Digital Substation Solutions & Communication Consulting Engineer

Job Description Summary

We are seeking a Consulting Engineer and technical authority in IEC 61850 and digital substation technologies to lead standards-compliant communication design, configuration, integration strategy, and cross-industry collaboration for next-generation Transmission and Distribution (T&D) systems.
The successful candidate will act as design authority to drive internal implementation and oversee solution design to overcome critical barriers to digital substation adoption, including interoperability gaps, tool fragmentation, legacy integration, and cybersecurity threats.This role bridges product development, customer deployment, partnerships and industry engagement, ensuring GE Vernova maintains leadership in standards development, substation digitalization, and interoperability.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Own the strategy, lifecycle, and interoperability of System Configuration Tools (SCT) and IED Configuration Tools (ICT), including workflows for SCL file management (ICD, SCD, CID), round-tripping, version control, and compliance with IEC 61850 Editions 2.1/2.2 in multi-vendor, multi-tool environments.
• Develop and lead the technical strategy for digital substation adoption, addressing industry challenges such as inconsistent IEC 61850 implementation, fragmented tools, and multi-vendor integration across SCL configurations, GOOSE/SV messaging, and secure networking.
• Define integration solutions for IEC 61850 with legacy and hybrid environments, mitigate cybersecurity risks in IP-based architectures, and ensure long-term maintainability and validation across the utility asset lifecycle.
• Promote scalable, secure, vendor-agnostic deployments of IEC 61850 through technical strategy, validation methods, and reusable frameworks.
• Lead GE Vernovas engagement with IEC 61850 working groups, UCAIug, and utility standards bodies; contribute to technical proposals, test procedures, and profile management.
• Translate evolving standards into internal roadmaps and customer guidance.
• Define protocol architecture and integration strategies for IEC 61850 (GOOSE, MMS, SV) and IEC 60870-5 (101/103/104), DNP3, Modbus, ensuring security and reliability.
• Guide engineering of secure, time-synchronized, and redundant LANs, including PRP/HSR, VLAN, and IEEE 1588 PTP.
• Support the conversion of system-level requirements into detailed specifications, validation plans, and design best practices.
• Support utility and OEM clients in interoperability testing, issue resolution, and IEC 61850 configuration validation.
• Consult on communication design, protocol migrations, and SCL file flows.
• Lead training, workshops, and knowledge transfer for digital substation design, commissioning, and cybersecurity hardening.
• Publish and present best practices at industry events such as CIGR, IEEE PSRC, and IEC TC57.
• Mentor engineering teams on model-driven design, protocol stack development, and substation cybersecurity.
• Collaborate across teams to embed standards leadership and maintainability into new products.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in electrical, Electronic, or Computer Engineering
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in substation automation, utility communications, or protection & control systems

Desired Characteristics

• Expert-level understanding of IEC 61850 (all parts) including SCL tools, GOOSE/SV behavior, MMS client-server models, and conformance testing
• Proficiency with legacy and modern SCADA protocols including IEC 60870-5-101/103/104, DNP3 (serial & TCP), and Modbus (RTU/TCP)
• Strong knowledge of multi-vendor integration, substation networking, and field commissioning
• Experience with communications security, including SSH, TLS/SSL, RADIUS, firewalls, secure tunneling, and network hardening
• Contributions to IEC 61850 or other international standards groups
• Experience with ICT and SCT as well as industrial tool such as IEDScout, Wireshark, OMICRON Test Universe, RTDS/RSCAD, or Simulink
• Familiarity with vendor platforms such as GE Multilin, SEL, Siemens, ABB, or Schneider Electric
• Strong communication and influence skills across utilities, vendors, and regulatory bodies
• Multilingual ability (especially French, Spanish, and German) is an asset
• Willingness to travel for customer engagements, conferences, and global collaboration.