Energy · Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Dallas-Fort Worth energy hiring now runs through substations as much as oil company offices, with Oncor working through a $47.5 billion five-year capital plan while local line pay sits about 18% below the U.S. median. Careerscape, a national agency with no DFW office, fills these roles remotely through recruiters who specialize in energy.
The 2026 shift
Dallas still runs a lot of energy companies. Energy Transfer, Atmos Energy, HF Sinclair and Oncor are based in Dallas, and Vistra is in Irving. What changed is where the hiring volume is. Oncor, the Dallas utility in which Sempra owns an 80.25% stake, is working through a $47.5 billion base capital plan for 2026 through 2030, announced with its 2025 results.
ERCOT has endorsed a set of new transmission projects for southern Dallas-Fort Worth and the I-35 corridor. Sempra puts them at more than $7 billion, to be placed in service between 2026 and 2034 and to serve about 16 gigawatts of new demand, and Oncor expects to build most of them. That work needs electrical engineers, protection and substation specialists, project managers and line crews for years, not months.
Upstream is moving the other way. After ExxonMobil closed its purchase of Irving-based Pioneer Natural Resources in May 2024, it told the Texas Workforce Commission it planned 397 separations in Texas, 376 of them at the Irving headquarters, scheduled from 2024 into 2026. Experienced Permian engineers and land, finance and operations staff from that consolidation are now part of the DFW candidate pool. For the wider metro job market, see our Dallas staffing guide.
BLS May 2025
Dallas-Fort Worth is a large, mixed economy, so most energy occupations sit near the national share. A few stand out. Petroleum engineers (location quotient 1.94) and solar photovoltaic installers (1.93) are about twice as concentrated here as in the U.S., and wind turbine technicians (1.53) and oil and gas roustabouts (1.48) are also above it. The metro's 5,720 electrical engineers earn a $124,390 median, slightly above the U.S.
| Occupation | Jobs in metro | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum Engineers | 910 | $168,600+16% | 1.94 |
| Electrical Engineers | 5,720 | $124,390+3% | 1.11 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | 3,930 | $77,910−18% | 1.15 |
| Power Plant Operators | 240 | $106,720+5% | 0.31 |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installers | 1,570 | $48,350−9% | 1.93 |
| Wind Turbine Service Technicians | 400 | $57,890−10% | 1.53 |
| Environmental Engineers | 370 | $126,650+18% | 0.37 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 610 | $132,780+30% | 1.00 |
| Roustabouts, Oil and Gas | 1,740 | $48,030+2% | 1.48 |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | 400 | $67,940−30% | 0.47 |
| Chemical Engineers | 130 | $130,520+4% | 0.24 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 5,970 | $172,160+1% | 1.04 |
The thin pools are plant and process roles. Chemical engineers (LQ 0.24), power plant operators (0.31), environmental engineers (0.37) and refinery operators and gaugers (0.47) are scarce here, so plan to recruit from Houston or out of state. Pay cuts both ways: petroleum engineers earn a $168,600 median, about 16% above the U.S., while power-line installers earn $77,910, about 18% below the $95,320 U.S. median. Metro figures cover all industries. Jobs and median annual pay for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, all employers, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025). “Vs. U.S.” compares with the national median. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job makes up a bigger share of local employment than it does nationally.
Who hires
Named as market context only. These are not Careerscape clients.
Oncor runs its regulated delivery business from downtown Dallas. Its build-out drives demand for protection engineers, substation designers, project controls staff and line workers.
Irving-based Vistra reports about 4,000 Texas employees and runs Comanche Peak, a 2,400 MW nuclear plant in Glen Rose with 679 employees. Generation hiring leans on operators, maintenance and reliability engineers; the retail side on pricing, trading and customer operations.
Energy Transfer, Atmos Energy and HF Sinclair run multistate operations from Dallas. HF Sinclair's seven refineries are all outside Texas, so its DFW roles are corporate: engineering, commercial, supply and finance. Energy Transfer moved its listing to the Dallas-based Texas Stock Exchange in October 2026.
The Barnett Shale lies under Fort Worth and at least 17 counties. DFW still counts 1,740 roustabouts, but much upstream hiring here is office work for basins elsewhere: reservoir, completions and production engineering, geoscience, land and accounting.
Texas rules
The state rules most likely to change a role's scope or timeline. Not legal advice.
| Rule or body | What it does | Why it matters for hiring |
|---|---|---|
| Senate Bill 6 (2025) | Signed in June 2025 and effective immediately. Sets interconnection standards for new loads of 75 MW or more, a screening study fee of at least $100,000 and curtailment rules for grid emergencies. | Data center and industrial load requests create work for interconnection, planning and large-load account engineers at utilities and developers. |
| Public Utility Commission of Texas | Regulates electric transmission and distribution utilities and sets the SB 6 large-load standards. | Regulatory affairs, rate case and compliance roles grow with each rulemaking. |
| ERCOT | Manages power flow for about 90% of the state's electric load. Its board approved a "Batch Zero" process to sequence large-load requests, and the PUCT approved it in June 2026. | ERCOT market and planning experience is its own skill set; candidates from other U.S. grids need time to learn it. |
| Texas Occupations Code §1001.057 | Exempts some engineering by a private company's own staff from licensure, and defines its products to include those related to oil and gas production, exploration and transportation. | Many in-house energy engineers work without a PE. Roles outside the exemption may need a Texas license, so confirm before posting. |
SB 6 summary from McGuireWoods (July 2025). Batch Zero status from ERCOT's June 18, 2026 release. Statute summary from texas.public.law. Source: McGuireWoods: Texas Senate Bill 6 expands oversight of large loads in ERCOT (July 2025).
Where it clusters
Energy work in DFW is spread across the metro and beyond it. Where a role sits shapes who will take it.
Oncor's headquarters downtown, plus Energy Transfer, Atmos Energy and HF Sinclair. Corporate engineering, commercial, regulatory and finance roles.
Vistra's headquarters, and the former Pioneer Natural Resources headquarters at 777 Hidden Ridge, which came to ExxonMobil with the 2024 deal.
The Barnett Shale underlies Fort Worth and counties including Tarrant, Johnson, Wise and Parker. Field and operations roles for Barnett gas are based out here.
Where ERCOT endorsed new transmission projects that Oncor expects to build. Substation, line and construction management hiring is planned into the early 2030s.
Southwest of Fort Worth, home to Vistra's Comanche Peak nuclear plant. Nuclear operations and maintenance roles draw on a small, specialized pool.
Hiring advice
What the data and the 2026 market suggest for employers hiring now.
The DFW median for power-line installers is about 18% below the U.S. median. Experienced line workers recruited from other states will compare your offer with what they earn now, so set the range before outreach.
Chemical engineers, refinery operators and power plant operators are all well below the national share here. Searching Houston and the Gulf Coast from day one, with relocation in the budget, saves weeks.
Transmission projects run in phases through 2034. Contract staffing or contract-to-hire fits construction-phase inspectors and project managers; protection and planning engineers are usually worth a direct hire.
In-house engineering at a private energy company often falls under the §1001.057 exemption. A role that seals drawings or serves outside clients may not. Settle it before posting, since a license requirement narrows the pool.
The Pioneer integration released experienced Permian engineers and back-office staff in Irving. Many are open to utility, midstream or contract work, and Careerscape keeps a search confidential for candidates who are still employed.
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FAQ
Yes. Careerscape is a national agency with no DFW office, and its energy recruiters work remotely for employers across the metro, from downtown Dallas and Irving to Fort Worth and the I-35 corridor. Hiring managers review a pre-screened shortlist in a private Employer Portal. See our energy staffing services for direct hire, contract and executive search options.
Senate Bill 6, signed in June 2025 and effective immediately, sets interconnection standards for new loads of 75 MW or more, requires those customers to share interconnection costs, sets a screening study fee of at least $100,000 and lets ERCOT curtail some large loads in emergencies. For employers it means more interconnection studies and regulatory filings, and more demand for engineers and analysts who can do them.
Some upstream jobs are consolidating. ExxonMobil planned 397 Texas separations after buying Pioneer, most at the Irving headquarters, through 2026. But DFW remains above the national share for petroleum engineers (location quotient 1.94), with a $168,600 median wage in May 2025, and midstream and utility headquarters keep hiring. The growth in 2026 is on the power and grid side.
Not always. Texas Occupations Code §1001.057 exempts some engineering work done by a private company's own employees, and it covers products related to oil and gas production, exploration and transportation. Engineering offered to the public or outside the exemption may require a license from the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Check the specific role with counsel.
DFW has one of the deeper solar crews among our markets. BLS counted 1,570 solar photovoltaic installers in the metro in May 2025, a location quotient of 1.93, with a $48,350 median, below the $53,140 U.S. median. Contract and temporary staffing fit project peaks; crew leads and site supervisors are often direct hires.
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