, REs as appropriate.
• Performs MMS model load testing on periodic basis and updates the model data in real-time based on established procedures.
• Design and Test MMS Interfaces and Web & Client/Server applications changes.
• Verify and support MMS applications during system site failovers, server/system/database upgrades and patching
• Supports the execution of Disaster Recovery Drills and business continuity procedures
• Maintain, troubleshoot and repair MMS applications and interfaces, and escalate as appropriate
• May provide on the job training or help oversee the work of other engineers/analysts
• Act as a consultant, representative and subject matter expert in project and activities that affect the MMS environments and applications as appropriate
• Participates in multifunctional teams to obtain input, address comments and provide application support
• Represents the Market Applications Engineering Team at interdepartmental and Stakeholder meetings

Level 3 Above+

• Provides on-the-job training or helps oversee the work of other engineers/analysts
• May act as mentor and advisor to less experienced engineers/analysts
• Works independently on assignments and projects
• Participate in multifunctional teams to perform studies
• Assists in developing tools, processes and procedures that enhance system reliability and departmental/organizational efficiencies
• Participates with other departments to select and implement system changes as needed

Senior Level Above +

• Serves as the technical Subject Matter Expert for the department
• Serves as a Technical Lead for MMS portfolio projects and drives the implementation from incubation to go-live.
• Make independent decisions except in instances of unusually complex application scenarios
• Works on the most complex application issues where analysis of situations requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors
• Works with database administrators and infrastructure teams on complex MMS application issues triggered from server/network/storage/database components
• Tests Non-Functional requirements of MMS application changes and coordinates with database/infrastructure teams to perform the tests
• Fosters and leverages strong working relationships with other internal departments
• Lends professional expertise to guide projects and help teammates assigned by manager
• Demonstrates skills as an expert user of power system software applications and tools, spreadsheet programs, and database programs
• Maintains knowledge of emerging trends and industry best practices

All Levels -- Preferred Work Experience

• Experience with Hitachi ABB or any MMS vendors suite of applications
• Experience with Data Historians such as OSIsoft PI
• Experience with programming languages such as FORTRAN, C, C++, Java & Perl.
• Experience with PL/SQL

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Requires minimum 5 years job related work experience in excess of degree requirements

*Salary and level will be based on overall experience as determined.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's Degree: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field (Required)
• Master's Degree: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field (Preferred)

or a combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge to a major in such fields is required

WORK LOCATION Taylor, TX

Contingent worker will be required to be on-site in Taylor, TX at a minimum of 2 days per week, or more, as needed based on the business needs as determined by management

Requirement Number: 97

JOB SUMMARY

Provides technical support and performs system administration and maintenance activities to support the Energy Management System (EMS) and its ancillary systems and applications. Participates in planning and evaluating the impact of system modifications and maintenance activities to ERCOT grid operations. Maximizes EMS uptime and mitigates system failures. Analyzes user requirements, procedures, and problems to automate or improve EMS. This position will report to the Supervisor of Grid & Market Solutions (GMS) Systems Support Team.

JOB DUTIES

• Primarily responsible for support, system administration, and maintenance of the EMS upgrade systems through the various testing cycles.
• Responsible for the integration of various EMS applications, monitoring, and regular maintenance.
• Performs various kinds of structured/unstructured testing and logs defects in the defect tracking tool.
• Works closely with the business lead, project manager and technical lead by providing timely updates and feedback.
• Works closely with the EMS vendor and ERCOT GMS development teams to reproduce defects and test the fixes.
• Works closely with the GMS Applications Engineering teams to get the defect fixes, releases installed across various testing environments.

ADDITIONAL JOB DUTIES MAY INCLUDE

• Routinely monitors EMS systems and applications, as well as regular maintenance activities
• Coordinates and performs Database updates and upgrades in the EMS environments
• Assist Operations Engineer, Market Operations, and other business units during EMS acceptance testing of new and/or enhanced applications
• Supports effective EMS use and administration by preparing and reviewing technical documentation
• Performs code build, patch implementation and migrations in the EMS systems
• Performs system setup and testing with Market Participants as appropriate
• Responds to system failures and operator questions on a 24/7 basis
• Works with market participants to resolve problems and implement changes
• Performs emergency recovery and troubleshooting of EMS system and applications
• Maintains real-time data collection to support EMS functions
• Maintains, troubleshoots, and repairs the EMS systems, applications, and interfaces
• Proactively identifies design problems and drives resolution
• Participates in EMS Disaster Recovery Drills
• Tests, certifies, and implements changes to the EMS Production and Test
• Performs systems maintenance and improvement activities to support the effectiveness of the EMS
• Participates in planning and evaluating the impact of system modifications and maintenance activities

EXPERIENCE

• 5+ years of work experience in system administration on Linux/Windows Operating systems and working experience with RDBMS (Oracle/SQL DB)
• Preferred system administration experience in GE EMS Suite. If not, other EMS vendor experience such as Hitachi/ABB, Siemens, OSI, GE PowerOn Reliance.
• Experience with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)/Inter Control-Center Communication Protocol (ICCP)

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's Degree: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (Required)
• Master's Degree: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (Preferred)
• or a combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge to a major in such fields is required