STEM OPT Transmission Line Design Engineer Jobs
Transmission Line Design Engineer roles qualify for STEM OPT because they sit squarely in engineering CIP codes. Your 24-month STEM OPT extension brings your total work authorization to 36 months, giving employers a meaningful runway. Every employer hiring you must be enrolled in E-Verify, which utility and infrastructure firms typically are.
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This Opportunity
WSP is seeking an Intermediate Transmission Line Design Engineer to support major utility and energy clients on high-impact power and infrastructure projects. In this role, you will help lead transmission line design efforts, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, and deliver high-quality, constructible solutions that support critical energy needs. This is an opportunity to grow your technical expertise, advance your career through meaningful project exposure and development opportunities, and be part of a supportive, team-oriented environment within a company that offers a positive culture and a strong backlog of work. This role is fully in-office at the client site in Rochester, NY, Buffalo, NY or Binghamton, NY, and candidates must be able to work on-site daily.
Your Impact
The successful candidate will have the following responsibilities:
- Review/Design transmission line plan and profile drawings using PLSCADD to ensure compliance with Client Standards and NESC/other standards
- Structure recommendations
- Insulation, A/C interference, static wire, grounding studies
- Line Design: Plans and Profiles, Cross section details
- Assist in leading overall transmission line design for all capital projects
- Drive the project plan for transmission line routing and strategy, specifically:
- Decide whether to rebuild existing lines or obtain additional right of way based on area congestion and local politics/permitting issues
- Determine required structure designs based on design constraints
- Determine routing in and around into congested stations to optimize design/reliability and minimize the number of crossings
- Serves as an overhead transmission line design technical specialist and has knowledge and skillset to provide consultation and guidance to project teams.
- Develop technical specifications, specifications, QA/QC procedures, deliverable templates, and other means of increasing efficiency in our day-to-day operations.
- Review design documents for construction, including plan & profiles, structure load tree drawings, structure framing, bill of materials and foundations design drawings.
- Understand and interpret geotechnical reports and extrapolate information needed for foundation design software including L-PILE and MFAD.
- Timely and on-budget delivery of the design packages
- Responsible for the quality of all design packages
- Ability to work on multiple projects at the same time
- Coordinates the interfaces with other engineering disciplines
- Support the Project Engineer to achieve the overall project goals
- Represents the project and corresponding discipline in front of the client, in coordination with the Project Engineer
- Supports the development of the quality management system
- Reporting and project management activities required by the Company or the client
- Support the management to achieve organization goals
- Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
Who You Are
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or closely related degree.
- A minimum of 1+ years post education experience, preferably in Transmission Line Design with voltages up to 115 kV HVAC.
- Knowledge of codes and standards such as NESC, AISC, IEEE and ANSI.
- Experience with the use of Finite Element modeling within PLS-CADD, POLE, & TOWER. Experience with MFAD, HFAD, LPILE, AutoCAD, and MicroStation. Modeling experience with PSCAD is a plus.
- Effective interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing ideas effectively and professionally to an engineering and non-engineering audience.
- Well-developed critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to demonstrate effectiveness at coordinating and assertively directing subcontractors and others to consistently complete tasks safely and efficiently.
- Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
- Ability to work schedules conducive to project-specific requirements that may extend beyond the typical workweek.
- This role is subject to a client-mandated drug/alcohol testing policy. As such, employee may be subject to random drug/alcohol tests. A copy of this policy will be provided during employee onboarding and is available upon applicant request.
- This position is subject to and contingent upon client approval of candidates put forth for consideration by WSP.
- Ability to work full-time on-site at the client office in Rochester or Binghamton, NY.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree in Engineering.
WSP Benefits:
WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.
Compensation:
Expected Salary (all locations): $74,100 - $111,000
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Transmission Line Design Engineer
Verify your CIP code maps correctly
Check your degree's CIP code against the official STEM OPT designated degree list before applying. Electrical Engineering (14.1001) and Civil Engineering (14.0801) both qualify, but a mismatch between your transcript and the list can delay your I-20 STEM OPT recommendation.
Search E-Verify status before applying
Confirm a company is enrolled in E-Verify using the E-Verify employer search tool before you invest time in an application. Utility companies and large EPC contractors almost always enroll, but smaller regional transmission consultancies may not.
Target employers with active LCA filings
Use Migrate Mate to filter for transmission and power engineering employers who have active Labor Condition Applications on file. DOL LCA data shows which companies are actively hiring engineers under work authorization, saving you from cold outreach to non-sponsoring firms.
Build your I-983 training plan around deliverables
Draft your I-983 training plan before your start date, not after. Structure it around specific transmission line deliverables like right-of-way assessments, PLS-CADD modeling tasks, or protection relay coordination studies so the plan clearly demonstrates a direct connection to your STEM degree.
Check prevailing wage before negotiating your offer
Run your job title and work location through the OFLC Wage Search before salary discussions. Transmission Line Design Engineers fall under SOC 17-2071, and your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above the prevailing level for that location.
Time your OPT start date around project cycles
Utility and transmission EPC firms hire on project-award timelines, not standard corporate cycles. Coordinate your OPT start date with your DSO to align with a firm's upcoming transmission project kick-off, maximizing your 36 months against actual billable work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Transmission Line Design Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree is in a STEM-designated field like Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering. Transmission Line Design Engineer positions typically fall under SOC 17-2071 (Electrical Engineers) or 17-2051 (Civil Engineers), both of which map to qualifying CIP codes. Confirm your specific degree's CIP code appears on the official STEM OPT designated degree list before your DSO recommends your STEM OPT I-20.
Does my employer need to be enrolled in E-Verify for STEM OPT?
Yes. STEM OPT requires your employer to be actively enrolled in E-Verify, not just registered. Most large utility companies, transmission owners, and EPC contractors are already enrolled, but regional engineering consultancies may not be. You can confirm enrollment using the E-Verify employer search tool. If a firm isn't enrolled, they cannot legally employ you under the STEM OPT extension regardless of how willing they are to hire you.
What goes into the I-983 training plan for a Transmission Line Design Engineer?
The I-983 requires a detailed description of how your work assignments connect to your STEM degree. For this role, that means documenting specific technical tasks: transmission line route analysis, structure loading calculations using software like PLS-CADD, protection and coordination studies, or environmental permitting work. Vague descriptions like 'engineering support' are insufficient. USCIS expects the plan to demonstrate a genuine academic connection, and your DSO must sign off before your STEM OPT start date.
How does cap-gap protection work if my H-1B is selected in the lottery?
If your employer files an H-1B visa petition on your behalf before your OPT EAD expires, cap-gap protection automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of that fiscal year while USCIS adjudicates the petition. You can continue working as a Transmission Line Design Engineer without interruption. Your DSO issues an updated I-20 reflecting the cap-gap extension. If premium processing is used, you may receive a decision well before October 1, reducing the uncertainty period.
Where can I find Transmission Line Design Engineer jobs where employers are open to STEM OPT?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for employers with documented sponsorship and E-Verify enrollment history, so you're not guessing which companies will work with your STEM OPT status. Transmission and power sector employers who regularly file LCAs are surfaced based on DOL data, giving you a concrete starting point rather than mass-applying to roles that may never move forward for international candidates.