Prairie Land Electric is dedicated to serving our members by providing safe, reliable energy and education to enhance their quality of life. We are seeking individuals who align with our mission and embody our core values: Safety, Respect, Integrity, Unity, and Accountability. If you share these values and are committed to our mission, we want to hear from you!

This position is typically based in Norton, KS. Prairie Land Electric Cooperative may consider Concordia, KS as an alternative work location for the right individual.

The Senior Electrical Engineer is responsible for planning, designing, analyzing, and supporting the operation of the cooperative’s electrical distribution system.  This position provides advanced technical leadership for distribution engineering, system reliability, construction standards, load growth planning, protective device coordination, voltage regulation, distributed energy resource interconnections, and long-range system improvements.

The Senior Electrical Engineer works closely with operations, mapping/staking, line crews, dispatch, member services, contractors, consultants, and regulatory agencies to ensure the cooperative delivers safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective electric service to its members.

Core Values:

PLEC is committed to upholding the following core values:

• Safety – Hold our employees to the highest safety standards to provide a safe working environment at all times
• Respect – Be professional and considerate in all situations
• Integrity – Act with honesty and transparency in all we do
• Unity - Show commitment, dedication, trustworthiness, selflessness, and dependability, while working together to achieve our mission
• Accountability – Hold ourselves and others accountable while inspiring others to achieve the highest standards

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

The following are essential responsibilities of this position and do not include marginal functions that are incidental to the performance of the fundamental job duties. The scope and duties of this position may change or be altered based on the business needs of the cooperative. The basic requirement of every position is to perform all tasks as assigned by the supervisor. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" employment relationship.

• Develop and review engineering designs for overhead and underground distribution facilities, including new line extensions, system upgrades, reconductoring, voltage conversions, sectionalizing improvements, and reliability projects.
• Perform distribution system studies, including load flow analysis, voltage drop analysis, fault current studies, protective device coordination, capacitor placement, regulator settings, and long-range construction work plans.
• Provide technical support for system operations, outage restoration, switching procedures, feeder reconfiguration, load transfers, and emergency response.
• Evaluate system reliability and power quality issues and recommend corrective actions to reduce outages, improve voltage performance, and enhance service continuity.
• Review and approve distributed generation, solar, battery storage, and other distributed energy resource interconnection requests in accordance with cooperative policies, applicable standards, and utility interconnection requirements.
• Prepare engineering cost estimates, material specifications, construction standards, equipment recommendations, and technical reports.
• Support the development and maintenance of construction standards, material specifications, sectionalizing guidelines, protective coordination standards, and engineering design procedures.
• Assist with the preparation of construction work plans, four-year work plans, long-range plans, system improvement budgets, and capital project prioritization.
• Provide technical guidance to mapping/staking personnel, field crews, and dispatchers.
• Coordinate with consultants, power suppliers, transmission providers, government agencies, and large commercial or industrial members on projects affecting the distribution system.
• Ensure engineering work complies with applicable codes, standards, regulations, and cooperative requirements, including the National Electrical Safety Code, Rural Utilities Service requirements, OSHA requirements, and cooperative safety rules.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designated to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Education and Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited program required.
• Professional Engineer License is preferred or the ability to obtain one within 1 year of employment.
• 5+ years of electric utility distribution engineering experience or equivalent experience.
• Strong knowledge of electric distribution systems, protective coordination, voltage regulation, system planning, construction standards, and utility operations.
• Experience with engineering software such as Milsoft WindMil, NISC DEW, AutoCAD, GIS, SCADA, outage management systems, or staking/design software is preferred.
• Knowledge of rural electric cooperative practices, RUS construction standards, NESEC requirements, and distribution system work planning is highly desirable.

About Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a member-owned rural electric cooperative serving over 24,000 members in parts of 18 Northern Kansas Counties. Headquartered in Norton, Kansas, Prairie Land Electric's 84 employees maintain and operate approximately 7,000 miles of line. The mission of Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc. is: To improve the quality of life for our members and support our communities by providing safe, reliable energy services and education. We strive to uphold our Core Values of Safety, Respect, Integrity, Unity and Accountability.

Connections working at Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc.