Senior Protection Engineer

Persol; Western Australia; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

PERSOL is seeking an experienced Senior Protection Engineer to join the Protection Team for a major energy infrastructure project in Western Australia. You will contribute expertise across 220kV/33kV substation protection design, configuration, and commissioning, including wind, solar, and battery storage interfaces.

Screening emphasizes 5+ years in electrical protection, Siemens Siprotec 5 and SEL relays, and IEC 61850 MMS/GOOSE proficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Electrical Engineering is required.
• 5+ years' electrical protection experience in power utilities.
• Experience with Siemens Siprotec 5 and SEL relays is essential.
• Knowledge of IEC 61850 MMS/GOOSE communications.
• Strong report writing, communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and review protection systems for 220kV/33kV substations and generation facilities.
• Perform protection settings, coordination calculations and grading studies.
• Develop protection configuration files and verify settings implementation.
• Review protection design concepts, drawings and technical specifications.
• Lead FAT of protection relays and verify configuration and communications.
• Provide technical support during commissioning and troubleshooting.
• Coordinate with project, design, and operations teams on protection requirements.
• Develop scopes of work for protection settings reports and grading studies.
• Maintain quality documentation and ensure compliance with standards.

Skills

Protection relay settings

Protection coordination & grading

Technical report writing

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor of Electrical Engineering

Tools

Siemens Siprotec 5

SEL protection relays

IEC 61850 MMS/GOOSE knowledge

Job description

PERSOL is one of Australia's largest and longest serving recruitment providers. Delivering both quality temporary and permanent options, we specialise in the recruitment of Professional, ICT, Government, STEM, Management and Executive talent.

Our Tier 1 Mining Client is looking for an experienced Senior Protection Engineer to join the Protection Team.

Roster: 5/2 Perth based

Duration: approx. 12 months - depending on client requirements

Please note that only people with relevant experience will be considered and contacted.

The Role:

Join a major energy infrastructure project delivering a new 220kV transmission and renewable energy network across the Pilbara.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Protection Engineer to join the Protection Team, contributing specialist protection engineering expertise across the design, configuration and commissioning of multiple 220kV/33kV substations and renewable energy facilities.

This is an opportunity to work with complex high-voltage equipment and contribute to significant transmission, wind, solar and battery energy storage projects.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Design and review protection systems for substations and generation facilities.
• Perform protection settings, coordination calculations and grading studies.
• Develop protection configuration files and verify settings implementation.
• Review protection design concepts, drawings and technical specifications.
• Lead Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) of protection relays, including configuration and communications verification.
• Provide technical support and troubleshooting during commissioning.
• Work with project, design and operations teams to integrate protection requirements.
• Develop scopes of work for protection settings reports and grading studies.
• Maintain quality documentation and ensure compliance with relevant standards.

Required Experience:

• A Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.
• At least 5 years' electrical protection experience in the power utility industry.
• Strong experience with protection relay settings, configuration and testing.
• Experience with Siemens Siprotec 5 and SEL protection relays.
• Knowledge of IEC 61850 communications, including MMS and GOOSE.
• Experience with protection design, coordination and commissioning.
• Strong understanding of Australian electrical standards.
• Excellent technical report writing, communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Who we are

At PERSOL, we connect people to meaningful work and growth.
With decades of experience and a future-focused mindset, we're here to support your career journey. We offer fresh opportunities, trusted guidance, and a people-first approach.

We're committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace that embraces diverse experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives.
We strongly encourage applications from women, people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, and individuals from all communities.