Substation General Foreman

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Substation General Foreman to provide field leadership and supervision for the construction, expansion, upgrade, and maintenance of high-voltage electrical substations.

The Substation General Foreman will be responsible for coordinating and directing Foremen, Journeymen, equipment operators, laborers, subcontractors, and other craft personnel to ensure work is performed safely, efficiently, on schedule, and in accordance with engineering drawings, specifications, utility standards, and project requirements.

This position requires extensive knowledge of substation construction, electrical equipment installation, grounding systems, conduit and cable systems, structural components, and utility construction practices. The General Foreman will work closely with Superintendents, Construction Managers, Project Managers, engineering teams, safety personnel, quality personnel, subcontractors, and utility representatives throughout project execution.

Key Responsibilities
Field Leadership & Crew Management
Provide overall field leadership for multiple crews performing substation construction activities.
Direct Foremen and craft personnel in daily work assignments, sequencing, manpower allocation, equipment utilization, and production.
Coordinate electrical, civil, structural, grounding, conduit, equipment installation, and other construction activities within the substation.
Develop daily and weekly work plans based on project schedules, available manpower, materials, equipment, and site conditions.
Communicate production expectations, safety requirements, project priorities, and quality standards to field personnel.
Monitor crew productivity and make adjustments to manpower, equipment, and work sequencing as necessary.
Provide leadership, mentoring, and technical guidance to Foremen, Journeymen, apprentices, and other craft personnel.
Maintain accountability for field performance while promoting teamwork and professional job-site conduct.
Substation Construction
Oversee construction, expansion, retrofit, and upgrade activities for high-voltage electrical substations.
Coordinate installation of major substation equipment including transformers, breakers, switches, bus systems, instrument transformers, control equipment, grounding systems, and associated components.
Supervise installation of conduit, cable tray, control cable, power cable, grounding conductors, terminations, and associated electrical systems.
Coordinate foundation, structural steel, equipment pad, trench, duct bank, fencing, and other civil/structural activities as required.
Oversee substation grounding grid and bonding installations.
Review construction drawings, electrical one-lines, schematics, equipment layouts, grounding plans, specifications, and work packages.
Verify proper equipment placement, alignment, assembly, connections, grounding, and installation.
Coordinate construction activities around existing and energized electrical facilities.
Identify constructability concerns, drawing conflicts, and field conditions and communicate them to project management and engineering for resolution.
Support outage-related construction activities and ensure work is properly coordinated with utility operations.
Safety
Maintain responsibility for safe execution of all assigned field activities.
Enforce OSHA requirements, company safety programs, utility-specific standards, and project safety procedures.
Lead and participate in daily job briefings, Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs), pre-task planning, toolbox talks, and safety meetings.
Conduct routine job-site safety walks and immediately address unsafe conditions or work practices.
Ensure crews understand electrical hazards, minimum approach distances, grounding requirements, excavation hazards, lifting requirements, and energized work restrictions.
Verify employees have appropriate PPE, tools, equipment, training, and permits before beginning work.
Coordinate safe work practices around energized buses, transformers, transmission lines, underground utilities, and other electrical infrastructure.
Promote Stop Work Authority and a proactive safety culture throughout the project.
Quality Control & Inspection
Ensure substation construction activities comply with engineering drawings, specifications, utility standards, and approved construction procedures.
Conduct and document field inspections of electrical, structural, grounding, conduit, cable, and equipment installations.
Verify work prior to backfill, concrete placement, concealment, energization, or turnover.
Identify deficiencies and coordinate corrective actions with Foremen, contractors, quality personnel, and project management.
Coordinate inspections with utility representatives, engineers, QA/QC personnel, and other project stakeholders.
Support equipment testing, commissioning, punch-list activities, and final project turnover.
Ensure completed installations meet project documentation and quality requirements.
Scheduling & Project Coordination
Assist the Superintendent and Construction Manager with development and execution of construction schedules and short-term look-ahead schedules.
Establish daily and weekly production goals and monitor field progress against project milestones.
Coordinate manpower, equipment, materials, subcontractors, inspections, deliveries, outages, and other resources required to maintain the construction schedule.
Identify potential schedule impacts and communicate issues to project leadership before they affect critical activities.
Participate in construction coordination, planning, progress, and safety meetings.
Coordinate with other disciplines to prevent conflicts and maintain efficient workflow across the project site.
Documentation & Material Management
Maintain accurate daily construction reports documenting manpower, equipment, quantities installed, work completed, weather conditions, delays, and significant field activities.
Review and verify employee timecards and field documentation.
Track materials and equipment required for upcoming construction activities.
Coordinate material deliveries, staging, storage, and distribution throughout the project site.
Verify materials and equipment received in the field match project requirements and approved documentation.
Maintain organized work areas, laydown yards, equipment staging areas, and material storage locations.
Qualifications
7+ years of substation, transmission, distribution, or electrical utility construction experience required.
Demonstrated experience as a General Foreman, Substation Foreman, Electrical Foreman, or similar utility construction leadership position.
Strong hands-on knowledge of high-voltage substation construction and electrical equipment installation.
Journeyman Electrician, Journeyman Lineman, Substation Technician, or equivalent electrical construction background strongly preferred.
Experience supervising multiple crews and coordinating simultaneous construction activities.
Strong knowledge of transformers, breakers, switches, bus systems, grounding systems, conduit, control cable, power cable, and associated substation equipment.
Ability to read and interpret electrical one-lines, schematics, construction drawings, equipment layouts, grounding plans, specifications, and work packages.
Understanding of substation grounding, testing, commissioning, and energization activities.
Experience working around energized electrical facilities and coordinating outage-related construction activities.
Strong knowledge of OSHA requirements and electrical utility construction safety practices.
Knowledge of F5 safety requirements and utility-specific safety programs preferred.
Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to effectively communicate with craft personnel, project management, engineering, safety, quality, subcontractors, and utility representatives.
Valid driver's license required.
Ability and willingness to travel extensively—up to 100% depending on project assignments.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting major electric utility, EPC, transmission, or substation capital programs.
Experience with both greenfield and brownfield substation construction.
Experience supervising multiple Foremen and craft crews simultaneously.
Knowledge of high-voltage equipment installation, grounding, testing, commissioning, and energization.
Experience coordinating civil, structural, electrical, and protection & control construction activities.
Familiarity with crane operations, heavy equipment, rigging, equipment setting, and critical lifts.
OSHA 30 or equivalent utility construction safety training.
Experience working within operating substations and around energized high-voltage equipment.
Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an experienced substation construction leader who understands the entire job site—not just one electrical discipline. They can coordinate multiple Foremen and crews while maintaining control of safety, production, quality, materials, equipment, and schedule.

This individual should be equally comfortable walking the yard reviewing an equipment installation, coordinating a transformer or breaker setting, checking grounding and conduit work, reviewing upcoming construction activities with Foremen, or meeting with the Superintendent and Construction Manager to discuss schedule and production.

The successful candidate will bring a safety-first mentality, extensive substation field knowledge, strong leadership skills, and the ability to drive multiple crews toward successful project completion while maintaining utility-level quality standards.