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Role Description

WSP is currently initiating a search for a Senior Level Telecommunications Engineer for our Overland Park office. The ability to work remotely will also be available. Be involved in projects with our ESSP Midwest Team and be a part of a growing organization that meets our clients' objectives and solves their challenges.

The successful candidate will be responsible for successful completion of assigned projects and for maintaining and improving client relationships. Completion of these functions requires:

• Technical competence in primary production roles
• Leadership competence in working with clients and mentoring team members

Assigned projects will include telecommunications infrastructure and system design for utility and industrial/commercial clients throughout the United States, including:

• Conventional, renewable, and distributed generation facilities
• Substations
• Transmission and distribution systems
• Microgrids

Your Impact

• Telecommunications infrastructure: specify equipment and provision documentation for outside plant fiber-optic cables and fiber-optic terminals, microwave radios, field area networks (FANs), multiplexers, network switches and associated communications infrastructure equipment; prepare job specifications and installation and test plans.
• Telecommunications systems: specify, design, and configure fiberoptic, microwave radio, TDM and packet-based communication networks. Review and interpret OTDR reports for fiberoptic links, utilize Pathloss 5.1 design software to design and verify microwave radio links, provision circuit channelization on TDM networks, analyze security, reliability, and availability for packet-based networks. Specify carrier services from telecommunications providers (leased lines). Travel to project sites to commission and troubleshoot communication systems.
• Networking and communications: design and configure network and communication paths for Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs), Human Machine Interface (HMIs), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and other SCADA system equipment inside the substation or facility as well as paths to the data off-takers.
• Provide proactive and strategic process and people leadership for the design, implementation, and administration of engineering discipline’s project and program involvement within the organization.
• Lead the most complex and largest scale electrical engineering projects within the engineering discipline, ensuring contributors know what they are required to do and by when, preparing and overseeing relevant project budgets, monitoring internal and external events, tracking hours and expenses, ensuring satisfactory performance and profitability, and supervising subcontractors, contract work, and employees.
• Responsible for the pursuit and development of business and the successful execution of work for current and potential infrastructure work within a geography specifically for the large projects within the area.
• Lead technical aspects of contract negotiation, presentations, and meetings.
• Drive the overall long-term strategy, growth, and pipeline development of Electrical Engineering work for WSP in assigned area of responsibility, with a focus on infrastructure opportunities in all disciplines (planning, design, and strategic consulting and program/construction management).
• Drive compliance and accountability-at-all-levels with applicable Federal, State, and Local electrical/engineering/design/construction laws, codes, policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee internal vision and mission for the engineering discipline, ensuring alignment with business operations strategy, and maintaining that certifications, accreditations, and client value ratings are continuously improved.
• Lead engineering discipline meetings and continuing educational opportunities for area of responsibility, providing updates and recommendations to staff that ensure all appropriate measures are taken to foster innovation, development, and quality project delivery within the discipline.
• Serve as the engineering discipline’s representative/liaison to a variety of external entities including Federal, State, and Local Agencies, Clients, Subcontractors, industry-related groups, and various government and community entities.
• Provide senior leadership for proposals and project work scopes, pricing, budget, and performance metrics for the engineering discipline.
• Interpret and summarize data, including reports and documents for complex projects and initiatives that result in sound engineering and regulatory conclusions.
• Provide discipline leadership to multi-disciplinary project teams and contribute to providing high level strategic advice to clients.
• Provide performance guidance and proactive leadership to assigned managers and staff.
• Develop high-level business contacts and a client base for providing high level electrical engineering services including identifying additional business development opportunities, and cross-selling of other WSP capabilities.
• Collaborates with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide future ready solutions for clients.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources, and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (or equivalent experience).
• 15+ years of relevant post education experience in electrical engineering and infrastructure design for capital projects in power generation, transmission, and distribution at a utility, industrial, or commercial scale.
• Engineer license required (multi-state preferred).
• Advanced proficiency with electrical engineering principles, practices, process, design/build, standard of care, and the application to permitting and project work-related issues.
• Extensive advanced proficiency with infrastructure design.
• Advanced knowledge of relevant engineering and electrical construction laws, codes, regulations, compliance practices, and record-keeping requirements, and the business impact upon the organization.
• Demonstrated ability with establishing, implementing, and managing multiple larger-scale discipline-related programs, documents, projects, and practices for a line(s) of business.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to manage staff, and effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Strategic lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, clients, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exists.
• Strong ability to quickly adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to a variety of schedules and hours to meet business needs.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Solid understanding of TDM and SONET principles, MPLS, Ethernet, Intranets, Extranets, and VPNs; different network topologies and their advantages and disadvantages, network latency and synchronization, and circuit channelization.
• Solid understanding of radio path engineering: radio propagation properties, antennas, Fresnel zone, radio link budget calculations, and importance of k-factor and rain on radio propagation. Familiarity with FCC and FAA roles in licensing radio links.
• Working knowledge of FERC and NERC compliance requirements pertaining to electronic communications.
• Proven history of completing similar projects in a utility and/or consulting environment.
• Basic understanding of applicable network and communication protocols: DNP, Modbus, SEL Communication Protocol, Goose Messaging, IEC 61850, TCP/IP, UDP, Ethernet, as well as legacy utility SCADA protocols.
• Familiarity with applicable utility SCADA system software: Wonderware, Clearview, AcSELerator RTAC, NovaTech NCD/Inkscape, Visual Basic, OSIPI, Python scripting, etc.
• Site surveys and field work: using GPS equipment, clinometers, high-resolution cameras, etc.