Lambda · 1 month ago
Data Center Substation/Utility Engineering - Electrical
San Francisco Office
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$185K/yr - $327K/yr
8+ years expLambda is a pioneering company focused on building Gigawatt-scale AI Factories for Training and Inference. They are seeking a Data Center Substation/Utility Electrical Engineer to provide strategic leadership for high-voltage substation and power-generation programs, ensuring compliance and delivering complex power infrastructure projects.
AI InfrastructureArtificial Intelligence (AI)Cloud ComputingData CenterGPUMachine Learning
Responsibilities
Provide technical oversight and governance for all HV substation designs (69kV–500kV), including bus configurations, breaker schemes, transformer sizing, reactive compensation, protection systems, SCADA integration, and grounding. Also provide guidance with large-scale diesel and natural gas generator plants (microgrid)
Possess a strong understanding of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and renewable resource integration (solar, fuel cells, etc.). Supporting site selection with powered land, as well as self-build infrastructure
Oversee the design and performance criteria for:
Generator control systems
Load sharing, load shedding, and black start capabilities
Generator transient response and dynamic stability
Emissions systems (SCR, DEF, CO/NOx compliance)
Utility parallel operation
Demand response and curtailment strategies
Determine technical standards for:
Transmission interconnections and line tap arrangements
Relay protection and control philosophies
Metering schemes and revenue-quality instrumentation
Insulation coordination and equipment BIL requirements
Substation communication protocols (IEC 61850, DNP3, Modbus)
Arc-flash, fault current, and short-circuit design considerations
Lead the review and approval of all major engineering deliverables, such as:
One-line diagrams
Physical, Civil, and Protection & control schematics
Relay settings and coordination studies
HV switching, grounding, and lightning protection plans
Guide technical investigations and root-cause analysis for power system events, outages, and equipment failures
Establish and maintain relationships with utilities, ISOs/RTOs, and transmission owners; lead interconnection negotiations and technical discussions
Oversee all aspects of utility interconnection from feasibility through energization, including:
Load flow and stability studies
Short circuit and protection coordination
Transmission planning requirements
Interconnection application strategy and milestone tracking
Ensure that program decisions align with utility standards, NERC/FERC requirements, and state regulatory frameworks
Direct the execution of multiple HV substation and transmission projects, ensuring engineering integrity, equipment standardization, and construction quality
Oversee:
EPC contractor selection (behind the meter or traditional utility interconnection)
Factory acceptance testing (FAT) for HV equipment
Field acceptance testing (FAT/SAT) for protection and control systems
Commissioning procedures and energization plans
Ensure long-lead equipment procurement strategies for transformers, breakers, relays, controls, GIS/AIS gear, and transmission structures
Provide executive and technical oversight for construction sequencing, clearance planning, switching coordination, and commissioning safety
Ensure adherence to construction standards related to:
High-voltage safety and switching procedures
Transmission structure erection and conductor installation
Ground grid installation, testing, and validation
Relay testing (end-to-end, point-to-point, functional)
Permitting
Resolve complex field issues with EPCs, utilities, and commissioning teams
Lead substation program standards, templates, modular designs, and equipment specifications to ensure repeatability and scale across core markets
Drive decision-making related to transformer sizing, redundancy (N-1, N+1), load growth, and grid capacity planning
Approve acceptance criteria for protective relay settings, verifying alignment with utility and internal standards
Orchestrate system modeling and analytical studies for AI load support (ETAP, SKM, ASPEN, PSLF, PSS/E)
Provide executive reporting on technical risk, system reliability, NERC compliance impacts, and substation performance KPIs
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering
8+ years in HV substation, transmission engineering, EPC leadership, or power delivery program management. Power generation experience is a plus
Extensive knowledge of HV electrical systems
Understanding of utility interconnection processes, NERC requirements, RTO/ISO rules, and state regulatory protocols
Demonstrated experience delivering large-scale, multi-site, mission-critical HV infrastructure projects
Prior responsibility for technical approval of designs, engineering packages, relay settings, FAT/SAT, and energization
Preferred
Ability to translate highly technical concepts for executive audiences
Strong commercial acumen with experience negotiating EPC agreements, equipment contracts, and utility service arrangements
Excellent leadership, risk-management, and cross-functional communication skills
Proficient in reading, analyzing, and interpreting technical specifications, financial reports, and legal documents
Combination of PE, MS, PMP or PgMP preferred
Benefits
Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
Wellness and Commuter stipends for select roles
401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)
Flexible Paid Time Off Plan that we all actually use
Company
Lambda
Lambda is a cloud-based platform that provides high-performance GPU hardware and cloud infrastructure for AI model training and inference.
501-1000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Lambda has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (16)
2024 (1)
2023 (3)
2022 (2)
2021 (2)
2020 (3)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$3.19BKey Investors
TWG GlobalJP MorganMacquarie Group
2025-11-18Series E· $1.5B
2025-08-19Debt Financing· $275M
2025-02-19Series D· $480M
Leadership Team
Stephen Balaban
Co-founder, CEO
Michael Balaban
Co-Founder / CTO
Recent News
2026-01-11
2026-01-09
Company data provided by crunchbase