What are the responsibilities and job description for the System Operations Student Engineer Intern - Seattle City Light position at City of Seattle?
Position Description
Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.
Over 900,000 people in the Seattle area rely on Seattle City Light every day to keep their homes comfortable, businesses operating, and communities vibrant. It is our responsibility and privilege to provide our customers with power that is reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible. As a public utility, our goals are defined by our customers and the communities we serve. We strive to deliver reliable energy to customers while also working to advance equity, achieve excellence, operate sustainably, and take care of our employees.
Energy Delivery Operations provides leadership and oversight related to the safe and reliable transmission and delivery of energy to customers, ensuring efficient planning, construction, operation and maintenance of transmission and distribution facilities and metering.
The System Operations Center within Energy Delivery Operations provides real-time operation of our hydroelectric projects and municipal power systems including system operations, regional reliability coordination, transmission, distribution, and generation dispatch.
We are seeking an undergraduate-level System Operations Student Engineer who will work closely with the System Operations Engineers to provide effective operations support and meet all the requirements of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Western Electric Coordinating Council (WECC) reliability standards.
The intern will help System Operations Engineers develop operations horizon study models, perform specialized power system analysis studies, and provide technical support for the real-time system operators. The intern will learn to develop coordinated outage schedules, create pre- and post-contingency mitigation plans, maintain the Energy Management System (EMS) substation models, as well as provide other operational guidance and solutions. This position will report to the System Operations Principal Engineers.
Learning Objectives:
Project(s) Scope:
Required Qualifications:
Undergraduate Engineering students will need to maintain a 2.5 GPA or above throughout the internship.
Areas of Study:
You will be successful if you have the following experience, skills, and abilities:
Additional Information
The full salary range for this position is $26.41 - $29.72 per hour.
Application Process
To complete your application, submit the online form with the following attachments:
Internship Duration and Hours: Year-long: The timeframe of this internship will be one year in duration, with either a May (semester schools) or June (quarter schools) 2025 start date. Working hours are up to 40 per week during the summer, and a max of 20 per week during the academic year.
Hybrid Work: The City has the expectation that interns will be readily available to report to onsite at work in Seattle in accordance with the current Mayoral mandate of a minimum of 3 days per week. Additional in-person work requirements are based on business need and determined by the hiring authority.
Interns must have a Washington State address and live in Washington State at the time of hire and for the duration of their employment.
Benefits: Interns do not receive benefits but can obtain a subsidized ORCA pass and accrue sick time that can be used after 90 days of employment.
Background Check: Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check. The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17 and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3. A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.
Who May Apply: This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA , people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.
Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers.
Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.
Over 900,000 people in the Seattle area rely on Seattle City Light every day to keep their homes comfortable, businesses operating, and communities vibrant. It is our responsibility and privilege to provide our customers with power that is reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible. As a public utility, our goals are defined by our customers and the communities we serve. We strive to deliver reliable energy to customers while also working to advance equity, achieve excellence, operate sustainably, and take care of our employees.
Energy Delivery Operations provides leadership and oversight related to the safe and reliable transmission and delivery of energy to customers, ensuring efficient planning, construction, operation and maintenance of transmission and distribution facilities and metering.
The System Operations Center within Energy Delivery Operations provides real-time operation of our hydroelectric projects and municipal power systems including system operations, regional reliability coordination, transmission, distribution, and generation dispatch.
We are seeking an undergraduate-level System Operations Student Engineer who will work closely with the System Operations Engineers to provide effective operations support and meet all the requirements of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Western Electric Coordinating Council (WECC) reliability standards.
The intern will help System Operations Engineers develop operations horizon study models, perform specialized power system analysis studies, and provide technical support for the real-time system operators. The intern will learn to develop coordinated outage schedules, create pre- and post-contingency mitigation plans, maintain the Energy Management System (EMS) substation models, as well as provide other operational guidance and solutions. This position will report to the System Operations Principal Engineers.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn to perform power flow studies and contingency analysis by using the RC West’s WebOMS outage database, PowerWorld Simulator, EMS and RC West study tools.
- Understand the Bulk Electrical System models, data, and simulation
- Apply academic knowledge and concepts to solve the real-time problems of large-scale power system planning, analysis, monitoring, and operation.
Project(s) Scope:
- Review Seattle City Light generation and transmission outage plan and update records daily.
- Review regional monthly (initial, coordinated, and final) outage plans and compare with the information from RC West Coordinated Outage System. Work with outage office to solve any discrepancies.
- Prepare and maintain operations horizon (next-day, outage coordination, and seasonal) study cases including facility data, system operating limits, system configuration, and display files.
- Perform power flow studies and contingency analysis and provide operation plans, guidance, and solutions.
- Review future WECC Operating Cases for approval.
- Learn NERC Reliability Standards and review proposed changes to evaluate possible impact to SCL operations.
- Troubleshoot and maintain the EMS Network Model solutions.
Required Qualifications:
Undergraduate Engineering students will need to maintain a 2.5 GPA or above throughout the internship.
Areas of Study:
- Enrolled in an accredited certificate, 2-year or 4-year undergraduate program during their internship.
- Enrolled in an academic program with focus on Electrical Engineering or related field.
You will be successful if you have the following experience, skills, and abilities:
- Large Scale Power System coursework
- Experience with Power World Simulator Software
Additional Information
The full salary range for this position is $26.41 - $29.72 per hour.
Application Process
To complete your application, submit the online form with the following attachments:
- Resume
- Cover letter explaining how your coursework, activities, and experience qualify you for this internship.
- Your unofficial transcript - including current coursework, next term registration (if available at the time of application), and cumulative GPA.
Internship Duration and Hours: Year-long: The timeframe of this internship will be one year in duration, with either a May (semester schools) or June (quarter schools) 2025 start date. Working hours are up to 40 per week during the summer, and a max of 20 per week during the academic year.
Hybrid Work: The City has the expectation that interns will be readily available to report to onsite at work in Seattle in accordance with the current Mayoral mandate of a minimum of 3 days per week. Additional in-person work requirements are based on business need and determined by the hiring authority.
Interns must have a Washington State address and live in Washington State at the time of hire and for the duration of their employment.
Benefits: Interns do not receive benefits but can obtain a subsidized ORCA pass and accrue sick time that can be used after 90 days of employment.
Background Check: Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check. The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17 and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3. A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.
Who May Apply: This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA , people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.
Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers.
Salary : $26 - $30
