Distribution Engineer

About Red Deer 
Red Deer sits at the heart of Central Alberta along the QEII corridor, perfectly positioned between Calgary and Edmonton. With more than 100,000 residents and a regional reach of over 300,000, it’s a growing hub for business, services, and opportunity.

Here, big-city amenities meet small-city ease. Enjoy abundant parks and trails, vibrant arts and culture, excellent recreation and education, and a strong sense of community.

With easy access to lakes, outdoor adventures, and the mountains, plus a thriving economy and high quality of life, Red Deer is an inviting place to live, work, and grow.

About The City of Red Deer Municipal Government
The City of Red Deer is a dynamic municipal organization with a $480M operating budget, a $60M capital program, and a workforce of nearly 1,700 employees. It is focused on growing with purpose by attracting talented, community-minded people who want to make a difference.

Guided by the vision “Our City, One Voice,” Red Deer is building a thriving, inclusive, and connected community, with priorities centered on a vibrant economy, community wellbeing, and strong engagement.

At its core, the City values its people, embracing diverse perspectives and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared success.

The Opportunity:
The City of Red Deer is currently recruiting for a Distribution Engineer – Electric Utility to join the team to fill a Regular (permanent) Full-time position.  

The Distribution Engineer will perform distribution design reviews, engineering investigations, analysis, problem solving and report writing related to a wide variety of technical issues within the transmission and distribution system. Analyse asset related engineering performance of the distribution system including loading and outage data.  Recommend to upgrade, rebuild, or maintain the system based on engineering analysis.
This position requires advanced communication skills as it includes negotiations with customers, suppliers, and contracted service companies; and communicating budget requirements to Management.

Top Key Responsibilities

1. Lead Technical Engineering Projects - Manage and provide engineering leadership for power quality, environmental initiatives, distributed generation, and construction standards projects.
2. Develop and Maintain Engineering Standards - Establish, update, and enforce customer connection standards, construction standards, contract specifications, and design guidelines.
3. Review, Approve, and Stamp Engineering Designs - Review, approve, sign, and assume professional responsibility for construction drawings and designs related to customer services and capital projects.
4. Ensure Regulatory and Technical Compliance - Perform engineering calculations and ensure all designs, standards, and installations comply with applicable codes, regulations, utility requirements, and industry standards.
5. Manage Distribution System Design and Growth Planning - Evaluate servicing options, support system development, coordinate protection requirements, and ensure designs align with future load growth and infrastructure plans.
6. Oversee Asset Management and Reliability Programs - Analyze outage and equipment failure data, establish maintenance programs, and develop strategies to improve system reliability and asset performance.
7. Develop Asset Data Standards and Reporting Processes - Create asset management frameworks, establish reporting requirements, maintain asset data integrity, and submit reliability statistics to industry organizations.
8. Evaluate and Recommend Infrastructure Investments - Identify and recommend capital replacement projects, system upgrades, voltage conversions, maintenance programs, and budget requirements.
9. Provide Technical Leadership and Stakeholder Representation - Represent the department with utilities, agencies, consultants, and internal stakeholders while providing expert guidance on complex technical issues and customer concerns.
10. Manage Technical Procurement and Service Contracts - Develop material specifications, participate in tender evaluations and RFP awards, support inventory management, and monitor contractor and supplier performance.
     

As our preferred candidate, you will have

• University degree in Electrical Engineering (registered with APEGA). P.ENG status with APEGA is required. Other Equivalencies may be considered.
• Post-graduate education, if any, is an asset.
• Five years’ experience with Electric Utility.
• Solid knowledge of electric power system operation and maintenance.
• Competency to write and authenticate professional reports.
• Competency to perform or review engineering studies and authenticate the results.
• Demonstrated ability to work on time-critical assignments under high pressure scenarios where quick decisions are required.
• Competency in managing a project portfolio including a wide range of simple to complex projects.
• Professionally sign and stamp engineering drawings.
• Ability to analyze complex data, determine trends and make recommendations or propose further investigation.
• Ability to act as a responsible member under APEGA.
• Required to travel outside of the City on an as needed basis for industry meetings.
• Occasional exposure to electric hazards at transmission substations and/or construction sites.

Affiliation:   Exempt
Status:   Regular Full-time
Remuneration:   $53.94 to $67.42 per hour ($112,626 to $140,793 per annum)
Hours of Work:   80 hours biweekly; Monday to Friday, some evening and weekend work may be required when needed.

The City of Red Deer does not permit the use of unauthorized internet resources or Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools  (for example, Copilot, ChatGPT or any other form of AI) during interviews or any supervised or timed assessments.  Any violation may be investigated and result in serious consequences, including the rejection of your application.

We thank you for your application. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.