Principal Consultant - Grid Modernization

Position Overview

Power your future with Qualus as a Principal Consultant. The Principal Consultant is responsible for providing strategic advisory and consulting services to electric utilities supporting grid modernization initiatives with a primary focus on SCADA and EMS systems and a working knowledge of ADMS technologies. The role helps utilities develop grid modernization strategies, assess current operations, define future-state operating models, create business cases and technology roadmaps, develop technical and functional requirements, support technology procurement, evaluate software vendors, and provide trusted advisory services throughout implementation. 

Responsibilities

Strategic Advisory Services 

• Conduct current-state assessments of utility operations and operational technology.  

• Facilitate stakeholder interviews and business process workshops.  

• Develop business cases, modernization strategies, and strategic recommendations.  

• Identify operational gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.  

• Develop implementation roadmaps and phased deployment strategies. 

Grid Modernization Strategy 

• Assess utility operational technology maturity and modernization readiness.  

• Develop grid modernization strategies and technology roadmaps.  

• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry best practices.  

• Develop phased modernization and implementation strategies.  

• Advise utility leadership on technology investment priorities.  

• Develop business cases supporting modernization initiatives. 

Business Process & Requirements Development 

• Lead workshops to document current and future-state business processes  

• Develop operational use cases supporting SCADA, EMS, and ADMS  

• Develop functional, technical, integration, cybersecurity, and non-functional requirements  

• Facilitate requirements prioritization with utility stakeholders  

• Ensure traceability between business objectives, use cases, requirements, demonstrations, and testing  

Solution Architecture & Integration Advisory 

• Develop system architecture and integration strategies.  

• Develop interface requirements and integration approaches.  

• Review solution architectures and technical designs.  

• Conduct technical and architecture reviews.  

• Identify architecture, integration, and cybersecurity risks.  

• Align business requirements, technical requirements, and solution designs.  

• Collaborate with utility architects, vendors, and system integrators. 

Procurement Advisory 

• Develop procurement strategies and acquisition plans.  

• Prepare Requests for Proposal (RFPs) and procurement documentation.  

• Develop evaluation criteria, scoring methodologies, and selection processes.  

• Lead vendor communications and Q&A activities.  

• Evaluate vendor proposals and technical responses.  

• Facilitate vendor demonstrations and proof-of-capability sessions.  

• Conduct vendor reference checks and due diligence.  

• Support contract negotiations and Statement of Work development. 

Trusted Advisor Services 

• Serve as the owner's engineer during implementation.  

• Review solution architectures and technical deliverables.  

• Support governance and executive decision-making.  

• Monitor implementation progress.  

• Identify project risks and mitigation strategies.  

• Support testing and operational readiness.  

• Provide independent recommendations representing the utility's interests. 

Client Engagement 

• Build trusted relationships with utility executives, operational leadership, and project stakeholders.  

• Prepare and deliver executive presentations, steering committee updates, and strategic recommendations.  

• Facilitate executive workshops, planning sessions, and decision-making discussions. 

Business Development Support 

• Support proposal development and client pursuits.  

• Develop reusable advisory methodologies, templates, and best practices.  

• Author technical white papers, articles, and thought leadership content.  

• Present at industry conferences, client workshops, and webinars.  

• Mentor junior consultants and contribute to practice development. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, from an accredited university. 
• Minimum of 10 years of experience supporting electric utility operational technology, including SCADA, EMS, ADMS, or related systems.  
• Experience should have been obtained through one or more of the following:  
  • Electric utility consulting.  
  • SCADA/EMS software vendor implementation, engineering, product management, or professional services organizations.  
  • Electric utility engineering, system operations, operational technology (OT), transmission/distribution operations, or control center organizations.

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Benefits & Compensation

Qualus benefits offered include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays, for those who qualify.

The final salary awarded for this role may vary from the above range based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs. The salary range provided in this job posting may be subject to change for business purposes.

Company Overview

Qualus is a leading pure-play power solutions firm and innovator at the forefront of power infrastructure transformation, with differentiated capabilities across grid modernization, resiliency, security, and sustainability. The firm partners with utilities, commercial, industrial, data center, and government clients, and renewable and energy storage developers, offering comprehensive solutions through boutique and integrated advisory, planning, engineering, digital solutions, program management, energy efficiency and specialized field services. Qualus also provides software and technology enabled services and develops breakthrough solutions for critical power industry challenges such as distributed and variable resource integration, emergency management, and secure data exchange. The firm has over 2,000 professionals, with offices throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace and do not discriminate on any grounds protected by applicable human rights legislation across Canada and the US.

We are committed to a secure and transparent hiring process. We do not request payment or sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers or banking details, during the application process. Please use caution and verify opportunities through our official channels.