Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration Electrical Engineer (Early Career)
Posting Duration
This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the ‘posting date’. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.
What Your Job Will Be Like
We are seeking a hardworking and dedicated Electrical Engineer who is looking for a creative opportunity and wants to see your research have direct impact on innovative projects for electric grid reliability and resilience.
Are you passionate about making a difference and improving energy security in the United States? You could use your experience to conduct research with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers. The selected applicant will work in a dynamic research and development environment, accessing world class laboratory capabilities.
On any given day, you may be called on to:
- Demonstrate creativity and ingenuity in addressing research problems with a collaborative team approach.
- Work with colleagues and involve external collaborators to determine innovative solutions to emerging challenges for distributed energy systems integration.
- Work with customers and collaboration partners to describe and demonstrate how national-lab-developed tools can be applied to help communities better understand, model, and plan for electric grid challenges including natural and intentional threats and how they may benefit from resilient energy solutions;
- Develop and analyze distribution power flow simulations showing the impact of integrating distributed energy resources such as photovoltaics or electric vehicles;
- Conduct research on the sizing and operation of distributed generation, including renewable assets, to ensure resilience to a variety of contingency scenarios in microgrids and grid-connected systems
- Evaluate distributed generation using hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) methods in the laboratory.
- Publish research outcomes in peer-reviewed journals, conferences, etc.;
- Present research findings to sponsors and externally to professional communities.
Qualifications We Require
- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field, or Bachelor’s degree plus 4 or more years of related experience; OR equivalent combination of education and experience;
- Proven experience in Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW or Simulink;
- Experience in PowerPoint/Word for presentations and publications;
- Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE L-level security clearance.
Qualifications We Desire
- Strong interpersonal abilities including oral and written communication skills as well as a solid publication record;
- Experience using Git repository;
- Power or controller hardware-in-the-loop experience such as Opal-RT or RTDS;
- Experience with networking devices, protocols, and software;
- Linux command line skills;
- OpenDSS/GridLabD experience;
- Experience with commercial protection software packages such as CAPE and ASPEN to perform relay coordination;
- Modeling power systems for planning using CYMDIST, Synergi, DiGSILENT PowerFactory, WindMil, or OpenDSS;
- Experience with electromagnetic transient modeling of protective relays in software like PSCAD or ATP-EMTP;
- Understanding of protection functions and programmable logic used in modern numerical Schweitzer, GE, ABB, Siemens relays;
- Experience developing complex projects with JavaScript, jQuery, ASP; and/or SQL, SQLite;
- Proficiency in dynamic modeling and simulation of systems of algebraic differential equations;
- Understanding of power system modeling and design.
About Our Team
The Electric Power Systems Research Department conducts R&D and advanced analytics to enable the modernization of the nation's electric power grid. This work includes the development of improved planning and operations methodologies from the bulk system down to end users. Our capabilities encompass the development and application of advanced algorithmic and computational methods, grid operations, economics, and policy. Examples of specific core areas include power system dynamics, operational reliability, advanced renewables integration, electricity market development, smart grid technologies and related information analysis, optimal resource expansion, and computationally based decision support. This department is highly inter-disciplinary, working collaboratively with universities, utilities, government agencies, and both national and international research organizations.
Position Information
This Limited Term Employee (LTE) position is a temporary position for one year term, which may be renewed at Sandia's discretion up to a maximum of seven years.
Individuals in LTE positions may bid on regular Sandia positions as internal candidates, and in some cases may be converted to regular career positions during their term if warranted by ongoing operational needs, continuing availability of funds, and satisfactory job performance.
About Sandia
Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:
- Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
- Extraordinary co-workers
- Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
- Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
- Flexible schedules, generous vacations, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*
World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov
*These benefits vary by job classification.
Security Clearance
Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE L-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.
Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.
EEO
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.