Job Details

Job Summary

The Power Protection Engineer is responsible for the management, analysis, testing, maintenance, and troubleshooting of protective relay systems in electrical substations and power plants. This role requires a deep understanding of electrical theory, relay protection logic, and the ability to work effectively in complex environments. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in relay protection design, application, analysis, and troubleshooting. This position supports a range of power generation technologies, including fossil fuel, simple and combined-cycle peaking, wind, solar, and utility-scale battery systems.

Essential Duties / Responsibilities

• Perform power system studies and protection settings coordination on projects up to the 550-kV voltage level.

• Provide technical leadership and hands-on expertise in testing and maintaining protective relay systems in substations and power plants.

• Manage complex projects, including upgrades from electromechanical to modern microprocessor-based relays, overseeing contract engineering services, craft personnel, and coordination with regulatory agencies or transmission/distribution companies.

• Conduct functional and operational testing on relay systems to verify performance and compliance.

• Analyze event oscillography and Digital Fault Recorder (DFR) data to troubleshoot and resolve system malfunctions.

• Collaborate with internal engineering teams, plant personnel, utility engineers, and external engineering firms on the design, implementation, and commissioning of electrical projects involving relay protection, metering, breaker controls, interlocks, and regulatory compliance.

• Ensure compliance with industry standards, safety regulations, and best practices.

• Provide technical guidance and training to junior technicians and engineers.

• Stay current with advancements in relay technology and testing methodologies.

• Read, interpret, and revise power plant drawings, schematics, and wiring diagrams with expert proficiency.

• Communicate regularly with management, providing updates on engineering designs, project status, and technical issues.

• Support multi-year outage forecasting, maintenance prioritization, and budget development with technical input.

• Provide 24/7 emergency support, including video/teleconferencing and emergency travel as required.

• Operate and interpret results from relay test equipment (e.g., Doble, Omicron, Megger, Fluke).

• Uphold the highest standards of safety, environmental responsibility, ethics, and accountability.

Working Conditions

• Open office environment; field or plant work as required.

• Occasional work in harsh, dirty, loud, or extreme weather conditions for extended hours.

• Use of appropriate PPE, fall protection, and arc flash clothing as required.

• Approximately 30% travel to generation facilities, support facilities, and vendor sites.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field.

• At least five (5) years of experience in utility-scale power generation or transmission and distribution.

• Ability to read, interpret, and apply electrical one-line diagrams, schematics, and instruction manuals.

• Extensive experience in event analysis using oscillography data from multiprocessor power protection relays.

• Familiarity with relay products and schemes from major manufacturers (e.g., SEL, Basler, GE, Siemens, Beckwith).

• Ability to perform system studies and protection settings coordination up to the 550-kV voltage level.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, or a related field.

• Ten (10) years of experience in power generation performing advanced electrical and relay protection work.

• Completion of a relevant trade school or applicable military training.

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong project management, leadership, influence, and communication skills.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, ETAP, and SEL Accelerator software.

• Confidence in public speaking and delivering technical presentations.

• Solid technical writing skills.

• Ability to work effectively in a diverse, fast-paced environment.