High-Impact Recruitment

High-Impact Recruitment for ERCOT Transmission and Power Infrastructure.

Churchill Hughes is a focused recruitment firm for the people delivering the ERCOT buildout: grid interconnection, transmission, substations, commissioning, power delivery and battery storage. We support developers, utilities, EPCs, OEMs, investors and data-center operators with the impact-critical hires their projects depend on.

Speak with Churchill Hughes Our Approach

ERCOT transmission and substation infrastructure at sunrise

ERCOT market focus

Focused on the Texas power market and the infrastructure needed to support long-term load growth, reliability and grid expansion.

Targeted search

Precise, campaign-based search built around specific companies, functions and leadership requirements.

Senior-level mandates

Search focused on senior individual contributor through director level appointments across project-critical power infrastructure teams.

Partner-led delivery

Direct senior ownership of every search, with no hand-offs and clear accountability throughout.

The Market

The Buildout, in Numbers.

The ERCOT market has moved, and hiring plans built on last year's assumptions are already out of date. The headline figures behind every conversation we have with clients and candidates:

$33BTexas 765 kV transmission plan, the first EHV network in ERCOT history

453 GWgeneration interconnection queue, the second largest in the United States

233 GWlarge-load queue entering 2026, more than 70% of it data centers

1.4 : 1grid workers nearing retirement for every young worker joining

Sources: ERCOT regional transmission plan, ERCOT GIS (Feb 2026), Utility Dive, IEA (2025). Every figure we publish is sourced and dated.

Market Intelligence

We Publish What We Know.

Most recruiters tell you the market is competitive. We show you the numbers. The Churchill Hughes intelligence library covers compensation by role and seniority, the interconnection and large-load queues, the transmission and substation build, BESS economics and the talent squeeze behind all of it.

Every figure is sourced and dated. It is the same intelligence we run live assignments on, and one registration unlocks all of it.

Visit the Intelligence Hub

01The ERCOT Power Talent Market 2026 02Grid Interconnection & Queue Strategy 03Transmission Engineering & Delivery 04Substations, Protection & Control 05Large-Load & Data-Center Demand 06BESS & Battery Storage 07ERCOT's Biggest Active Projects

For Candidates

Know Your Number.

If you build, connect or operate power infrastructure in Texas, the market has moved under you, and your 2024 comp band is history. Know what you are worth before your next conversation.

Your details go nowhere without your say-so. No CV blasting, no surprise submittals, ever.
Straight answers on compensation, backed by published benchmarks.
One senior point of contact from first call to accepted offer.

Introduce Yourself Full Benchmarks in the Hub

Senior base pay, US market signal

BESS / storage engineer$170k–$235k

BESS commissioning$140k–$190k

Interconnection / studiesto $190k

Protection & control$102k–$130k+

Substation relay technician~$105k avg

Indicative aggregates from 2025–2026 postings. Role-by-seniority detail, metro splits and sources in the Intelligence Hub.

Who We Serve

Built to Support the Leaders Delivering Texas Power Infrastructure.

Developers

Organizations advancing new power, transmission and infrastructure projects across Texas.

Utilities

Teams operating, modernizing and expanding critical grid infrastructure across the ERCOT region.

EPCs

Firms delivering transmission, substation, commissioning and power delivery projects.

OEMs

Equipment and technology providers supporting reliable grid and power infrastructure.

Investors

Capital partners backing long-term power infrastructure and grid resilience across Texas.