Join Our Innovative Team!

Prairie Land Electric is dedicated to serving our members by providing safe, reliable energy and education to enhance their quality of life. We are seeking individuals who align with our mission and embody our core values: Safety, Respect, Integrity, Unity, and Accountability. If you share these values and are committed to our mission, we want to hear from you!

At Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, we’re on the lookout for an enthusiastic and dedicated Entry-Level Engineer who is eager to learn and contribute to our dynamic team. If you have a passion for problem-solving, a keen interest in technology, and a desire to work on cutting-edge projects, we want to hear from you! This is your chance to kickstart your engineering career in an environment that fosters growth, mentorship, and continuous learning.

The electrical engineer will perform professional engineering work to evaluate and recommend distribution planning practices and procedures for Prairie Land and its members. The position will provide support to achieve the lowest cost and most reliable and environmentally sound electric distribution possible.  Duties include:

• Offering technical support to operations staff in troubleshooting abnormal sequences and patterns in line loss figures. 
• Offer support and potential solutions to special equipment staff for the purpose of troubleshooting and alleviating power quality problems. 
• Assisting operations in protection coordination, transformer/service conductor sizing, and member complaint resolution. 
• Offer technical recommendations on new load additions.
• Prepare plans following studies regarding voltage profile improvement, phase balancing, power factor correction, system capacity, protective device coordination, and system protection.
• Routinely analyze the system for irregularities and potential problems using engineering analysis software. Perform required analyses (power flow, reliability, steady state, short circuit, etc.) as assigned by the supervisor to determine the optimum size, configuration, and timing of new distribution facilities or upgrades to existing facilities. These analyses include identifying optimal solutions for loading, voltage, reactive power, reliability, balancing and coordination.
• Execute short-term and long-term work plans for our systems.
• Assist with performing special distribution planning studies (power quality, harmonics, and voltage stability).
• Perform assessment of the impact of generator interconnection and DER, identify system upgrades or additions.
• Prepare specifications, perform engineering analyses, prepare construction standards, evaluate materials, and determine solutions affecting the electric distribution system to properly serve new loads.
  Ensure efficient, reliable, and safe operation of the distribution systems and resolve technical issues.
• Provide energy auditing services and energy efficiency efforts.
• Assist with distribution project designs, system planning studies, coordination studies, voltage studies, power quality investigations, project evaluations, estimates, work order inspections, project recordkeeping, and contractor oversight.
• Maintain electric system simulation distribution models with up-to-date topologies and loads.
• Maintain, develop, and understand distribution and substation technical design, construction, and operating standards per National Electric Safety Code (NESC), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
  

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Effective communication skills. The ability to effectively convey information in either written or verbal form to fellow employees, members, and the public is essential.
• Problem-solving skills are required. The ability to absorb information from multiple sources, recognize the problem, and form an action plan to alleviate the problem crucial. 
• Must be self-motivated and detail oriented. 
• Must have a strong desire to learn and progress with electric cooperative distribution design. 

This position requires a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.  Entry level electrical engineers are encouraged to apply.  Candidates with years of experience and Professional Engineer preferred. 

About Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a member-owned rural electric cooperative serving over 24,000 members in parts of 18 Northern Kansas Counties. Headquartered in Norton, Kansas, Prairie Land Electric's 84 employees maintain and operate approximately 7,000 miles of line. The mission of Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc. is: To improve the quality of life for our members and support our communities by providing safe, reliable energy services and education. We strive to uphold our Core Values of Safety, Respect, Integrity, Unity and Accountability.

Connections working at Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Inc.