Junior System Planning Consultant

At E Source, we help utilities make sense of complexity in a rapidly changing landscape, and we’re looking for a Junior System Planning Consultant to help shape how that impact shows up in the world.

E Source is a research, data/analytics, and technology focused professional services firm focused exclusively on the Utility industry in North America. We help utilities target and serve their customers more effectively, enhance and optimize their grid, and leverage operating best practices and technologies to manage their business more effectively. Headquartered in Texas, we have 450+ employees across the US and Canada. Learn more at www.esource.com http://www.esource.com

As a Junior System Planning Consultant, you’ll help deliver Transmission Adequacy and Reliability Assessments (TARA) for clients across the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and Southwest Power Pool (SPP) footprints, from study setup through mitigation development and stakeholder review. You’ll work closely with utilities, developers, independent system operators (ISOs), and regional transmission organizations (RTOs) on studies that support critical infrastructure decisions, regulatory compliance, and long-term grid reliability. This role is ideal for someone who has hands-on experience with long-term transmission planning studies in PSS®E and TARA, brings strong technical judgment to complex power system problems, and wants to contribute to work that shapes real-world decisions in the energy industry.

In this role, you will:

• Execute TARA studies for near- and long-term planning horizons (5–20 years)

• Apply North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Transmission Planning (TPL) standards TPL-001 through TPL-004, along with MISO and SPP planning criteria such as the MISO Transmission Expansion Plan (MTEP) and SPP Integrated Transmission Planning (ITP)

• Structure and run steady-state power flow and contingency analyses for generation interconnection, load interconnection, and reliability assessments, including SPP Definitive Interconnection System Impact Study (DISIS), MISO Network Resource Interconnection Service (NRIS) deliverability, Energy Resource Interconnection Service (ERIS), and NERC TPL planning assessments

• Identify and assess thermal overloads, voltage violations, and reliability impacts under forecasted system conditions, including load growth, generator retirements, renewable integration, and interconnection queues

• Run studies in PSS®E and PowerGEM TARA, managing large contingency sets and complex study cases efficiently

• Support development and validation of planning models, assumptions, and base cases

• Document study assumptions, methods, and conclusions so they’re audit-ready and defensible

• Help identify and evaluate transmission solutions, including new transmission lines (such as 345 kV), reconductoring and uprating, static and dynamic reactive power solutions, topology changes, operational mitigations, and non-wires alternatives

• Compare alternatives based on reliability benefit, cost, constructability, and implementation timing, and develop phased solutions aligned with planning and capital timelines

• Communicate residual risk clearly where full mitigation isn’t immediately feasible

• Support ISO submissions, stakeholder reviews, and regulatory or compliance inquiries

• Serve as a technical point of contact for assigned projects and present TARA results to utilities, developers, and ISO/RTO working groups

You’re likely a great fit if you:

• Genuinely enjoy system planning and the detailed technical work behind it

• Translate complex technical findings into clear, decision-ready insights

• Can structure and run studies independently while collaborating closely with teammates and clients

• Care about accurate, well-documented analysis and high standards for quality and professionalism

And even better if you:

• Have direct experience with MISO and/or SPP planning process