How to hire a smart grid engineer

How to hire a smart grid engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step smart grid engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a smart grid engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new smart grid engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The smart grid engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A smart grid engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, smart grid engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of smart grid engineers.

   Type of Smart Grid Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Smart Grid Engineer	Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment. Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems—from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPSs).	$31-53
   Electrical & Instrumentation Designer	An electrical instrumentation designer's main job is to design instruments that can be used in various areas such as laboratories, power plants, or research institutes. They work together with a team or individually to design instruments, create a prototype, and test its functions... Show more	$28-52
   Electrical Designer	An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings... Show more	$22-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Renewable Energy
   • MATLAB
   • Demand Response
   • Electric Utility
   • Linux
   • IEEE
   • Outage
   • GIS
   • Infrastructure
   • RF
   • HMI

   Responsibilities:

   • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
   • Prioritize, coordinate, troubleshoot and perform RF maintenance activities as require.
   • Develop synthesize-able decimation filter architecture.
   • Develop synthesize-able decimation filter architecture.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your smart grid engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A smart grid engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a smart grid engineer in West Virginia may be lower than in Virginia, and an entry-level smart grid engineer usually earns less than a senior-level smart grid engineer. Additionally, a smart grid engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average smart grid engineer salary

   $85,632yearly

   $41.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level smart grid engineer salary

   $65,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average smart grid engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$115,855	$56
   2	Virginia	$112,056	$54
   3	New Hampshire	$99,102	$48
   4	Massachusetts	$96,857	$47
   5	Colorado	$92,794	$45
   6	New York	$90,550	$44
   7	Texas	$89,849	$43
   8	North Carolina	$85,515	$41
   9	Missouri	$84,270	$41
   10	Illinois	$81,650	$39
   11	Wisconsin	$80,745	$39
   12	Indiana	$74,929	$36
   13	Arizona	$74,166	$36

   Average smart grid engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$118,433	$56.94	56
   2	Pacific Gas and Electric	$104,672	$50.32
   3	Dominion Energy	$95,729	$46.02
   4	Randstad North America, Inc.	$91,625	$44.05
   5	CETECOM	$89,489	$43.02
   6	ISO New England	$89,476	$43.02
   7	First Solar	$88,883	$42.73
   8	Eversource Energy	$88,143	$42.38	16
   9	Xcel Energy	$86,808	$41.73	6
   10	Itron	$85,892	$41.29	1
   11	American Electric Power	$83,311	$40.05	1
   12	Leidos	$81,723	$39.29	206
   13	Dairyland Power Cooperative	$73,342	$35.26	1

4. Writing a smart grid engineer job description

   A smart grid engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a smart grid engineer job description:

   Smart grid engineer job description example

   Indiana Michigan Power is looking for qualified Smart Grid Engineers for potential openings in the near future!
   
   The Smart Grid Engineer Sr will be responsible for the planning of future DACR (Distribution Automation Circuit Reconfiguration) and CVR (Conversation Voltage Reduction) schemes. The ideal candidate will possess the knowledge and skills to evaluate existing schemes for optimal performance and be able to identify areas where the schemes/circuits should be enhanced to impact customers to the fullest. This position will conduct studies and analysis on saturation of each of the smart technologies and determine those saturation points where necessary. The Smart Grid Engineer Sr will be key in coaching and mentoring the less experienced engineers and help support in change management throughout the organization. The candidate will help support the Grid Modernization 5-year plan by guiding the team with the experience needed to not only get optimal performance but also develop the most efficient and effective plan. This candidate will also be the SME (subject matter expert) pertaining to automation and lead investigation for root cause analysis.
   Essential Job Functions & Tasks:
   Technical Expertise: Exhibits journey level proficiency plus advanced knowledge that enables the engineer to serve as a leader within the assigned organization. Keep abreast of new products, developments, technologies, procedures and equipment. Understands and analyzes interrelationships between systems and component equipment. Has vast knowledge of distribution automation but not limited to system reconfiguration and voltage reduction. Interprets codes and regulations and develops standards relevant to the area of assignment. Leadership & Guidance: Provides guidance and exercises judgment and discretion in providing guidance and direction to other Engineers. Leads, facilitates and coordinates work activities of others within the work group, team, department, corporate entity, or those external to the company as required to perform all routine engineering work. Ensures all work activities are performed in accordance with the policies, practices, standards and rules of the company and complies with the regulations and procedures required by external agencies. Promotes engineering professionalism and standards. Coordinates and conducts training sessions. Planning & Organization Ability: Participates in the development of plans by establishing measurable goals, objectives and requirements for specific areas of responsibility. Primary focus will be on the saturation of distribution automation on the grid. Coordinates the development of input necessary to establish projected cost of all projects. Proficient in use of scheduling techniques (CPM, PERT, flow charts, etc.) for budget and planning activities. Identifies and initiates appropriate corrective action when objectives are not being met. Problem Solving & Initiative: Identifies, clarifies, resolves, and initiates solutions to routine and/or complex problems that sometimes involve analysis of inadequate or conflicting data. Demonstrates the ability to divide problems into component steps. Consistently looks for and develops opportunities and presents new ideas and approaches. Communication: Coordinates the work of other engineers in an efficient and effective manner. Develops, reviews or prepares reports on complex technical subjects clearly, concisely and effectively, in a manner suitable for presentation to management, professional societies, regulatory bodies, etc. Leads and facilitates meetings effectively. Interpersonal Skills: Possess collaborative and consensus building skills. Functions as a team leader and member. Networks upward and downward in several disciplines inside and outside the AEP system. Leverages network to get things done. Decision Making: Makes decisions affecting plans and goals based on analysis of uncertain input and outcomes. Uses diverse approaches to make decisions in the absence of a definite framework or where few precedents exist. Can handle conflicting interests related to approaches on projects or studies. Analyzes options and risks and possesses the experience and knowledge to assess the risk of decisions and act accordingly. Makes decisions that affect the operations or results of the department and may have some impact on a major project. Business Awareness & Characteristics: Exhibits an awareness of AEP's competitive position and how business decisions impact their organizational unit. Understands the specific goals and objectives of their individual organizational unit and is proficient in establishing measurable goals and objectives. Effectively manages project budgets using cost management techniques and understands how their decisions and recommendations impact AEP's expenses and revenues. Demonstrates an awareness of profit incentives, optimizing growth of customers' businesses and using our services to attract new business. Requirements
   
   BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   Has typically acquired 6 or more years of related engineering experience along with a Bachelor's degree in engineering in a program accredited by ABET ; or 4 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 encouraged and preferred.
   
   ABET - Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Acceptable alternatives are (1) a Bachelor's degree in engineering (non-ABET), plus a Professional Engineers (PE) license in any state of the U.S. or (2) a 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 required to ensure the PE obtained in Puerto Rico aligns with NCEES standards.
   
   Physical demand level is Sedentary

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5. Post your job

   To find the right smart grid engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with smart grid engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit smart grid engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your smart grid engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit smart grid engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit smart grid engineers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new smart grid engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the smart grid engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new smart grid engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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