Power System Operations Engineer III-VI at Georgia System Operations Corporation in Tucker, GA, USA

Job description

• Lead the Systems That Support Georgia's Real-Time Grid Operations
• Georgia System Operations Corporation (GSOC) is seeking a Principal Engineer to provide senior technical leadership for the Energy Control System (ECS) and the critical applications, hardware, software, and infrastructure that support real-time grid operations.
• This role has overall responsibility for the security and operational readiness of GSOC's Energy Control System environment, including systems used by Transmission, Generation, Interchange, and Scheduling Member Operations.
• As a Principal Engineer, you will advise on ECS performance, backup, maintainability, security, system availability, and operational resilience while providing direction during urgent or emergency system events.
• This opportunity is ideal for an experienced utility technology leader who can combine deep EMS/SCADA knowledge, application and system support expertise, security awareness, and strong technical judgment in a mission-critical control center environment.
• At GSOC, your work helps ensure the Energy Control System and related mission-critical tools remain secure, available, and reliable for real-time operations.
• You'll collaborate with experienced engineering, operations, technology, and vendor partners in a mission-driven environment focused on reliability, security, performance, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• As a Principal Engineer, you will play a key role in supporting the availability, reliability, maintainability, and cybersecurity readiness of systems that support GSOC's real-time operations.
• Lead application and system restoration, problem resolution, and operational recovery for ECS hardware, software, applications, and data.
• Direct associates, contractors, and vendors through urgent problem resolution to maximize availability for system operators.
• Manage security devices, firewalls, and external connections that protect ECS systems and data.
• Coordinate with ECS system and database administrators to support compliance with ECS security policies.
• Monitor ECS systems for electronic intrusion and coordinate required communications if a cyber security event occurs.
• Manage backup processes for ECS data, servers, and applications to support timely recovery after system events.
• Recommend hardware, software, monitoring tools, and system performance solutions to support ECS reliability and maintainability.
• Provide configuration and system support for critical ECS applications, including ICCP, PNA, AGC, EDC, PI Historical Archive Server, and Dispatcher Training Simulator.
• Manage, develop, administer, and tune ECS systems to meet performance and security objectives and maximize availability for system operators.
• Manage ECS PCs, including installation, setup, unauthorized software scans, and controls that restrict software installation on critical machines.
• Provide mentoring and training to System Operators, application users, and GSOC/CRO staff on ECS applications.
• Coordinate installation of security patches, software upgrades, and hardware/software upgrades for ECS systems.
• Participate in the review and approval of software changes, test plans, and software promotion requests.
• This senior role may also require decisive action during emergency conditions when ECS availability, security, or performance is threatened.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
• Ten years of experience in an on-call software and hardware support role for a utility Energy Management System.
• Four years of software development experience with increasing responsibility for the continuous operation of developed software.
• Strong experience supporting and administering systems in Unix, Windows NT, and IP-based network environments is desirable.
• Professional Engineer certification, Bulk Electric System Cyber Authorized status, and NERC Reliability Standard Personnel Risk Assessment status are required or must be maintained as applicable.
• Excellent organizational skills, customer communication skills, and team communication skills.
• Energy Management Systems & Real-Time Applications
• Solid experience providing 24x7 support for GE XA/21 Energy Management and Java applications.
• Experience with utility-specific EMS/SCADA systems, real-time control systems, relational database applications, transaction-based applications, or web-based development.
• Experience supporting critical ECS applications such as ICCP, PNA, AGC, EDC, PI Historical Archive Server, and Dispatcher Training Simulator.
• Programming, Systems & Database Expertise
• Solid experience with C programming.
• Expertise in two or more of the following: C++, VB, Unix AIX shell programming, SQL, or Java.
• Experience with AIX administration, Linux, Windows NT/XP, Sybase, Oracle, XML, COM/DCOM, data communications protocols, or TCP/IP network communications.
• Experience with software and database modeling tools such as Rational Rose or System Architect, UML, and object-oriented design and analysis.
• Security, Project Management & Operational Support
• Experience with firewall management, system security, application and system design, testing, deployment, and support.
• Experience in project management for application development-related projects and knowledge of Microsoft Project.
• Experience supporting control center or utility environments where systems must remain available, secure, and maintainable.

Skills

Preferred

• Solid experience with C programming.

Benefits

• Working at GSOC means more than just a job--it's an opportunity to contribute to work that truly matters.
• Mission-Driven Impact
• Your work directly supports the systems and applications used to operate Georgia's electric grid in real time.
• Critical Systems Leadership
• Lead high-impact technical work across energy management systems, control center applications, cybersecurity controls, backup and recovery, and system performance.
• Strong Values and Professional Standards
• Work in an environment grounded in accountability, collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement where reliability, security, and operational excellence are core priorities.
• GSOC offers a professional, collaborative work environment with competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a commitment to creating a respectful and inclusive workplace.
• Benefits include, but are not limited to: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k) Match, Parental Leave, Educational Assistance, Annual Performance Bonus, Paid Time Off, and Volunteer Time Off.