NERC Compliance Engineer
Clearway Energy · Scottsdale, Arizona, United States
What The Role Is
Reporting to the Head of Operations Engineering, the NERC Compliance Engineer provides technical expertise in support of electrical regulatory compliance for Clearway’s fleet of Battery Energy Storage, Solar, and Wind generating facilities. This role is the primary technical liaison between the Electrical Regulatory Compliance (ERC) team and Power Systems Engineering, translating NERC Reliability Standards into engineering action and ensuring plant designs, settings, and operating practices stay in compliance. The role focuses on NERC PRC, FAC, and MOD standards related to plant design and performance, and requires enough fluency with power system modeling concepts to coordinate effectively with Engineering — without performing modeling directly. The position requires a minimum of five years of experience in the power generation, transmission, or distribution sectors and is based in Scottsdale, AZ.
What You'll Be Doing
Technical Liaison Between ERC and Engineering
- Serve as the primary technical liaison between the Electrical Regulatory Compliance (ERC) team and Power Systems Engineering, managing regulatory requirements with audit-ready compliance evidence.
- Partner with plant operations, asset management, and project engineering to ensure NERC compliance obligations are built into plant design, commissioning, and ongoing operations.
- Represent Operations Engineering in cross-functional compliance meetings, internal audits, and NERC Regional Entity engagements.
- Escalate compliance risks or engineering gaps identified during reviews to ERC and Operations Engineering leadership in a timely manner.
NERC Standards Compliance Management
Manage the technical compliance lifecycle — monitoring, evaluation, and evidence management — for the NERC PRC, FAC, and MOD Reliability Standards related to plant design and performance, including standards specific to Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs) such as solar, wind, and battery energy storage:
- PRC-019 – Coordination of Generating Unit or Plant Capabilities, Voltage Regulating Controls, and Protection
- PRC-027 – Coordination of Protective Systems for Performance During Faults
- PRC-028 – Disturbance Monitoring and Reporting Requirements for Inverter-Based Resources
- PRC-029 – Frequency and Voltage Ride-Through Requirements for Inverter-Based Resources (successor to PRC-024)
- PRC-030 – Unexpected Inverter-Based Resource Event Mitigation
- PRC-002 – Disturbance Monitoring and Reporting
- FAC-008 – Facility Ratings
- MOD-025 – Verification and Data Reporting of Generator Real and Reactive Power Capability
- MOD-026 – Verification of Models and Data for Plant Volt/Var Control Functions
- MOD-027 – Verification of Models and Data for Active Power/Frequency Control Functions
- MOD-032 – Data for Power System Modeling and Analysis
PRC-004 (Protection System Misoperation Identification and Correction) and PRC-005 (Protection System, Automatic Reclosing, and Sudden Pressure Relaying Maintenance) are managed by the Electrical Regulatory Compliance (ERC) team, Medium & High Voltage (MV&HV) Engineering, and Plant staff, and are outside the scope of this role.
Engineering Evaluations & Technical Support
- Provide NERC technical evaluations and engineering reviews required for generating sites to achieve and maintain standards compliance.
- Knowledge of power system models and modeling outputs (e.g., PSS/E, PSLF, PSCAD) produced by Power Systems Engineering that are used to evaluate protection settings, ride-through performance, and plant capability against NERC requirements; this role coordinates on modeling results but does not perform modeling directly.
- Coordinate with Engineering and Plant staff to monitor Inverter-Based Resource (IBR) ride-through performance and support post-disturbance event mitigation activities required under PRC-029 and PRC-030.
ISO / TOP Engagement & Regulatory Support
- Provide technical support and management of power engineering requirements from Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Transmission Operators (TOPs), including Texas RE, CAISO, ISO-NE, and others.
- Support and respond to Requests for Information (RFIs) from ISOs, TOPs, and NERC Regional Entities.
- Support NERC compliance audits, self-certifications, self-reports, and mitigation plans as needed, in coordination with ERC.
Documentation & Reporting
- Maintain accurate, audit-ready technical documentation and evidence supporting compliance with applicable NERC standards, in coordination with the ERC evidence-retention process.
- Track compliance deadlines, filing requirements, and evaluation schedules jointly with the ERC team.
- Prepare technical summaries and status reports for Operations Engineering and ERC leadership.
What You'll Bring
Knowledge & Skills
- Strong understanding of electrical power management and distribution.
- Knowledgeable in reactive power and load-flow analysis concepts.
- Working understanding of power system modeling concepts and tools (e.g., PSS/E, PSLF, PSCAD) sufficient to interpret Engineering's modeling outputs and coordinate effectively; this role does not perform modeling directly.
- Familiarity with Inverter-Based Resource (IBR) technology and performance characteristics (solar, wind, and battery energy storage) to support compliance evaluations under standards such as PRC-029 and PRC-030.
- Able to read and interpret electrical drawings, technical manuals, and test reports.
- Functions effectively as a member and/or leader of a team.
- Able to maintain a professional, positive company image and strong relationships with owners, customers, and external contractors.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to translate technical detail for non-technical audiences.
- Available to work flexible hours as business needs require.
Experience & Education
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, or a related discipline
- Minimum of five years of relevant experience in the power generation, transmission, or distribution sectors.
Work Environment & Travel
- Primarily an office-based role based in Scottsdale, AZ. In-office days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
- Occasional travel to generating sites to meet colleagues, expected no more than 10% of the time.
What Would Be Nice
- Prior experience with NERC Reliability Standards compliance is strongly preferred.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license a plus, but not required.
No visa sponsorship or any kind of sponsorship for employment authorization is available for this role, now or in the future.
#LI-Hybrid
The pay rate for the successful candidate will depend on geographic location, skills, relevant and demonstrated experience, education, training and certifications, and other factors permitted by law. This role is eligible to earn an annual cash bonus, subject to personal and company performance goals.
Salary Range Across all U.S. Locations$105,000—$127,000 USDClearway Energy Group is leading the transition to a world powered by clean energy. Along with our public affiliate Clearway Energy, Inc., our portfolio comprises approximately 11.6 GW of gross generating capacity in 26 states, including 9.1 GW of wind, solar, and battery energy storage assets, and over 2.5 GW of conventional dispatchable power generation providing critical grid reliability services. As we develop a nationwide pipeline of new energy projects for the future, Clearway’s operating fleet generates enough reliable electricity to power more than 3 million homes today. Clearway Energy Group is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, Houston, Phoenix, Princeton, and San Diego. For more information, visit clearwayenergygroup.com.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Clearway Energy Group’s vision is a world powered by clean energy. Along with our public affiliate Clearway Energy, Inc., our portfolio comprises approximately 11