Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer designs and coordinates maintenance of electrical utilities and associated power distribution systems. Performs inspections, performance evaluations, troubleshooting and sunsetting of systems.
Job Outlook
There were 440 Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 7680 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Electrical Engineer industry, which includes the Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $79,321.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $73,972.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $62,483.
Education and Experience
Posted Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 11.97% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 68.79% |
| Master's Degree | 16.91% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.78% |
| Other | 9.14% |
Posted Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 23.6% |
| 3 to 5 years | 44.94% |
| 6 to 8 years | 12.4% |
| 9+ years | 19.06% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (42.1%)
- Planning (33.44%)
- Operations (28.02%)
- Coordinating (26.95%)
- Management (24.13%)
- Writing (19.34%)
- Leadership (18.35%)
- Interpersonal Communications (14.8%)
- Verbal Communication Skills (13.96%)
- Microsoft Office (13.85%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Electrical Engineering (40.82%)
- Utility Engineering (14.09%)
- Project Management (34.29%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Electric Power Distribution (33.44%)
- Power Distribution (18.3%)
- Construction (17.63%)
- Transformers (Electrical) (13.13%)
- Medium Voltage (7.84%)
- Commissioning (5.47%)
- National Electrical Safety Code (18.11%)
- Procurement (5.59%)
- Business Software (8.21%)
- Geographic Information Systems (19.04%)
- Engineering Calculations (10.1%)
- Engineering Design Process (16.95%)
- Computer-Aided Design (18.45%)
- Automation (8.87%)
- AutoCAD (21.66%)
- Electrical Systems (14.41%)
- Electric Utility (19.78%)
- Equities (7.69%)
- Civil Engineering (10.07%)
- Voltage (10.05%)
- Project Engineering (8.24%)
- Low Voltage (10.16%)
- Structural Analysis (8.04%)
- Easement (8.43%)
- Distributed Computing (13.87%)
- MicroStation (CAD Design Software) (12.77%)
- Fire Alarm Systems (8.41%)
- Electronic Engineering (9.21%)
- Mechanical Engineering (13.13%)
- High Voltage (12.46%)
- Electric Power Systems (16.83%)
- Wire And Cable Pulling (8.27%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Power-System Protection (6.2%)
- Master Systems (5.51%)
- Renewable Energy Systems (5.51%)
- Lighting Layout (7.23%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Project Management (96.46%)
- Power-System Protection (17.45%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Distribution Engineer
- Plant Utilities Engineer
- Distribution Designer
- Low Voltage Electrician
- High Voltage Technician
- High Voltage Electrician
- Engineer
- Utility Engineer
- Electric Distribution Engineer
- Low Voltage Technician
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Electrical Engineer (General)
- Electrical Design Manager
- Electrical Engineering Manager
- Automotive Engineer
- Renewable Energy Engineer
- Solar Engineer
- Design Engineering Manager
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Utilities & Power Distribution Engineer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- CDM Smith (625)
- Leidos (544)
- Actalent (520)
- Power Engineers (267)
- Entergy (176)
- TRC Companies (160)
- Kiewit Corporation (97)
- Burns & McDonnell (85)
- Siemens (61)
- AECOM (60)
North Carolina
- Actalent (81)
- Leidos (28)
- TRC Companies (27)
- CDM Smith (24)
- Westwood Professional Services (10)
- Fujifilm (9)
- Pike Electric (8)
- Duke University (8)
- Entrust Solutions Group (8)
- Zachary Piper Solutions (8)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.