Sr. Engineer - Utility Engineering

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 an Engineer / Senior Engineer, Program Manager for the Utility Engineering team to support utility strategy and execution for our North America data center portfolio, with a focus on datacenter workloads.

●     You will support 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 serve as a key technical contributor for utility interfaces to our data centers with a focus on power, while coordinating with external partners to deliver projects on schedule.

●     You will support technical scope development for behind-the-meter, islanded, and grid connected load strategies, including contributing to design oversight, constructability reviews, operability assessments, and commissioning readiness.

●     You will partner closely with development, design, operations, and finance teams to deliver utility solutions that meet aggressive capacity, sustainability, and cost objectives across multiple energy markets.

●     The position title and level will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

What You’ll be Doing (Responsibilities)

Utility Strategy and Planning

• Support the development of 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.
• Develop financial models and analytics documents to support energy sourcing for datacenters.
• Lead negotiations related energy supply agreements and utility contracts
• Monitor energy regulations and policies that have the potential to affect the projects constructability, capacity, and cost.
• Develop and manage scope of works (SOW) and related agreements to support the ancillary workstreams
• Build and maintain load forecasts based on AI / GPU growth scenarios and translate them into concrete utility capacity plans.
• Support the development of power supply strategies that include both grid supply and on-site/behind-the-meter generation, helping evaluate trade-offs across reliability, schedule, fuel availability, emissions, and total cost of ownership.

Grid and Utility Engagement

• Support technical and commercial engagements with utilities, ISOs/RTOs, transmission owners, and large energy providers from early‑stage site diligence through energization.
• Review and manage interconnection agreements, service agreements, and tariffs in partnership with legal, regulatory, and energy procurement teams.
• Track grid upgrade timelines and constraints that impact data center development schedules and escalate risks to senior team members.

Power Generation Strategy, Design, and Delivery

• Contribute to the technical strategy for on-site power generation used to support data center capacity, schedule acceleration, and resilience.
• Support generation plant concept development through design completion, contributing to 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)
• Support generation interconnection and utility coordination for behind-the-meter and/or utility-parallel operation, including studies, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Assist with equipment specification and procurement alignment for generator sets, switchgear, transformers, e-houses, controls systems, and balance-of-plant, with attention to long-lead risk and schedule certainty.
• Support commissioning planning and field execution for generation systems, including performance verification, reliability demonstration, and handoff to operations.

Cross Functional Support

• 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 energy 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 / energy efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership.

Leadership and Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with internal and external partners, coordinating effectively and delivering against project timelines.
• Develop expertise in utility and grid topics, supporting internal stakeholders with clear technical communication on utility considerations and tradeoffs.
• 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.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Finance, Economics, Business or related field.
• 2–5 years of experience in power markets, utility finance, utility engineering, power systems, large energy projects, PPAs, with exposure to data centers, industrial loads, or hyperscale cloud environments.
• Foundational understanding of transmission and distribution systems, interconnection processes, protection and controls, and utility planning.
• Some exposure to or experience working with electric utilities, ISOs/RTOs, or transmission owners on interconnection processes and high‑capacity interconnections.
• Experience supporting or contributing to multi‑stakeholder utility projects from concept through energization.
• Strong ability to interpret utility tariffs, produce rate calculations and analyze overall power costs.
• Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical utility issues into clear business trade‑offs and recommendations for non‑engineers.
• Some exposure to or coursework/project experience related to power generation and/or generation plant electrical design, such as:
• Overseeing the 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 Energy Policy, Finance, Energy Systems, Business Administration or similar.
• 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
• Exposure to electricity market analysis and power economics, including power cost analysis, levelized cost of energy (LCOE) modeling, tariff structures, and capacity/energy market dynamics as they relate to data center power procurement and site selection.

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.