Senior Electrical Engineer

Organizational Context/Position Summary:

Engineering & Utilities (E&U) operates and manages energy supplies, district energy plants, and utility infrastructures on the Cambridge/Allston campuses, a 24/7 facilities-related call, alarm monitoring, and dispatch center, and provides engineering and technical services.

This position provides electrical engineering at a senior level for the planning, design, technical support on operation, maintenance, and upgrades of the University’s utility infrastructure which includes electric, steam, hot water and chilled water as well asenergy/building management and utility metering systems. This position shall also perform special short and long-range projects as directed.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Partners with E&U Leadership to develop, refine, and maintain the campus utility systems. Coordinate with the plans and needs of the University’s Schools and Units. Oversee the installation and relocation of underground utility infrastructure with minimum impact to the University’s community and its activities. Assume complete engineering responsibility for utility distribution systems to ensure system capability, flexibility, reliability, safety, economic operation, and consideration for expansion. Formulate and balance long and short-range plans and budgets with respect to utility distribution upgrades. Develop distribution system statistics, records, and drawings, and assist in the documentation of utility infrastructure for record purposes.

Maintain communications and relationships with governmental agencies/departments to ensure that the University’s interests are served in a safe, reliable, economical, and least disruptive manner. Stay current with pertinent government standards relative to employee environmental, health, and safety. Maintain knowledge of federal, state, municipal, industry, and University codes,regulations, practices, trends, and/or guidelines as well as stay current with the latest information on electrical design and equipment.

Engages and collaborates with E&U staff and partner groups to understand systems, data, and reporting that can be leveraged for use in E&U’s KPI monitoring and operational analysis/reporting.

As stewards of university energy and utility systems, provide technical assistance to Campus Services operating and maintenance personnel and technical support for the operation and maintenance of central energy/utility production/distribution systems and building systems as necessary. Evaluate and provide recommendations for preventive maintenance, inspection, and testing programs for the University’s electrical distribution systems, the central chilled water and steam plants, and other electrical systems and equipment. Identify and develop cost control opportunities and system cost planning. 

Act as the University's central engineering representative by providing unbiased information to University Schools and Units based upon recognized engineering principles and sound professional judgment.  Demonstrates, promotes, and is guided by the mission, vision, and values of the organization; advancing the University’s mission of teaching and research by partnering to provide stewardship, strategies, and services that create exceptional community experiences.  Always acts in the University’s best interest.

Interface with local utility suppliers. Assist in the University’s utility metering, accounting, and billing activities. Perform utilityrate analyses and evaluate impacts upon the University. Evaluate and recommend appropriate action to provide alternative utilitysources to or within the University whenever economically feasible or otherwise justified. Evaluate energy management system operations for improvement and enhancement possibilities for control and monitoring of the campus utility distribution systemand building distribution systems.

Demonstrated ability to work both collaboratively and independently.  Must be flexible, self-motivated, possess excellent organizational and presentation skills; be able to multitask in a fast-paced environment with ability to adapt; and be able to think and work well independently with minimal supervision and as a member of a team.

Coordinate with other Campus Services divisions to formulate the best delivery of services to the University’s Schools and Units. Explore with the other Campus Services divisions possible new business opportunities within the University and help formulate business strategies.

Assist in the preparation and implementation of new departmental policies and procedures to improve the delivery of engineering, operational, utility accounting, and maintenance services and planning.

Develop, negotiate, and perform project management duties and oversight of various projects relative to the utilityinfrastructure. Prepare and review technical and business portions of bid and contract documents. Interface with architects,engineers, contractors, consultants and University representatives to coordinate and manage projects for best implementationand minimum disruption to the University’s community and its activities. Responsible for budgeting and monitoring thefunction and expenditures for the various utility projects for the Schools and Units.

Study and evaluate electrical building systems for relevant Harvard facilities and departments as needed. Provide technicalsupport including but is not limited to the installation, operation, and maintenance of normal and emergency lighting, distribution systems, fire alarm, specialized research, and test equipment, and HVAC controls. Interface with representativesfrom the Schools and Units to coordinate their projects with campus-wide utility projects. Incorporate the impacts of School and Unit projects into the budgets and work scope of the University’s utility capital plan.

Assist in the reviewing and updating design guidelines/project specifications and drawings for electrical systems and construction work. Work with representatives, architects, and consultant engineers for the Schools and Units to develop optimumcost and benefits to the campus utility and building systems for new construction and renovation projects.

Examine, evaluate, and make recommendations on energy conservation proposals and products for the Schools and Units.

Perform and interpret system load flow, short circuit/fault analysis, equipment evaluation, protective device coordination, harmonic distortion, and arc flash studies for the University’s electrical distribution systems. Recommend settings for electronic and electromechanical system protective relaying. Evaluate and develop system and equipment protective schemes.

Responsible for the development and maintenance of utility system records/documentation, internal technical standards,guidelines, recommended practices, and other knowledge or information management initiatives.

Other related duties as assigned.