Research Engineer - Mechanical Engineering Background
Job Summary
The National Electric Energy Testing, Research and Applications Center (NEETRAC) is looking for an experienced mechanical engineer to develop and conduct applied research projects in Forest Park, GA, just south of downtown Atlanta.
NEETRAC strives to be a globally recognized center of excellence in electric power research and applications by advancing industry knowledge. The center operates as a membership focused consortium that includes electric utilities, equipment manufacturers and related entities in the electric energy arena. The diverse interests of the consortium enable NEETRAC personnel to participate in a dynamic work environment that has extensive interaction with real world issues and opportunities.
You will work at the limits of knowledge in the electric power transmission and distribution industry. Electric utility and product manufacturers call NEETRAC when they need to solve unique non-standard problems for which they do not have in-house capabilities. Engineers at NEETRAC become internationally recognized experts, providing unbiased, fact-based information that increases the safety and reliability of the electric grid.
As a part of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, NEETRAC provides solid benefits and competitive compensation packages. The job level will depend on the relevance of the candidate's skills, experience and degree(s).
Visit www.neetrac.gatech.edu for more information about our impact on the power delivery industry.
Position
This position vacancy is an open rank announcement. Final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook (https://www.policylibrary.gatech.edu/faculty-handbook/3.2.1-research-faculty-hiring-and-promotion-guidelines)
Required Qualifications:
Research Engineer I
- A Bachelor's degree
Research Engineer II
- A Master's degree and three (3) years of relevant full-time experience after completion of that degree, or
- A Master's degree and five (5) years of relevant full-time experience after completion of a Bachelor's degree, or
- A Doctoral degree.
Senior Research Engineer
- A Master's degree in related area, and seven (7) years of relevant full-time experience after completion of that degree, or
- A Master's degree in related area, and nine (9) years of relevant full-time experience after completion of a Bachelor's degree, or
- A Doctoral degree in related area, and four (4) years of relevant full-time experience after completion of a Bachelor's degree.
Responsibilities
- Develop and manage research and testing projects, which involves:
- Serving as Principal Investigator of research projects
- Conceptualizing and developing scopes, schedules, and budgets
- Writing detailed test plans and following international standards
- Coordinating testing activities, schedules, resources, technicians, etc.
- Coordinating project activities with other NEETRAC engineers as needed (projects are frequently multifaceted, requiring multiple experts on a project)
- In many cases, you will be actively involved in the testing itself, so you should be hands-on and capable of working in a laboratory setting
- Analyzing test data
- Writing test reports
- Writing extensive research reports
- Preparing and delivering technical presentations to groups 45+ engineers
- Communicating with customers on project status and results
Develop as an industry expert in your field, which involves:
- Building a book of work addressing real world power delivery issues
- Consulting with Member utilities and manufacturers on individual topics
- Presenting work at board meetings, forums, and international committee meetings
- Attending or serving in leadership positions on various standards development committees¿ meetings (IEEE, ASTM, ANSI, etc.)
- Publishing technical papers and articles
- Serving as a NEETRAC representative at industry conferences and events
Preferred Qualifications
Education and licenses
- A Bachelors, Masters (preferred), or PhD degree in mechanical engineering or a closely related degree
- An engineering license in any state or territory or the ability to obtain a license within one year
Experience
- Experience in electric utility standards, line design, line operations, operations and maintenance, research, protection and controls, testing, or other areas
- Experience in a test laboratory including environmental, mechanical, high voltage, medium voltage, and high power
- Experience in design of electric utility products
- Experience in failure analysis and component evaluation
- Experience in asset management or operations research with an emphasis on component population statistics, managing physical infrastructure, risk characterization and mitigation, etc.
- Experience using standards and specifications, with a preference for standards development with standards development organizations (IEEE, ASCE, ASTM, UL, CSA or similar). Experience serving/contributing on standards development committees would be valuable.
- Experience using hand tools and instruments, as well as a willingness to perform hands on work
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
Skills
- Ability to work in a team, leveraging other engineers¿ expertise
- Ability to work at depth and breadth
- Depth in test procedure design, methods and data analysis
- Breadth in types products tested
- Ability to design custom/unique test methods
- Ability to work on multiple projects in parallel
- Ability to explain complex technical issues to pseudo-technical audiences in reports and presentations
- Ability to travel to standards development committee meetings at least two weeks per year. Candidates with more international standards development involvement and/or customer business development involvement will be able to travel more frequently.