Substation Control Standards - Engineer (Forest Park, GA)

Location: Atlanta, GA, United States

TRAVEL & WORK LOCATION

• This position requires approximately 25% of travel to the surrounding areas Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.

• The role is based out of Forest Park, GA.

• Relocation assistance may be provided for candidates not currently living within a reasonable commute distance.
   

JOB SUMMARY

The Substation Control Standards Engineer is a high-impact role focused on advancing Southern Company’s protection and control standards through innovative relay systems, control schemes, and design practices. This position offers broad exposure across all three Operating Companies, key business units, and industry-leading vendors while supporting enterprise-wide standardization and emerging technology initiatives.

In this role, the engineer will help develop and maintain SOCO standards, update standard drawings and design guidance, participate in cross-functional working groups, and serve as a trusted technical resource for engineering and design teams across the system. The position also provides meaningful opportunities to grow as a Subject Matter Expert or Lead Product Engineer, build strong relationships across the company and utility industry, and help shape the future of protection and control engineering at Southern Company.

Overall, this is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence who wants to make a lasting impact while gaining significant visibility and professional growth.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Promote and model a strong Safety First culture in all work activities.

• Support the development, maintenance, and implementation of Southern Company Substation Control Standards.

• Develop and maintain protective relay applications, control schemes, standard drawings, and engineering documentation.

• Participate in standards committees and working groups to improve processes, evaluate new technologies, and drive standardization.

• Manage and prioritize standards maintenance requests and enhancements through JIRA.

• Provide technical guidance on protection and control standards, procedures, and design practices.

• Support communication, interpretation, and implementation of new or revised SOCO standards across the system.

• Collaborate with OPCOs, engineering, construction, field services, project management, vendors, and other stakeholders.

• Serve as a technical resource, SME, or Lead Product Engineer for assigned standards, products, or initiatives.

• Build strong relationships across Southern Company and with external partners to support standards alignment and continuous improvement.

• Manage multiple priorities and projects while maintaining quality, responsiveness, and accountability.

• Support storm restoration and emergency response efforts as needed.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or relevant technical discipline with a minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience. 
• 5 or more years’ relevant experience preferred.
• P.E. License is a plus.

Experience:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications is required.
• Experience in Transmission and/or Distribution Substation Operations within an electric utility environment is preferred. 
• Strong understanding of substation protection and control scheme operation preferred. 
• Ability to create Substation Control Design drawings from a single-line diagram is preferred. 
• Experience using the Autodesk Suite, including AutoCAD Electrical, is preferred. 
• Experience with substation protective relay testing, control scheme testing, and commissioning is a plus. 
• Experience in the field of Substation Engineering, Field Services, Switchboard Wiring, Power Delivery, Substation Maintenance, PCA, SIA or Substation Construction is a plus.
• Experience working with document management and estimating systems such as SCST Vault, TEAMS, STOMP, MAXIMO, SharePoint Site development, and AI Tools are a plus. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to be a multitask, be a self-starter, and work independently with minimal supervision is required.
• Excellent communication skills (oral & written) and the ability to communicate technical issues simply is required.
• Ability to work well in a team environment and develop relationships at all levels is required.
• Effective time management and organizational skills to manage multiple projects with various priorities and competing deadlines is required.
• “Customer focus” with a willingness to meet the needs of our customers and solicit feedback is required.
• Knowledge of basic electrical power system theory is preferred.
• A good understanding of utility electric grid operations is preferred.
• Strong problem-solving skills are preferred.

BEHAVIORAL ATTRIBUTES

• Model Our Values: Safety First, Intentional Inclusion, Act with Integrity, and Superior Performance is required.
• Demonstrated commitment to providing balanced consideration of all three Operating Companies (APC, GPC, MPC) perspectives when developing SOCO Standards solutions is required.
• Embrace Principal Centered Leadership Training is required.
• Conduct all activities with a focus on providing value for our customers’ needs.
• Take personal responsibility for projects and customer issues.
• Follow through on all aspects of assignments to ensure a quality product and increased value is delivered to our customers.
• Exhibit and promote a positive, "can do" attitude.
• Commitment as a team member to building and maintaining an Inclusive work environment.
• Strong emphasis on Operational Excellence.
• Understand and practice Human Performance Concepts.

For an overview of our benefits and employee perks, we encourage you to review this link. 

About Us

About the Organization