Job Posting End Date
05-06-2026
Please note the job posting will close on the day before the posting end date.
Job Summary
The Principal Engineering function will provide senior technical leadership to support Southwest Power Pool (SPP) planning activities while ensuring alignment with company policy, regulatory obligations, and strategic planning objectives. This role bridges deep engineering expertise with policy interpretation, stakeholder engagement, and governance support, ensuring technically sound, consistent, and defensible positions across SPP processes.
This function is intended to elevate technical rigor, improve consistency in external engagements, and proactively inform internal policy development as SPP planning, market, and interconnection requirements continue to increase in complexity
Job Description
Technical Leadership for SPP Planning Activities
- Serve as a senior technical authority for SPP planning processes, including:
- ITP, Base Reliability, and LGIM studies
- Model development, data validation, and assumption review
- Evaluation of thermal, voltage, and stability performance
- Provide independent technical review of study results, assumptions, and methodologies to ensure consistency with internal planning standards and NERC reliability criteria.
- Support transmission solution development and evaluation, including cost drivers, constructability considerations, and risk identification.
- Act as a technical escalation point for complex or disputed planning issues within SPP forums.
Policy Interpretation and Development Support
- Translate SPP tariff language, business practices, and stakeholder-approved policies into clear internal guidance for engineering and planning teams.
- Identify gaps or misalignments between SPP requirements and internal policies, standards, or procedures.
- Support development and maintenance of internal policies, process documents, and planning guidelines to ensure:
- Compliance with SPP, NERC, and FERC requirements
- Consistency across operating companies and regions
- Defensible positions in regulatory, stakeholder, and audit settings
- Provide technical input to policy-related revision requests, whitepapers, and stakeholder discussions.
Stakeholder and Governance Engagement
- Represent the company as a senior technical subject matter expert in SPP working groups, task forces, and stakeholder meetings.
- Provide clear, technically grounded positions that balance reliability, cost, and policy considerations.
- Support leadership with concise technical briefings, executive summaries, and decision-support materials for key SPP issues.
- Coordinate with legal, regulatory, and commercial teams to ensure technical positions align with broader organizational strategy.
Consistency, Quality Control, and Risk Management
- Promote consistency in assumptions, modeling approaches, and technical positions taken across SPP activities.
- Support development of internal review and validation checkpoints for:
- Study data submissions
- Model updates
- Major solution recommendations
- Identify emerging technical and policy risks within SPP processes and proactively advise leadership on mitigation strategies.
- Support responses to SPP data requests, compliance inquiries, and disputes with clear technical justification.
Mentorship and Capability Building
- Provide mentorship and technical guidance to planning engineers and analysts.
- Share best practices, lessons learned, and evolving SPP expectations to strengthen organizational capability.
- Support development of internal training or reference materials related to SPP planning, modeling, and policy interpretation.
What We're Looking For:
- Ten (10) or more years of related engineering experience along with a Bachelor's degree in engineering in a program accredited by ABET*; or
- Eight (8) years of related engineering experience along with a Master's degree or PhD in engineering from a program accredited by ABET*.
- Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) in any U.S. state or Puerto Rico** is preferred for this position unless approval to waive this requirement is given by the organization's EVP.
- Individuals with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Technology can satisfy this degree requirement, if they obtain a certified Professional Engineering (PE) license.
*ABET - Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
Acceptable alternative is:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering (non-ABET) plus a Master's degree or PhD in engineering from a university with an ABET accredited Bachelor's program.** Confirmation is preferred to ensure the PE obtained in Puerto Rico aligns with NCEES standards.
**VP or above may waive the requirement for a degree from a university with a Non-ABET accredited program
Where Putting the Customer First Powers Everything We Do
At AEP, we’re more than just an energy company — we’re a team of dedicated professionals committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions. Guided by our mission to put the customer first, we strive to exceed expectations by listening, responding, and continuously improving the way we serve our communities. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact and being part of a forward-thinking organization, this is the company for you!
Compensation Data
Compensation Grade:
SP20-010
Compensation Range:
$136,539.00 - $177,503.00
The Physical Demand Level for this job is: S – Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently. (Frequently: activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.
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