Demo

Associate Principal Engineer - Physical

NEI Electric Power Engineering
Lakewood, CO Full Time
POSTED ON 12/28/2025
AVAILABLE BEFORE 2/27/2026

About the Position

As a Principal Engineer - Physical in the Substation Department, you will serve as an internal Technical Consultant and be responsible for performing physical engineering design and analysis. You will be responsible for supporting client projects and providing a quality deliverable that is on time and within the defined budget.

Salary Range: $100,000 - $175,000 / year
The salary range above is based upon the Denver, Colorado labor market.

This opportunity is available to both local / in-office (Lakewood, CO) and full-time remote candidates.

Essential Responsibilities

 

Partners with Technical Directors and the Vice President, acting as a physical engineering subject matter expert on the most complex projects within the Substations department.

• Performs high-level quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) reviews as the final quality check before project release, identifying critical errors and potential issues.

• Acts as a consulting expert, understanding and anticipating client needs to provide tailored solutions in substation design and project execution.

• Ensures that NEI’s QA/QC procedures are followed and that the teams are given appropriate feedback and coaching to meet NEI’s quality expectations.

• Addresses and resolves intricate technical problems in substation design, ensuring solutions are creative, constructable, and economically feasible.

• Assists with the creation and enforcement of technical standards across the department

• Assists design teams as a senior mentor, ensuring substation project execution is completed on time, within budget, and meets all specifications.

• Identifies and implements improvements for division processes, tools, and technology to optimize efficiency and quality in substation design.

• Maintains a strong understanding and comprehension of applicable Codes and Standards.

• Attends conferences, training workshops, seminars, undergraduate, and graduate classes as appropriate for advancement and as required to maintain quality of work.

• Attends safety training and follows safety rules and guidelines.

• Other duties as assigned.

Must Have

  •  Education: Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering or in Civil Engineering from an accredited institution.

    Experience: 7 years direct Substation engineering & design experience.

    Licensure: Professional Engineering License (PE) or ability to obtain one within one year.

    • Expert knowledge of substation electrical clearances, one-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, substation physical layouts, section & elevations, bus configurations, control buildings, selection of substation equipment, proposal development, project scheduling, and all aspects of HV and EHV substation physical engineering.

    • Experience adhering to National Electrical Code (NEC), National Electric Safety Code (NESC), IEEE codes and standards, and relevant county, city, and state regulations.

    • Proficiency with AutoCAD, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office Suite.

    • Possesses effective written and oral communications skills.

    • Good interpersonal skills.

    • Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Working Conditions

Work Environment:

Work is performed in an office setting and some field work may be required

 

Travel:

 

Typical: 15 25%

 

Physical Activities:

 

Managerial Responsibility:

 

Must be able to lift 25lbs.

 

Team Member is responsible for managing their own work schedule with input from their supervisor and completing assigned tasks.

Team Member should identify discrepancies in assigned work and bring to attention of supervisor or engineer responsible for the project in a timely manner. Team Member’s work product should be self-checked in a manner that is suitable for review by the supervisor or engineer responsible for the project.

About NEI Electric Power Engineering

Serving Others. Enriching Environment. Improving Continually. Quality Results. Voted as a top workplace by the Denver Post for four straight years (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), our values have been woven into the fabric of who we are since 1982, guiding our decision making throughout the years. As an engineering services firm, NEI’s mission is to create a great organization that serves people and solves problems.

Since NEI’s founding, we have developed a culture of collaboration and accountability across our teams and departments, and externally with our clients across the United States. We believe in two core ideas: hiring great people and celebrating our team members diverse background and unique experiences; bringing in new, unique, and exciting perspectives that can only strengthen NEI as we chart out path into the future.

We are a proud equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or genetic information.

Team Member Benefits

We believe that taking care of our team members is of the utmost importance. We strive to foster a community of belonging, professional development, and industry involvement; providing our team with the benefits, tools, and support systems to excel in their roles. Out comprehensive benefits package includes:

  • 100% Employer paid team member premiums for Medical, Dental, Vision, Basic Life Insurance, and Long-Term Disability
  • Voluntary Life Insurance
  • 401(k) with employer matching; 100% immediate vesting
  • Annual & discretionary bonus programs
  • Paid vacation and sick time
  • Employer paid licensure (FE/PE), certifications, seminars, & conferences
  • Paid parental leave
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Eight (8) paid holidays including a floating holiday to use at your discretion
  • Annual Team Building
  • Hybrid work environment with remote flexibility
  • Career development, training, and coaching opportunities
  • Pet insurance
 

NEI Electric Power Engineering participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your completed Form I-9 to confirm your work authorization in the United States.

Salary : $130,000 - $175,000

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