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Apetan Consulting LLC

Electrical Power Systems Advisor (Data Centers)

Contract · In Office · Houston, Texas (USA)

$70,000–$90,000 · Posted Jul 9, 2026

Work Options
Job Type
Position Group
  • Role:- Electrical Power Systems Advisor (Data Centers)
  • Location: Houston, TX (Onsite)
  • What You will Do:
  • 1) Electrical Architecture (MV/HV) for Mission-Critical Facilities
  • • Architect MV/HV electrical distribution for data centers (utility-to-rack power path), including substation topology, MV switchgear, transformers, secondary distribution, and critical power interfaces.
  • • Define and standardize repeatable reference designs for power-dense facilities that scale across regions and vendors.
  • • Develop design decisions grounded in availability, reliability, maintainability, safety, and operational response during abnormal events.
  • 2) Protection, Controls & Digital Power Systems
  • • Own protection philosophy, relay settings coordination strategy, and system selectivity for MV/HV systems in mission-critical environments.
  • • Lead adoption and deployment of IEC 61850 digital substation/switchgear architectures, including GOOSE/MMS and engineering best practices for repeatability and quality.
  • • Develop and validate Sequences of Operation (SoO) and control narratives for normal operation, failover, maintenance modes, and recovery.
  • 3) Utility Interconnection & Grid Interface
  • • Serve as technical lead for utility engagement: interconnection requirements, protection & metering, power quality, and operational coordination for large-load facilities.
  • • Drive designs that support flexible grid connections and advanced resiliency strategies (e.g., self-generation, BESS integration, islanding concepts where applicable).
  • 4) Commissioning, Testing, and Live-Site Execution
  • • Partner with construction and commissioning teams to plan and execute acceptance testing, energization, integrated systems testing, and operational readiness.
  • • Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for complex system behaviors across switchgear, relays, controls networks, and power monitoring systems.
  • • Support retrofits and upgrades in live data centers where continuity of service is non-negotiable.
  • 5) Leadership, Standards & Vendor Ecosystem
  • • Set technical direction and mentor engineers across design, controls, commissioning, and operations.
  • • Influence and negotiate technical outcomes with OEMs, EPCs, utilities, AHJs, and global vendors.
  • • Establish and maintain electrical and controls standards (e.g., vendor-agnostic SoO, digital switchgear templates, quality/defect reduction practices).
  • Work Experience:
  • Required Qualifications
  • • 15+ years in electrical power systems for data centers, critical facilities, utility power, or comparable high-reliability infrastructure.
  • • Power generation (gas turbines, reciprocating engines, hybrid systems)
  • • Demonstrated expertise in MV distribution, switchgear, substation design considerations, and mission-critical power architecture.
  • • Strong background in protection & controls, including relay schemes, coordination/selectivity, and control system integration.
  • • Experience developing and validating Sequences of Operation (SoO) and commissioning/test strategies.
  • • Familiarity with relevant standards and environments: ANSI/UL, IEC, and multi-region deployment realities.
  • • Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Systems Engineering, or related discipline.
  • • Travel time will vary, but it could be as high as ~50%.
  • • Candidates with higher level qualifications/experience will be considered accordingly.
  • Preferred Qualifications
  • • Practical experience with IEC 61850 digital substations/switchgear (GOOSE/MMS) and implementation lessons learned.
  • • Hyperscale data center experience including design, construction support, commissioning, or operations/start-up roles.
  • • Background in power monitoring systems (PMS) integration and operational event response training (or similar reliability programs).
  • • Experience with grid-independent or hybrid architectures including on-site generation and BESS integration.
  • • Global/international project exposure, multi-vendor standardization, or expat/remote execution experience.
  • • Advanced degree (MBA/MS) is a plus.

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Electrical Power Systems Advisor (Data Centers)

Apetan Consulting LLC

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