Senior Manager / Director, Utility Engineering

Job Title

Senior Manager / Director, Utility Engineering

Department

Design and Construction

Division

Data Center

Reports To

Head of Technical Services and Utilities

Location

US, Remote

Position Type

• Full-Time, Permanent
• About Nscale

NScale is the GPU cloud engineered for AI.

We provide cost-effective, high-performance infrastructure for AI start-ups and large enterprise customers.

NScale enables AI-focused companies to achieve superior results by reducing the complexity of AI development.

Our GPU cloud bolsters technical capabilities and directly supports strategic business outcomes, including cost management, rapid innovation, and environmental responsibility.

At NScale, our Design and Construction team plays a critical role in delivering data center facilities that are optimized for AI deployments.

We thrive on a culture of relentless innovation, ownership, and accountability, where every team member takes pride in their work and drives it with excellence and urgency.

As an NScaler, you’ll build trust through openness and transparency, where everyone is inspired to do their best work.

If you join our team, you’ll be contributing to building the technology that powers the future.

About the Role

• We are looking for a Senior Manager / Director of Utility Engineering to lead utility strategy and execution for our North American data center portfolio, with a focus on high-density AI and GPU workloads.
• This leader will own end-to-end responsibility for securing, designing, and optimizing critical to support hyperscale, energy-intensive AI compute at low cost and high reliability.
• You will be the primary technical owner for utility interfaces to our data centers with a focus on power, while also leading external partners to deliver projects on aggressive schedules.
• You will lead technical scope development and decision-making for behind-the-meter and utility-scale generation strategies, including conceptual through detailed design oversight, constructability, operability, and commissioning readiness.
• You will partner closely with development, design, operations, energy, and finance teams to deliver utility solutions that meet aggressive capacity, sustainability, and cost objectives across multiple markets.
• The position title and level will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• What You’ll be Doing (Responsibilities)
• Utility Strategy and Planning
• Develop and own the long-term utility strategy to support high-density AI / GPU data centers across existing and new regions.
• Evaluate and select sites based on grid capacity, reliability, renewable/low-carbon options, interconnection queues, and regulatory constraints.
• Build and maintain load forecasts based on AI / GPU growth scenarios and translate them into concrete utility capacity plans.
• Develop power supply strategies that include both grid supply and on-site/behind-the-meter generation, evaluating trade-offs across reliability, schedule, fuel availability, emissions, and total cost of ownership.
• Grid and Utility Engagement
• Lead technical and commercial engagements with utilities, ISOs/RTOs, transmission owners, and large energy providers from early-stage site diligence through energization.
• Negotiate and manage interconnection agreements, service agreements, and tariffs in partnership with legal, regulatory, and energy procurement teams.
• Track and influence grid upgrade timelines and constraints that impact data center development schedules.
• Power Generation Strategy, Design, and Delivery
• Own the end-to-end technical strategy for on-site power generation used to support data center capacity, schedule acceleration, and resilience.
• Lead generation plant concept development through design completion, including architecture decisions and design basis for:
• Generation technology selection (e. g., reciprocating engines, turbines, dual-fuel strategies where applicable)
• Electrical topology and one-lines (medium voltage distribution, paralleling, synchronization, islanding, black start concepts as applicable)
• Protection and controls philosophy (relaying, coordination, fault duty, grounding, synchronization, load sharing)
• Integration with UPS/BESS/microgrid controllers and operational modes (grid-parallel, island, peak shaving, backup)
• Oversee generation interconnection and utility coordination for behind-the-meter and/or utility-parallel operation, including studies, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Drive equipment specification and procurement alignment for generator sets, switchgear, transformers, e-houses, control systems, and balance-of-plant, with focus on long-lead risk and schedule certainty.
• Support commissioning planning and field execution for generation systems, including performance verification, reliability demonstration, and handoff to operations.
• Engineering, Design, and Standards
• Define technical requirements and design standards for utility interfaces to high-density GPU data centers (substations, transformers, switchgear, protection, metering, etc.).
• Collaborate with internal and external design teams on one-line diagrams, protection schemes, redundancy strategies (N, N+1, 2N), and fault / reliability studies.
• Provide engineering leadership on integration of alternative or on-site energy sources (renewables, storage, generators, microgrids, etc.) to improve resilience and cost.
• Project Execution and Delivery
• Serve as the utility engineering owner for a set of data center development projects from due diligence through energization.
• Work closely with development, construction, and operations to align utility milestones with project schedules and capacity needs.
• Visit sites as needed to support commissioning, troubleshooting, and design clarifications in the field.
• Identify risks early (grid constraints, upgrade requirements, permitting, schedule slippage) and implement pragmatic mitigations.
• Reliability, Performance, and Optimization
• Ensure that utility designs meet or exceed reliability targets suitable for AI / GPU workloads with high power density and utilization.
• Partner with operations, reliability, and capacity planning to monitor actual performance versus design assumptions and close gaps.
• Continuously refine designs and standards to reduce losses, improve PUE and energy efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership.
• Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Lead internal and external partners, setting clear priorities and delivering against aggressive timelines.
• Act as the subject matter expert for utility and grid topics, educating internal stakeholders including executives, development, finance, and product teams.
• Communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders about utility risks, trade-offs, and options.
• Contribute to overall infrastructure strategy, including how power availability, cost, and carbon intensity influence data center and AI capacity roadmaps.

About You (Skills / Qualifications)

• Required
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or related field.
• 8-12+ years of experience in utility engineering, power systems, or grid-connected infrastructure, with significant exposure to large-scale data centers, industrial loads, or hyperscale cloud environments.
• Deep understanding of transmission and distribution systems, interconnection processes, protection and controls, and utility planning.
• Proven experience working directly with electric utilities, ISOs/RTOs, or transmission owners on high-capacity interconnections.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects from concept through energization, ideally across multiple regions or countries.
• Strong ability to interpret and produce electrical one-lines, protection schemes, and system studies (load flow, short-circuit, reliability).
• Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical utility issues into clear business trade-offs and recommendations for non-engineers.
• Demonstrated experience with power generation projects and/or generation plant electrical design, such as:
• Designing or overseeing design of generation plant one-lines, MV distribution, synchronization/paralleling, protection and controls
• Managing generator plant concept-to-commissioning delivery (including equipment specification and long-lead procurement)
• Integrating generation with critical power architectures (UPS/BESS, islanding strategies, microgrid controls)
• Preferred
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Energy Systems, or similar.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or equivalent credential.
• Experience with high-density AI / GPU or HPC data centers, including unique power profiles and redundancy requirements.
• Familiarity with renewable energy integration, energy storage, microgrids, and low-carbon or sovereign energy strategies.
• Experience working in fast-paced growth environments or startups, where speed and execution are paramount.
• International experience dealing with utilities, regulators, and grid operators in multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience with generator OEMs, EPCs, and commissioning providers for large-scale standby/prime power plants supporting mission-critical facilities.
• Equal Opportunities Statement

At NScale, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace.

We believe that a variety of perspectives enriches our work environment, and we encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities.

We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, parents, carers, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

If there’s anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let us know.

The responsibilities outlined in this job description are not exhaustive and are intended to provide a general overview of the position.

The employee may be required to perform additional duties, tasks, and responsibilities as assigned by management, consistent with the skills and qualifications required for the role.

Salary Range

In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for bonus, equity, and/or commission programs.

NScale may offer a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, flexible paid time off, parental leave, and retirement plan participation.

For information on how NScale handles candidate personal data, please see our Employee & Candidate Privacy Notice: Here.

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