Substation Preconstruction Manager

Location: Flexible
Employment Type: Full-Time
Travel: Up to 25% Travel Required

Bridge the Gap Between Conceptual Estimates and Real-World Substation Construction

Successful substation projects begin long before crews arrive onsite. Winning work requires more than competitive pricing. It requires a deep understanding of how substations are actually built, how construction risks impact execution, and how early decisions influence schedule, productivity, safety, procurement, and project success.

As utilities continue investing in transmission expansion, grid modernization, renewable energy integration, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and system reliability improvements, organizations need technical leaders who can connect engineering concepts, estimating assumptions, and construction realities.

At Michels Power, Inc., we help utilities, developers, and energy providers build and maintain the infrastructure that powers communities across North America. From transmission and distribution systems to substations, renewable energy facilities, and battery energy storage systems, our teams deliver the critical infrastructure needed to strengthen and modernize the electric grid.

As one of the nation's leading power delivery contractors, Michels Power combines engineering expertise, construction excellence, and operational experience to deliver some of the industry's most complex electrical infrastructure projects safely and successfully.

Position Overview

As a Substation Preconstruction Manager, you will serve as the primary Substation Subject Matter Expert (SME) supporting Michels Power's estimating and preconstruction teams.

This role is designed for an experienced substation construction professional who understands what it takes to successfully execute projects in the field and can apply that knowledge during project pursuits.

You will help estimators understand how projects will be constructed, validate labor and equipment assumptions, identify constructability concerns, evaluate construction sequencing, assess project risks, and ensure estimates accurately reflect real-world execution requirements.

Rather than functioning as a traditional estimator, you will act as the technical bridge between estimating, engineering, operations, procurement, project management, and field execution teams.

Your expertise will directly influence bid strategy, estimate accuracy, project planning, constructability reviews, risk mitigation efforts, and overall pursuit success across utility, EPC, renewable energy, battery storage, transmission interconnection, and substation opportunities.

Success requires extensive substation construction expertise, leadership capabilities, strong communication skills, business acumen, and a passion for developing others and improving organizational capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Substation SME supporting estimating and preconstruction activities throughout the project pursuit lifecycle.
• Help estimating teams translate conceptual plans into executable construction strategies.
• Review and validate labor assumptions, crew structures, production rates, equipment requirements, logistics plans, and construction methodologies.
• Evaluate constructability challenges, project risks, schedule constraints, outage requirements, permitting considerations, and operational impacts.
• Support development of estimates for greenfield substations, brownfield expansions, transmission interconnections, renewable energy facilities, and battery energy storage projects.
• Participate in estimate reviews, bid strategy discussions, risk assessments, and proposal-development activities.
• Review engineering drawings, specifications, one-line diagrams, customer standards, and construction requirements for estimate accuracy and completeness.
• Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Procurement, Project Controls, and Project Management teams to ensure alignment between estimate assumptions and execution strategies.
• Promote estimating consistency, quality, and continuous improvement across substation preconstruction processes.

What You'll Do

• Act as the technical advisor for substation estimating and preconstruction activities.
• Help estimators understand how projects will actually be constructed in the field.
• Evaluate installation strategies for transformers, breakers, reactors, bus systems, control buildings, foundations, steel structures, protection and control systems, and associated electrical infrastructure.
• Assess construction sequencing, outage planning requirements, workforce needs, material staging strategies, and equipment utilization assumptions.
• Identify opportunities to improve competitiveness while maintaining safe, executable project plans.
• Review labor productivity assumptions and validate field execution expectations.
• Support conceptual, budgetary, design-build, EPC, negotiated, and competitive-bid estimate development.
• Participate in customer meetings, site visits, estimate reviews, constructability workshops, and proposal presentations.
• Provide technical support during project transitions from estimating to operations.
• Capture lessons learned from completed projects and incorporate them into future estimate development and pursuit strategies.
• Develop and deliver training, mentoring, and coaching programs that strengthen preconstruction and estimating capabilities throughout the organization.
• Help establish estimating best practices, constructability standards, and preconstruction processes across Michels Power's growing substation portfolio.

Why Michels Power, Inc.?

• Engineering News-Record ranks us as the No. 1 Electrical Transmission & Distribution Contractor.
• Our steady, strategic growth revolves around a commitment to quality.
• We are family owned and operated.
• We invest an average of $5,000 per employee per year in training and career development.
• We perform challenging, meaningful work that helps build and strengthen the nation's electric grid.
• We believe everyone is responsible for promoting safety, regardless of job title.
• We are part of the Michels Family of Companies, one of North America's largest and most diversified energy and infrastructure contractors.
• Our teams help deliver the transmission, distribution, substation, renewable energy, and battery energy storage infrastructure that powers communities across the country.
• We provide opportunities to influence project success before construction ever begins.

Comprehensive Benefits Package

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Legal Plan
• Identity Theft Protection and Monitoring Plan

Benefits may vary based on position and location.

Why You?

• You like to surround yourself with dedicated, value-driven people.
• You relish new challenges and evolving technology.
• You cringe when you hear: “Because that's the way we've always done it.”
• You enjoy helping others understand what separates a good estimate from a successful project.
• You like sharing field knowledge and building technical capabilities across teams.
• You understand the difference between theoretical construction plans and practical field execution.
• You enjoy solving complex constructability, logistics, scheduling, and execution challenges before construction begins.
• You are motivated by ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• You want to shape project success long before crews arrive onsite.
• You enjoy serving as the trusted technical voice in critical project decisions.

What It Takes

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business, or a related discipline and 10+ years of substation construction, engineering, project management, field operations, estimating, or EPC experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Extensive experience constructing utility substations, switchyards, collector substations, renewable interconnections, transmission interconnections, or battery energy storage facilities.
• Strong understanding of substation construction sequencing, labor productivity, outage planning, means and methods, procurement strategies, commissioning activities, and field execution requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate labor assumptions, construction methodologies, equipment requirements, schedules, and execution strategies.
• Experience supporting preconstruction efforts, estimate development, constructability reviews, pursuit strategies, or project planning activities.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, one-line diagrams, protection and control documents, electrical equipment layouts, and construction work packages.
• Experience reviewing and validating estimates for utility, transmission, substation, renewable energy, battery energy storage, or EPC infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor, train, and develop estimating, operations, and preconstruction personnel.
• Experience collaborating with Operations, Engineering, Procurement, Project Controls, Project Management, and Business Development teams.
• Experience with HeavyBid, InEight, Bluebeam, Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, or similar estimating and project-management platforms preferred.
• PE, PMP, CCM, or other industry certifications are preferred but not required.
• Strong analytical, leadership, organizational, facilitation, presentation, and communication skills.
• Valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record.
• Ability to travel up to 25% to support estimate reviews, customer meetings, project visits, constructability reviews, proposal activities, and team-development initiatives.

Join a company that powers progress. Be a part of Michels Power, Inc.—where you don’t just build projects, you build a career.