Burns McDonnell is proud to be the market leader in providing program management services to the electric utility industry. As our clients focus on their capital investment in the energy delivery market, Burns McDonnell brings a seasoned team to assist them across a variety of operational roles to ensure the needed grid improvements are executed on time and on budget. The ideal candidate will have a safety-first mindset, be dedicated to making their clients and teams successful, and take an entrepreneurial approach to their job. As programs are an extension of our clients day-to-day operations, roles within the program management track allow for frequent, often daily, client interaction. Engineers on the program management track leverage their technical expertise and education to make informed decisions in the execution of projects on behalf of our clients. Program management often offers engineers an opportunity to lead a team in one of the below functional areas after demonstrated proficiency. Generally, engineers in program management will pursue job responsibilities in the following areas:

Project Management

Lead a cross-functional team to execute substation, transmission line, and telecommunication projects from inception through design and construction to closeoutOversee 5-20 projects concurrently of varying sizes ($100k-$50M ) and voltages (4kV-765kV)Manage projects for schedule adherence identifying risks and requirements to successfully achieve a project’s in-service dateNavigate projects through client gate approval processes including presentations to senior and executive management as required by each clientManage projects for financial adherence maintaining an accurate cost forecast reflecting committed and uncommitted costs for an estimate-at-completionCoordinate craft labor resources with client approved vendors for construction, testing and other field activitiesProvide regular status updates on projects by maintaining project data and routine reporting as well as meeting updates for clientsLead project meetings with cost, schedule, real estate, environmental, construction and engineering resources to facilitate project execution

Portfolio Management

Develop a multi-year capital expenditure plan to support client’s replacement and betterment of electric transmission and distribution assetsRegular interface and coordination with project sponsor organizations to determine details of proposed plans and business justificationEnsure synergies across projects are incorporated into the portfolio of work to prevent scope from being duplicated or performed inefficiently Monitor composition of client’s capital investment allocation to align with stated subsidiary investment targets for optimal rate of returnEngage with project sponsors to evaluate need-by date for realistic schedules and budgetsAssist with creation and compilation of rate filing support for federal and state filingsReview tabletop engineering estimates for accuracy and scopeReview project change requests (scope, In-service date, etc.) and reconcile with the existing and long-range portfolio of workInterface with client’s accounting group to establish financial setup for projectsCreate analyses reports to assist the client in tracking, coordination, and execution of projectsBuild baseline scopes, schedules, and budgets to be released to multiple client’s stakeholders

Outage/Construction Sequencing

Responsible for development of substation and transmission project construction lifecycles with focus on outage efficiency and constructabilityManage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting specified deliverable dates and expectationsAnalyze scoping and project documents to determine boundaries of required construction within substation and within electric gridConduct site walkdowns and project calls with project team as necessary to establish an achievable construction sequence with attainable outagesAnalyze needed outages against adjacent outages scheduled in the area Create initial outage sequence to communicate proposed construction lifecycle to project teamCoordinate with drafting resources to create engineering-caliber drawings that document the evolution of a project from present conditions to final state and all needed incremental steps

As part of the Burns McDonnell team we are looking for team members that foster a culture based on our MacCulture Principles, quality, diversity, and inclusion to enhance team cohesion and camaraderie. Individuals who want to tackle new and novel challenges within the utility industry to help our clients improve the execution of capital investment work can find entrepreneurial opportunities to assist in the pursuit and expansion of our program management offerings.