Substation Physical Designer I

Location: Birmingham, AL
Travel: Approximately 25% (Some Overnight Travel Required)
Contract- 3 Years

Client- Southern Company Services.

Position Overview

The Substation Physical Designer I is responsible for creating 2D and 3D design drawings for Southern Company’s Transmission and Distribution electrical substations. This role supports substation design standardization efforts and produces detailed engineering drawing packages with a strong focus on safety, quality, schedule, and cost control.

The Designer will work closely with engineers, construction teams, vendors, and project stakeholders to deliver high-quality substation physical design packages.

Key Responsibilities

Design & Drafting

• Create and modify scaled 2D drawings and 3D models for electrical substations

• Develop layouts including:

  • Foundation layouts

  • Grounding layouts

  • Conduit layouts

  • Switchgear assembly layouts

  • Substation yard layouts

  • Switch house layouts

  • Electrical bus design

• Develop material specifications and substation design packages

Software & Tools

• Produce engineering drawings using:

  • AutoCAD

  • Autodesk 3D Inventor

  • Autodesk Map 3D (P4A)

• Utilize document management and estimating systems

• Support job transmittals using Transmission Engineering programs

Material & Equipment Coordination

• Specify and order stock, non-stock, and shop-fabricated materials

• Coordinate with manufacturers and vendors to resolve equipment and material issues

• Support standardization and committee efforts

Project Support & Field Coordination

• Coordinate with engineers and cross-functional departments

• Support Substation Construction, Field Services, Project Management, and Maintenance teams

• Participate in:

  • Pre-construction meetings

  • Construction site visits

  • Post-construction reviews

• Provide field support during installation and commissioning

Education & Experience Requirements

Education (One of the Following):

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Engineering Technology

• Associate Degree with 5+ years of related industry experience

• High School Diploma with 8+ years of significant related industry experience

Experience & Technical Knowledge

• Strong understanding of electrical substation equipment preferred

• Experience in Transmission and/or Distribution Substation Operations preferred

• Understanding of electric utility grid operations preferred

• Knowledge of basic power system theory

• Familiarity with:

  • National Electrical Safety Code (NESC)

  • National Electrical Code (NEC)

  • OSHA safety practices

• Ability to develop substation physical drawings from single-line or three-line diagrams

• Experience with 3D modeling software (SDS Inventor, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk 3D P4A)

• AutoCAD proficiency required

• Experience with Primavera (P6) and progress reporting tools preferred

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office required

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to explain technical issues clearly

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills

• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines

• Customer-focused mindset

• Ability to mentor and support junior team members

• Strong spatial visualization skills for 3D equipment/material coordination

• Ability to accurately manage timekeeping and business expense reporting

• Ability to work independently in a remote/virtual environment

Travel Requirements

• Approximately 25% travel

• Some overnight travel required

• Site visits for construction coordination and project support