Grid Automation Application Engineer Specialist - US West

Hitachi - Santa Fe Springs, CA

Full-time - Senior

Santa Fe Springs, CA

Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing

About the position

Hitachi Energy is seeking a strategically thinking solutions-oriented technical application engineer to enhance growth in the utility and industry segment across North America. This role involves leading the Grid Automation team in advanced Substation Automation Systems and Digital Substation Solutions, utilizing IEC 61850 technology. The engineer will support local sales organizations and customers by providing technical expertise, preparing technical descriptions, and serving as a key resource for advanced product technology and system solutions.

Responsibilities

• Drive growth in Substation Control and Automation Systems leveraging 61850-based protection & control systems.
• Provide technical expertise to sales managers, including advice and development of system architectures for customer inquiries.
• Perform analytic and diagnostic studies to determine suitable technical solutions for customer needs.
• Identify and direct sales opportunities with target customers through consultative selling strategies.
• Articulate customer problems into value-based solutions addressing technical and commercial benefits.
• Prepare business cases to support sales enablement and opportunity closure.
• Deliver technical presentations and demonstrations for internal staff and customers on complex product issues.
• Refine customer expectations, needs, and specifications effectively.
• Communicate the benefits of products and project-specific system offerings.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering plus 10 years of related technical experience.
• Master of Science degree in power system or cybersecurity is desired.
• Proven track record in selling engineered to order Distribution Automation, Substation Automation, and Protection & Control solutions.
• 10 years' experience with design, testing, and commissioning protection and control systems using multi-vendor products.
• Familiarity with electrical power system applications and major design considerations.

Nice-to-haves

• Understanding of functionalities and features of Protection, Control, Distribution Automation, and Substation Automation/RTU systems.
• Knowledge of Information and Operational Technology cybersecurity applied to substation automation control systems.
• Ability to communicate benefits of modern Distribution and Substation Automation solutions and communication standards like IEC 61850 and DNP 3.0.