Substation Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Substation Engineer jobs in Illinois are active across the state's electric utility, infrastructure modernization, and industrial power sectors, with openings from entry-level design roles through senior project engineers. Chicago, Rockford, and Peoria are the primary hiring centers, where companies like Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), Ameren Illinois, and S&C Electric have deep, lasting footprints in the market. Protection and control systems, SCADA integration, and high-voltage substation design are the specialties drawing the most consistent demand. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles51
Top employerSargent & Lundy
Top cityChicago, IL
Cities hiring5
Work type56% Hybrid
Top industryConsulting

Showing 5 of 51+ Substation Engineer jobs

Leidos
Lead Substation Protection and Control Engineer
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Leidos
Added 2d ago
Lead Substation Protection and Control Engineer
Leidos
Chicago, Illinois
Compliance & Risk
Program Management
Project Management
$108k - $195k/yr
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
10,000+

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TRC
Senior Substation Engineer
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TRC
Added 1w ago
Senior Substation Engineer
TRC
Chicago, Illinois
Compliance & Risk
Engineering (Non-Software)
Health & Safety
Health & Safety (EHS & OHS)
$101k.6 - $126k.6/yr
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
1,001-5,000

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Sargent & Lundy
Senior Substation Engineer 2 - Grid
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Sargent & Lundy
Added 1w ago
Senior Substation Engineer 2 - Grid
Sargent & Lundy
Chicago, Illinois
Automation QA
Cloud & DevOps
DevOps
$100k - $153k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
1,001-5,000

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Leidos
Substation Physical Engineer
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Leidos
Added 1w ago
Substation Physical Engineer
Leidos
Chicago, Illinois
Account Management
Customer Service
Customer Success
$87k - $157k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
10,000+

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ICF
Substation Physical Engineer
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ICF
Added 1w ago
Substation Physical Engineer
ICF
Chicago, Illinois
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Data Science
$99k - $168k/yr
Remote (US)
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
5,001-10,000

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See All 51 Substation Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

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Substation Engineer Jobs by City in Illinois

Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Chicago
34 jobs
Warrenville
8 jobs
Oak Brook
4 jobs
Oakbrook Terrace
3 jobs
Itasca
1 job

Substation Engineer Job Market in Illinois

A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

  • Sargent & Lundy
    Sargent & Lundy16
  • Kimley-Horn
    Kimley-Horn4
  • ComEd
    ComEd3
  • Leidos
    Leidos3
  • AMPED I
    AMPED I3

Top Industries Hiring

  • Consulting & Professional Services
  • Energy
  • Construction & Real Estate
  • Transportation & Logistics

What Illinois Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in substation engineer jobs across Illinois.

  • Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a closely related field required
  • Professional Engineer license or active Illinois PE registration strongly preferred
  • Experience with substation protection, control schemes, and relay coordination
  • Proficiency in AutoCAD, CYME, ETAP, or similar power systems design software
  • Familiarity with NERC reliability standards and IEEE substation design guides
  • Ability to travel to substation sites across Illinois for field inspections and commissioning

Substation Engineer Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a substation engineer in Illinois?

Most substation engineers in Illinois start with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, then pursue licensure through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation as a Professional Engineer, which requires passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam followed by the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam after gaining qualifying work experience. Utility employers often hire candidates into rotational engineering programs before licensure is complete, and a PE license becomes essential for signing off on substation designs and studies.

Which companies hire substation engineers in Illinois?

Employers hiring substation engineers in Illinois right now include Sargent & Lundy, Kimley-Horn, and ComEd, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Illinois's large investor-owned utilities, engineering consultancies serving the Midwest grid, and industrial manufacturers with high-voltage facilities are the most consistent sources of openings in the state.

Which Illinois cities have the most substation engineer jobs?

Chicago, Warrenville, and Oak Brook are the Illinois cities with the most substation engineer openings, driven by the concentration of major utility operations, engineering firm headquarters, and large industrial facilities in the Chicago metro, with Rockford and Peoria serving as secondary hubs for Ameren Illinois transmission projects and heavy manufacturing sites that require dedicated power infrastructure engineering.

Are there remote substation engineer jobs in Illinois?

Yes, but they're rare. Substation engineering is heavily field-dependent, involving on-site commissioning, relay testing, and physical design reviews that cannot be done remotely. About 74% of substation engineer openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, and those positions typically cover the planning, relay coordination modeling, or protection study portions of the work rather than construction oversight or field commissioning.

How can I get hired as a substation engineer in Illinois with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is a new-graduate engineering rotational program at one of Illinois's major utilities, where ComEd and Ameren Illinois both bring on entry-level engineers who rotate through transmission planning, substation design, and protection before settling into a specialty. Candidates with internships in power systems, coursework in relay protection or power electronics, and progress toward the Fundamentals of Engineering exam stand out, and roles titled junior protection engineer or electrical design engineer at consulting firms that serve Illinois utilities are strong lateral starting points.

Where can I find and apply to substation engineer jobs in Illinois?

You can find and apply to substation engineer jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings across the state. Search the listings to find roles that match your experience and location, then apply directly to the ones that fit.

See All 51 Substation Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

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