Principal R&D Engineer

Department Overview

Electric Transmission & Distribution ensures the delivery of clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. The team is responsible for the reliability and resiliency of the electric grid, managing over 100,000 miles of distribution lines and 18,000 miles of transmission lines. Comprising approximately 6,500 coworkers, the department actively engages in Lean Methodology, utilizing visual management in operating reviews to cross-functionally identify and solve problems. By working together as "One Electric. One Team," the group delivers for its hometowns.

About the Role

This position serves as a strategic hub for engineering, testing, and analysis services across multiple disciplines. You will provide expertise to various company organizations to identify, diagnose, and solve complex technical problems, while offering consultation to proactively prevent future issues. The role involves conducting inspections, failure analysis, and performance assessments on a wide variety of systems and components.

As a Manager/Principal, you will act as a consultant with strong communication skills, interfacing with clients to advise on operational risks, handle sensitive concerns, and influence decision-making. You will lead and manage projects independently, taking ownership of scope, schedule, budget, and communications to deliver innovative solutions with high financial impact. Additionally, you will represent PG&E as an authority in your discipline, potentially providing testimony to external agencies, speaking at industry conferences, and influencing industry developments through publications.

Work Environment

This position is hybrid, requiring work from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business needs. Travel is required, with frequency depending on the specific assignment ranging from 10% to 75%.

Hiring Process

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, and internal equity. Although we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed towards the middle or entry point of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.